PERPLEXING PEOPLE
Professor Mike Bruton, informal science educator, museum and science centre development consultant
Wednesday 28 January 1.00 pm COURSE FEES R115; Staff and students R58
We all belong to one species but Homo sapiens shows a greater range of cultural differences than any other animal. We are special due to our large, complex brains, our language, and our capacity for abstract reasoning and symbolic thought. These traits have allowed us to thrive, adapt to a wide range of environments, create complex societies, and become the most numerous large animals ever. Yet, despite our intelligence and advanced technologies, we find ourselves at a crossroad. We are the first animal to domesticate itself and lose its ecological niche. Our ability to manipulate the environment is unprecedented, and we have exceeded the planet’s ability to compensate for our actions. Although we arose from and survive through biological processes, we are no longer part of wild nature. Our biggest arrogance is that we must save the planet, when it is we who need to be ‘saved’ as we are the misfits in nature, not the other species. But do we have the will to do so, or is our cultural diversity our biggest enemy?
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