...dominant paradigms of modern human civilization-especially where its relationship with environment is concerned. Both feel strongly that we are in trouble. Neither are quite willing to make final connections and present us with a systematic method for getting out of our impending ecological crisis, but they both do spell out what has been wrong, what is wrong now, and what will happen should we choose not to take evasive action. In the absence of similar works "in the canon" it is hard not to feel as though, (as the character Ishmael promised), if you accept their premises you are doomed to isolation for, those who see the future most clearly are usually outcasts, lost as to what power they may have to change minds and directions. Enlightenment almost always comes at a price, often steep. In the interest of exploring the necessity of dissent, let's follow that line of environmental thought a little further. Ponting presents us with the scientific/cultural evidence that backs up what Quinn is saying: that we as a species are destroying our foundations even as we proclaim our creation-Civilization-a success. If this massive breakdown and foreboding future are certainties, then we must ask-as Quinn does-who or what is telling us lies to make us believe otherwise? His character Ishmael calls it "Mother Culture" and insists that its pervasive voice acts to keep us on course even when large portions of the population have every reason to lose hope in Her tenets. This all-powerful...
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...dominant paradigms of modern human civilization-especially where its relationship with environment is concerned. Both feel strongly that we are in trouble. Neither are quite willing to make final connections and present us with a systematic method for getting out of our impending ecological crisis, but they both do spell out what has been wrong, what is wrong now, and what will happen should we choose not to take evasive action. In the absence of similar works "in the canon" it is hard not to feel as though, (as the character Ishmael promised), if you accept their premises you are doomed to isolation for, those who see the future most clearly are usually outcasts, lost as to what power they may have to change minds and directions. Enlightenment almost always comes at a price, often steep. In the interest of exploring the necessity of dissent, let's follow that line of environmental thought a little further. Ponting presents us with the scientific/cultural evidence that backs up what Quinn is saying: that we as a species are destroying our foundations even as we proclaim our creation-Civilization-a success. If this massive breakdown and foreboding future are certainties, then we must ask-as Quinn does-who or what is telling us lies to make us believe otherwise? His character Ishmael calls it "Mother Culture" and insists that its pervasive voice acts to keep us on course even when large portions of the population have every reason to lose hope in Her tenets. This all-powerful...
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...A modest prediction for the next 100 years People are intrigued by the question over the years by asking what the world will look like since the invention of science and technology. The world has changed in the last 100 years or so but we humans are still driven by same food, sex, and having the feeling of being loved in our society. If you are to eliminate the inventions that were brought by science and technology, most people will be affected because they addicted or stalked with the idea of having electricity, video games, computers, television, and their cars which enables them to move from one place to another. Depending too much on science and technology can be detrimental to our culture or way of traditionally getting things done in the society. During the time of the axial people did stuff manually without the help of machines or something. And a lot of philosophers existed at that time which helped to predict their future success or failures. People from the axial age are said to lack self-reflection or awareness. Our current generation is pretty much messed up because we have eradicated and moved away from the ancient way doing things or thinking. For me I feel that predicting our future is important because first of all we would like to think about the future we would like for ourselves and our upcoming generations. Flying automobiles like cars is an epitome that has been seen in cartoons and movies. It is an interesting concept to deliberate about and also we have...
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...Ethics Dr. Vicki Toscano Issues paper#1 Anthropocentrism vs. Biocentrism 1/26/2012 The Historical Roots of our ecologic crisis is an article written by Lynn T. White, Jr. published in the journal Science in 1966. White was a medieval scholar and in this article he blames technology, Christianity, and anthropocentrism as the “Roots” of our ecologic crisis. He states, “All forms of life modify their contexts,” but believes that this modification should be for the good of the earth like the coral polyp. He states Man must coexist with nature. Man had always been a dynamic element in harmony with the earth. This all changed sometime around the 1850 when the “Baconian Creed” of scientific knowledge started influencing the people. As a result man began to exploit the earth through new advents in technology. White cites the invention of the eight-oxen plow as the beginning of man’s “ruthlessness” towards nature. White continues to argue that Christian Axioms fueled this newfound exploitive attitude towards earth. To White, Christianity’s story of creation and notion that “no item in the physical creation had any purpose save to serve man’s purpose (White).” only served to justify these actions and put Christianity as “the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen.” White continues to argue that simply applying more science and more technology to our ecologic crisis is not going to solve the problem. To him the issue is essentially religious. White suggests a Franciscan model...
