Transcript Document

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
conservation, sustainable development, environmental
health, animal welfare and species preservation . . . And
all their economic, political, and even spiritual
implications . . . Do not “belong” to any one
department!
Arguably, great cultures rise and fall as their relationship
with their environments waxes and wanes, is more or
less “harmonious.”
Great Universities
provide world-class
• Education
• Research
• Outreach
AND have a
responsibility to
deploy their
resources to
address major
social issues for the
common good
INTERDISCIPLINARITY
Creates an ideal environment for . . .
“. . . the expression of unprecedented or novel
perceptions, thoughts, or actions . . .”
Exposes disciplinarians to new “ways of seeing,
ways of thinking, ways of acting” that can be
applied to real problems, and thereby . . .
builds bridges between previously unrelated
domains of knowledge
It is virtually a formula for creativity
University Studies
Projects
In this regard, historians of art, culture, religion,
ecologists, sociologists and economists have much
to learn from each other.
Attitudes about our
relationship to nature
profoundly affect public
policy . . . And are forged
in part by spontaneous
behavioral responses and
in part by our cultural
environment and
development.
Nam et ipsa scientia
potestas est”
The University of Tennessee,
Knoxville has designated Spring
semester of 2005, the
ENVIRONMENTAL SEMESTER.
From January through May the
University will celebrate the
teaching, research, and
outreach activities of the
University in which concern
with the environment,
Campus-wide events featuring
lectures, presentations, shows,
and performances by
distinguished visiting scholars,
artists, and performers will
provide our 27,000 graduate
and undergraduate students
and the community many
opportunities to experience and
learn about the diverse ways
in which we affect and are
Campus-Wide Lectures
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Michael Klare and David Hill
Jonathan Weiner
E.O. Wilson
Holmes Rolston III
Lisa Newton
Sy Montgomery
Bruce Coull
Almost 200 courses in over 40 departments
In addition to the usual suspects, there are innovative
courses in :
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Anthropology
Economics
English
History
Sociology
University Honors
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University Studies
Interior design
Journalism
Philosophy
Planning
Political Science
Campus-Wide Exhibits
• Agnes Denes: Projects for Public Spaces
• Gregg Schlanger: Holston River Diaries
• Lost Worlds: Discovering Past Environments
• Solar and Wind Power Demonstration Project
• University Center Concourse Gallery Nature
Photo shows – Senator Baker and PhotoContest
winners
Campus-Wide Performances
• Paul Winter Consort
Campus-Wide Conferences
• SE Regional Student Clean Energy
Conference
• Howard Baker Center Clean Air Conference
Campus-Wide Lecture Series
• Architecture: Mondays at 5:30
• Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries: Thursdays
at 3:30
• “Documentaries in the Library” series
• Dedicated environmental topics in many
other seminar programs identified in the
website calendar
Centripetals
• February: Joe Clark – “Ecology of Black
Bears in the Okefenokee Swamp”
• March: Tom Galligan – “ Toxic Torts”
• April: Scott Frey – “ The Globalization of
Hazardous Wastes”
Celebrations
• “Make Orange Green” Dorm Competition
• Earth Day
• Earth Fest
Key Sponsors
• Office of the Chancellor
• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural
Resources
• College of Architecture and Design
• College of Business Administration
• Student Central Program Council
• Howard Baker Center for Public Policy
• Energy, Environment and Resources Center
DEEP
ECOLOGY
BEHIND
APPEARANCES
Sir Francis Bacon

Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. [For
knowledge itself is power. Meditations
Sacrae]
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Naturam non vinces nisi parendo
[You will not master [conquer] nature
unless you obey it. Novum Organum,
1620]
Decisions,
decisions
Responsible citizenship
requires broad
understanding –
education of the heart
as well as the mind.
"The personal
participation of the
knower in the
knowledge he believes
himself to possess
takes place within a
flow of passion.” (Polanyi
1958:300).
Perceptions of Nature
How the sciences, arts, and humanities inform perceptions of
nature and guide public policy
The Biologist’s Bias
Meeting NEEDS is the basic business of life. When
real (or perceived) needs are not met, stress is
created.
Organisms have ancient and powerful mechanisms
for relieving stress; more recent evolutionary
innovations include education – the university!
Needs exist in a hierarch of urgency. When the
most urgent need is met, all the organism’s
energy is focused on the next need.
The university can give us tools and (hopefully) the
judgment to use them wisely.
The Hierarchy of NEEDS
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Physiology (food, drink, exercise, homeostasis)
Safety (security, order, protection)
Belonging ( sociability, acceptance, love)
Esteem (status, prestige, acknowledgment)
Self-Actualization (personal fulfillment)
--Abraham Maslow
NEEDS
“Biological fitness” is an expression of selfactualization and it is the same for as for a
sea-slug:
“Be all you can be . . .”
(US Army recruiting slogan)
NEEDS
"The aim of life is self-development. To
realize one's nature perfectly - that is
what each of us is here for. . . .” (Oscar Wilde)
“The aim of the University is a true
enlargement of mind which is the power
of viewing many things at once. .” (John
Henry Newman, 1873)
Educating the heart
as well as the mind
"The intuitive mind is a
sacred gift and the
rational mind is a
faithful servant. We
have created a society
that honors the servant
and has forgotten the
gift." --Einstein