The Story of Us: Everything is Connected (Part 1)
Thursdays, 1 - 3 pm
Facilitator: Marlene Katz
Moderator: Jim Miller
This is the story of how our species, Homo sapiens, has been able to survive, adapt, and rise to a position of planetary dominance that has not been achieved by any other species. Deep Ecology is a relatively new way to look at life on earth. Using this lens we will see how, without intending to, each generation of humans has created innovations that have resulted in problems for the next generation. Due to the complexity of the problems humans will face in the coming decades we must learn to use a new kind of thinking which integrates scientific, economic, philosophical, and cultural perspectives. In part one of this course we will travel from the Big Bang up to the Neolithic Revolution. Yes, we have to begin at the Big Bang, since we need to understand that we are all made of stardust.
Textbook: The Story of Earth: The First 4.5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet, Robert M Hazen, ISBN 978-0143123644