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...Crisis Management Final Paper Known as the “Mediterranean of the Americas,” the Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. It extends roughly 995 miles from east to west and 560 miles from north to south. The Gulf is bordered by The United States to the North, Mexico to the west and south, and Cuba to the southeast (The Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). The Gulf connects to the Atlantic Ocean through a current from the Yucatan Straight, circulating around the Gulf and exiting through the Florida Straight, forming the Gulf Stream (The Environmental Protection Agency, 2012). With over 600,000 square miles of area and 16,000 miles of shoreline, the Gulf of Mexico supports a host of economic activities. Tourism, shipping, agriculture, fishing, fisheries, oyster production, shrimp production, oil and gas production, and more from the Gulf produce annual economic activities in excess of $234 billion (Hargreaves, 2010). Oil and gas industry creates $124 billion annually, the largest chunk of Gulf economic activities (Hargreaves, 2010). This industry, while creating the largest economic impact in the area, is also responsible for creating its largest ecological disaster. On April 20, 2010, The BP and Transocean operated oilrig Deepwater Horizon had recently suspended drilling operations more that 50 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana’s coast (Rigzone). BP had filed a permit to temporarily abandon the well and move the rig to a new...
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...http://www.academia.edu/1476524/Environmental_Ethics_Between_Anthropocentrism_and_Ecocentrism Introduction Environmental ethics is defined as the moral relationship between humans and the natural environment (Buzzle 2011). It is an area of environmental philosophy that faces a lot of conflict due to the various subdivisions in terms of ethical perceptions. For traditional and religious views, some people believe that they were given dominion over nature’s plants and anima ls to serve their needs. The idea of a human- centered nature, or anthropocentrism, explicitly states that humans are the sole bearers of intrinsic value and all other living things are there to sustain humanity’s existence (MacKinnon 2007, p. 331). The ‘ecological footprint’ (Gaston 2005, p. 239) that resulted from humans ’ greediness has lead over the decades to massive alteration in nature’s balance , as well as to many recognizable environmental crises the world is facing today. By contrast, ecocentrism recognizes a nature-centered system of values, and extends the inherent worth to all living things regardless of their usefulness to humans (MacKinnon 2007, p. 336). It is believed that the human race have the responsibility to all biological life on Earth because, aside from being the most consuming specie of all, they are capable of thinking and perceiving Earth as a whole. Humans’ ill -treatment towards the environment is not only drastically altering the ecosystem, but also threatening...
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...What impact has neoliberalism had on world politics? Neoliberalism is an economic philosophy that rose in prominence from the eighties following the elections of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. Jones, Parker and Bos (2005: 100) summarise the essence of this view as “markets good, governments bad”. Neoliberalism argues that free trade is beneficial to all nations, that governments create inefficiency and waste, and that the distribution of goods should therefore be left to individuals and firms competing in the market to maximise their utility (WHO 2010). To ensure an efficient allocation of resources, neoliberalists argue for widespread liberalisation i.e. the reduction of rules and restrictions, and the privatisation of public enterprises. However, the reality of Neoliberalism has been very different to the theory. Regulation provides the framework within which markets work and enables the moderation of the externalities they produce, thus deregulation was in fact limited and was quickly followed by regulation (Levi-Faur 2005: 13). Because of this, Polanyi (in Peck, 2010: 330) writes: “the road to a free market was opened and kept open by an enormous increase in continuous, centrally organized and controlled interventionism”. In this essay, I look at the impacts of Neoliberalism on World Politics, focusing on two in particular. Firstly I explain that the policies of liberalisation and privatisation, albeit supported by regulation, have led to increasing inequality...
