Back when some of us where 18, sustainability programs didn't exist. Today, it
just may be too broad and you kinda have to pick an area that you want to focus
on. My daughter graduated recently with a degree in Energy and Environmental
Policy. During her 4 years, she had been housed in 3 different colleges at her
university. So, even now, you see academia struggling on where to put such
programs that can cross many disciplines.
Michael Miles
----------------------------------------
From: "Tony Del Plato" <tonydelpl...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2017 11:39 AM
To: "postingsustainabletompkins" <sustainable_tompkins-l@list.cornell.edu>
Subject: Re: [sustainable_tompkins-l] the complexity of cultural evolution
It's all about ecology. The relationship between economics culture environment
everything
On Dec 8, 2017 11:21 AM, "Regi Teasley" <rltcay...@gmail.com> wrote:
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.
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