Thanksgiving – An Appropriate Time to Appreciate Mankind’s Benefactors
Albert Einstein left us a number of gifts, most obviously his landmark breakthroughs in theoretical physics. The other, in my estimation, is the utter truckload of pithy philosophic quotes about mankind’s role in the universe. If you’re looking for something that will keep you out of trouble for a few hours, check this out – there are ten full pages of them.
Perhaps the most often quoted is this:
We can’t solve problems with the same kind of thinking we used to create them.
… which is often invoked by environmentalists to suggest that we’re foolish to count on the fossil fuel and nuclear industries to deal with the pollution and other externalities that come along with their products.
I’m with you all the way, good sir, and suggest that a combination of new modes of thinking are in order here:
1) Environmentalism itself, inspiring more and more people to act responsibly vis-a-vis the natural world
2) Energy conservation per se, making wholesale reductions in consumption, driven by building retrofits, mass transit, electric vehicles, etc.
3) Renewable energy – biting the bullet and making the investment in a clean energy future
Again, thanks to the ultimate man of ideas.
I’ve already received several dozen wonderful responses to my request for volunteers and interns; it certainly is gratifying to see the level of enthusiasm that so many of you have for this fascinating and vitally important subject. I thought I’d take a minute or two and jot down some thoughts about some specific ideas for projects that I’d love to get done, to initiate a conversation on exactly what some of you may want to do.
Novelist Andre Gide once wrote: “Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”
Here in the U.S., we have climate change deniers, and all manner of other opponents to renewable energy. In essence, they’re the oil and coal companies, the members of Congress they influence, and those who believe the enormous amount of propaganda they generate on “clean coal,” “safe nuclear,” etc.