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...environment. After reading Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce it has become increasingly evident that as a nation there needs to be more awareness of how consumerism is rapidly changing how life is lived. In order to fully understand how consumerism impacts the environment there needs to be a careful understanding of what makes humans consume at such high rates, what role businesses play in catering to the wants and needs of consumers, and most importantly how the environment responds to all of these new demands. It is important to understand what consumerism is and how it affects life. The Oxford English Dictionary defines consumerism as, “the preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods”. In his book The Ecology of Commerce, Hawken states, ”every American consumes about 36 pounds of resources a week, while 2,000 pounds of waste are discarded to support that consumption”(45). It is highly unlikely that people are consciously aware that the resources they consume in a week, creates the waste that is equal to the weight of an elephant. The average person is just trying to survive and live as comfortable a life as possible and are not concerned with what is going to go on years from now. Although humans share this planet with literally thousands of other species, it is solely the human race that is...
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...Resource Depletion and Peak Oil Peak oil and resource depletion are two very real issues that our world is facing. These issues are controversial topics and this report is going to critically analyse these concerns. Firstly, we will look at what the peak oil and climate change theories are and then discuss the on-going debate from opposing sides of the arguments for and against the peak oil theory. We will examine how these two issues are intertwined and identify the key consequences facing society. Then the current evidence that is proof of the early stages of both issues. The second part of this report will be based on a post peak oil paradigm and how the effects of peak oil, climate change and economic contraction will have on the direct investment in low density suburban property market. Firstly we will look at the concept of peak oil. The peak oil theory arose in 1956, when M. King Hubbert addressed the United States Oil Convention. His theory observed the production rates of individual oil reserves and how the production rate would increase at an exponential growth, reach a point and then decline rapidly, producing a bell shaped curve, now referred to as Hubbert’s curve. His prediction was that the United States oil reserves will reach its peak in 1970, and then decline rapidly as the demand increased and then become totally depleted. His theory was met with ridicule, however in the 1970’s the US reached its peak of 10 million barrels per day, and has been in decline...
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...We all hear about this word at one point and time in our lives… climate change. Hot summers, cold winters, and bush fires, air pollution and rising sea levels, yet no one seems to question what the cause is of this issue. Who is directly involved and what are stakeholders such as the Australian government, economy and the Christian perspective doing in order to combat this issue. According to UNFCC climate change is defined as “ a change in climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that changes the composition of the global atmosphere in which is in addition to the natural climate variability observed over a compatible time periods”. Greenhouse effect is defined by the Australian Academy for Science as a barrier that traps heat energy in order to keep the planet warm. The average temperature ...
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...the perpetrator’s ability to act anonymously is indicative of a form of power he or she holds over the victim As in the case of traditional bullying, cyberbullying often occurs as a result of such relationship difficulties as the break-up of a friendship or romance, envy of a peer’s success, intolerance of particular groups on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability, and ganging up on one individual (Duncan, Neil, Rivers, Ian, 2012). Bullying has taken on new heights and sometimes victims of bullies suffer severe and lasting consequences. Everyday there is more and more stories on the consequences of what can happen when a person becomes a victim of bullies. Suicide and violence has risen in schools because of children being bullied. What are the risk factors for bullying? Is one type of person more likely to be bullied? What are the schools doing to protect children from becoming a victim? Bullying is typically more common...
