Thomas Kuhn (1963) points out that the history of science suggests that when a theory confronts an anomaly or a paradox, the resolution will be a new paradigm that transcends what went before.

My purpose is not to establish where science originated, but reconcile to the fact of how significant science is for our very life within today’s cultural evolution, whether we understand it or not.  But also, the travesty that exists or paradox, within accepting something, of which the denial could destroy us entirely – and how this would become an acceptable situation?

Ignorance has developed and overwhelmed our nation’s wildlife, our environment, as well as our nation’s Iconic Symbols — America’s Wild Horses — This serves us well right here, to show the horrific condition our cultural evolution of some people and what some people consider their priority, or lack of priority what so ever . . .

Then we have the hunter-gatherer syndrome, where even in pre-historic times, as far as we can surmise, develop into a paradox.  Hunter-gatherer’s were dominated by superstitions and irrational beliefs, as they are today as a matter of fact.  Then as now, they acted upon exceedingly limited information.  Much of their information wrong.  But why discuss such a thing, as ignorance?

Global Warming

In “Our Choice, A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis,” Al Gore maintained, “. . . our capacity to respond quickly when our survival is at stake is often limited to the kinds of threats our ancestors survived: snakes, fires, attacks by other humans, and other tangible dangers in the here and now.  Global warming does not trigger those types of automatic responses. . .  As a result, the automatic and semiautomatic brain responses that have ensured our survival over the millennia are uniquely unsuited to the role of motivating new behaviors and patterns necessary to solve the climate crisis (i.e. Gore, 2009, pp 303-304).

Through history we see conflicts of intelligence, where we assumed things sacrificed, that were perhaps not.  Now we enter into the realms of wild horses, of our nation’s wildlife and the profound “kill Off” of 52% of our wildlife here in America; ironically, as federal and state wildlife management goes about their business as if it never occurred, and everything is just fine.  Well, everything is NOT just fine!

Michael Shermer, in Scientific America, August 2008, explains “. . . why thinking anecdotally comes naturally but thinking scientifically does not . . . superstition and belief in magic are millions of years old, whereas science . . . is only a few hundred years old.”

So the question again develops into a somewhat testimony of human-kind, in the matters of having the capacity to solve scientific problems — such as global warming, wild horses on Public Lands rather than extinction, killing our necessary and natural wildlife until all extinct; then to resolve these scientific problems, all in time to avert catastrophic and mindless destruction.

Our Culture

Interestingly, in a white paper,” Can a collapse of global civilization be avoided?” Paul and Anne Ehrlich (2013), claims that: “Until very recently, our ancestors had no reason to respond genetically or culturally to long term issues . . .  genetic and cultural selection were not creating brains or institutions capable of looking generations ahead; there would have been no selection pressures in that direction.  Indeed, quite the opposite . . . to keep perception of our environmental background steady so that rapid changes (e.g. leopard approaching) would be obvious.”

So, explanation in order.  We have government agencies, as we find when speaking with many of the personnel, that simply not only appear unqualified, but indeed are unqualified.  Many of these personnel, it seems clear, cannot make appropriate decisions within the scope of America’s wild horse safety and proper management, or proper management of our nation’s wildlife, and many other situations, to include Global Warming.

So with special interests aside, the incompetence and bungling of simple tasks simply become more and more involved through coverup, than actually involving science and preferred deductive reasoning toward a resolution.  As I have stated in many other articles, America, we have a Problem!  And now, all life on this planet needs Science to resolve long-term situations – but how long is long-term currently?  Well, according to good science, perhaps not long at all.  But, do we have the capacity for a resolution?

Wild Horse and Wildlife Resolution

As I stated previously, our problem can be stated clearly – Profoundly — Acceptable Ignorance has taken over America!  This must stop!  Now!  We simply do not have the time for more of such unfounded behavior.  Good decisions and correct choices must be made, and science is and remains the very basis for these such extremely significant decisions needed right now.  Frankly, our future depends on good decisions.  Bottom Line!  If the meat industry, for example, is the main problem for our declining environment, then the necessity of survival of this planet, compared to less profit must be of Priority.

So here we can get back to our cultural framing, the arts, storytelling, science, traditions, and truthful heritage.  Within the same context, what is required now is a high degree of science, or what is termed truthful science.  It becomes important here to understand, it is not necessary for everyone to become an intellectual, and of phenomenal brain-power.  But it does become important for the right choices to be made, and from good research, good data gathering, good fundamental perception of the data, and perhaps theories proven, checked and rechecked – all this for our survival.  Ignorance no longer palatable nor acceptable.  Ignorance need not apply!

Conclusion

This is not an easy subject to understand fully.  In the words of Edward O. Wilson (1998) who maintains that today the greatest divide within humanity is not the races, or religions, or even between the literate and the illiterate.  It is, he says, the chasm that separates scientific from pre-scientific cultures.

So yes, science is dependable.  Tradition and heritage back this up, as well as the ability to walk into a room and simply flip-on a light, turn on the heater in the winter, and heat up a cup of hot chocolate on the stove, surrounded by the mathematical wizardry of science, or what we refer to as our home.

Science has involved a continuous process of evolutionary growth for more than a hundred thousand years – but we forget and content in creating our own heritage (excuse to kill or excuse to not accept a truth e.g. the true number of wildlife remaining domestically, or wild horses roaming free on our Public Lands), don’t we, rather than the well proven, the reinforced time and time again – good science, natural selection, and nature running its course of life.

Recognizing the continuity of science through time and across cultures means that science should become an inherent part of our cultural heritage – it among other situations of responsibility as well as proper decision making, will save our planet –

Science is meant for all, and meant to be global in its aspects of cultural necessity.  Science is as much an innate ability of humans as is language, storytelling, poetry, music and art – all an indispensable part of what makes us human.

Time to renew the actual meaning of our Humane Principles, after all, it is what affects us – ALL IS CONNECTED – yes, humans, animals, and our environment alike – We must find the common resolution that we all can live with and live together, as we are all connected, and destruction of one is the destruction of us all and our world, as well.