Environmental Sociology and Cultural Geography should be part of the conversation. Interdisciplinary work can be very fruitful. Perhaps, like massive stars, some species (ahem) have dazzling, short lives.
Regi "Love the animals, love the plants, love everything. If you love everything, you will perceive the divine mystery in things." Dostoyevsky. > On Dec 7, 2017, at 9:23 PM, Ben Haller <bhal...@mac.com> wrote: > > That’s a neat question. Nowadays there are some schools offering degrees > in sustainability studies; I’m not sure what that actually constitutes, in > terms of what you do academically. In any case, back when I was 18 that > didn’t exist. :-> Back then – maybe economics? That’s what it all really > comes down to, in my opinion. Economics encompasses all sorts of questions > about what humans prefer and value, where those preferences come from and > what influences them, how those preferences interact with politics, and how > it ends up structuring society. And that’s where the solutions likely > reside, too, in my opinion, because in the end most people respond to > incentives. If the economic structure of society rewards them for > selfishness, pollution, etc., then that is what most people will end up > doing. If it rewards them for sharing, recycling, etc., then that is what > most people will end up doing. So the things that I think are likely to > provide real solutions will come from economics – things like a carbon tax, > things that manipulate the incentives to which people respond. But I agree > that it would really have to end up being multi-discliplinary; maybe > economics with minors in ecology, sociology, and political theory? :-> > > Cheers, > -B. > > >> On Dec 8, 2017, at 10:51 AM, Joe Nolan <jcn_ith...@twc.com> wrote: >> >> >> Interesting. Speaks to a question I've long pondered, which is, if I could >> go back to being 18 and wanted to study the overall human-planet >> relationship and how to improve it, what academic field would I enter? It >> seems the academic factions have been calcified for so long that there's >> really nobody studying this most-important-of-all phenomena. A few isolated >> philosophy or anthropology classes maybe? I suppose ecological economics, as >> far as that goes - but as far as I'm aware it doesn't address the cultural >> issues that Joe Brewer is talking about. >> >> >> >> >> On 12/6/2017 7:25 PM, Gay Nicholson wrote: >> >> >I'd like to recommend an article on cultural evolution by Joe Brewer. >> >> >> > For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at t...@cornell.edu.