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...Clearly few things rile people up more than religion and politics. These controversial topics fascinate and titillate the best of us including William H. Jennings, author of Storms over Genesis and Professor of Religion, Emeritus, at Muhlenberg College. His investigative work into the interpretations of the first three chapters of the most famous book in the world, the Bible, gives the reader insight into the environmentalist views, feminist views, and those of creationists. By seeking clarification of the various creation stories, Jennings tries to illuminate the current scholarly views of this ancient text including the origin and timeline of the Earth. The Earth has been in existence for quite some time. Just how long is still unknown, but scientists, especially environmental Darwinists, estimate the Earth is 4.55 billion years old (Jennings 86). But the date of Earth’s origin and the presence of man are two separate questions depending on if one relies on biblical references or stories, creationism, which put the age of the world, the beginning of creation between 6,000-10,000 years (77) or modern science. A Gallup poll found supporters of each side to be fairly split, forty-six percent towards creationism and thirty-six percent pointing to Darwinism as the correct derivation (88). Why is the question of Earth’s origin so germane? According to many, because Genesis only deals with God’s creation of man in His image, and science can prove the existence of “pre-Adam” man dating...
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...values. Background Mattel founded in 1945 is one of the largest toy companies in the world (Fortune, 2008). Although Mattel is a major toy company, there are many unethical issues found. Firstly, Mattel`s products contained lead paint and tiny magnets that could be swallowed (Mauro, 2007). Secondly, Mattel recalled toys frequently as there were five recalls in less than a year (Mattel.com, 2010). Thirdly, the packaging of Mattel`s product contributed to rainforest destruction (Jakarta, 2011). According to the American Marketing Association (AMA), these activities are unethical and violate 3 ethical values including responsibility, honesty and citizenship. Responsibility For responsibility, Mattel failed to accept the consequences of our marketing decision and strategies. Mattel did not recognize their special commitments to vulnerable market segments such as children who may be disadvantaged. First of all, on August 14 2007, Mattel`s product, the ‘Sarge’ cars, was discovered with lead paint and tiny magnets which are harmful and dangerous to children. Although the product was recalled, some of the products which are claimed passed still contain lead paint. However, Mattel minimized the impact of the use of lead paint. In fact, lead is toxic if ingested by children and there is no safe level of lead in them according to Dr. John Rosen, a lead poisoning specialist (Consumer news, 2007). Although the dangers of lead poisoning are hidden and unobservable, Mattel should take the...
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...Indonesia one of the country in South East Asia which crossed by equator line, located between 2 continents (Asia and Australia) and between 2 oceans (Pacific and Indian oceans). Furthermore, Indonesia also the largest archipelago in the world, which consist of 13466 islands, where Java, Sumatera, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi and Papua (Irianjaya) are the big and main island in Indonesia. By having strategic geographical location and condition, Indonesia have very wide forest land even Indonesia known as the country with the largest tropical forest in the world after Brazil and Zaire. There are many function of forests in our life, forest becomes valuable factor to human survival as well as the life of flora and fauna. Forest can absorb carbon dioxide that is harmful for human life and produce oxygen which indispensable to humankind. Just imagine if all our forest destroyed or damaged, where we will get the clean and fresh air ??. Furthermore, forest also as water storage in big volume, rain water that fall to the earth will be stored in the roots of trees, these benefits are felt when rainy season, the forest can be used as flood control and it is also during summer or dry season where many dry land can be streamed. Lately, forest and plantation fires become major issue in Indonesia and government announce it as national disaster. Forest and plantation fires occur every year in Indonesia, particularly during long dry or summer season between April to October. Forest fire...
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...By William D. Inman Student ID# 1020398 Professor: Dr. Joe Flowers Executive Management MBA5000 September 05, 2015 Table of Contents Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………….………………………………………….3 Value and Vision…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..……………..4 Moral Intelligence: Enhancing Business Performance and Leadership Success The Ethics Recession: Reflections on the Moral Underpinnings of the Current Economic Crisis Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value Direction and Alignment…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………5 Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious Psychological Capital: Developing the Human Competitiveness Edge Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results Motivate and Empower………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………….…..7 The One Minute Manager Why Pride Matters More Than Money: The Power of the World's Greatest Motivational Force The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want Learning and Change………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..11 Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life Followership: How Followers Are Creating Change and Changing Building the Bridge as You Walk on It: A Guide for Leading Change Built to Change: How to Achieve Sustained Organizational Effectiveness Leading in global and multicultural society……………………………………………………..…………………………15 ...
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