Charlie Rose

NeilMacCallister  05/22/2010 04:23 PM Report

The eminent Mr. Wilson argues for a renewed appreciation of the Sciences.

Mr. Peter Berkowitz recently pleaded for the Humanities ("Why Liberal Education Matters").

Of course, Dr. Wilson also notes that there are "myriad forms of value in education".

But in an environmental chamber there are successions of dominance.

Our American government is now filled almost completely with neither scientists, nor humanities scholars. Most of our government is filled with lawyers.

Philip K. Howard has written: "Law is brilliantly ineffective as a management tool".

The Gulf oil continues to gush while our government spends much time cataloguing the defendants to be sued.

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We have known for half-a-century of the shortfalls of oil dependence. How far have we moved the ball towards oil's ultimate successor?

What have the scientists come up with?

"Turning back the industrial revolution", as was implied in Mr. Wilson's comment here, does not seem to be the satisfying answer.

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EDWARD O. WILSON: "If we took away ourselves, the rest of the life on earth would flourish."

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That is simply not in the direction of time's arrow. It is like a 60 year-old man wishing he was 20 again. That's not going to happen.

But where are the voices with forward-looking answers??

Are solar panels and wind turbines really end-product effective? Is their manufacture and installation energy efficient? ..and output sufficient?

Are there any other new sources to explore?

Thomas Friedman said right here that "We do have to have that conversation".

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Mr. Friedman also reported: "Last year China became the largest producer of solar panels, and the largest producer of wind turbines."

Okay, ..that's if panels and turbines are the answer.

France has nuclear fission, ..will America get nuclear fusion?

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Who will be the next successor in this ultra-competitive global Winogradsky column?

Will China dominate?

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HENRY FAIRFIELD OSBORN: Asia is near a center of evolution of higher and truly human types.

GEORGE A. DORSEY: Possibly Asia will lead the race to be more humane.

NeilMacCallister  05/21/2010 09:53 PM Report

EDWARD O. WILSON: If you took all the insects in the world and weighed them, ants would make up more than half the weight.

Ants are the most warlike of all animals. They are constantly at war.

People are very warlike, too. So there is in the ant a parable about the ruinous affects of excessive war.

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EDWARD O. WILSON: Humanity is a mystery we begin to solve when we understand how advanced social behavior with total altruism originates.

That’s what we’re working on. That’s one of the big unanswered questions of science.

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CHARLIE ROSE: Are you happy with the Obama administration’s emphasis on science?

EDWARD O. WILSON: After what preceded the previous eight years, I’m delirious.

CHARLIE ROSE: So in other words we’ve begun to appreciate science more?

EDWARD O. WILSON: I think we always have. We had a little

detour in which there was an anti-science sentiment in this country, and maybe it’s still present in some circles, but I think since is definitely coming back because we see it’s a necessity.

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CHARLIE ROSE: In what ways did the university community remind you of an ant community?

EDWARD O. WILSON: Group versus group, hierarchies of control, dense and often confusing communications are there. Warfare between different departments reminds me of colony warfare and ants.

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CHARLIE ROSE: You were the lord of the ants?

EDWARD O. WILSON: I guess I was. I was hoping for something a little more elevated. However I settled for it. I plunged my hand into the colony of ants and pulled it out and talked for about 15 seconds while the ants had their way with my hand.

robdverity  05/11/2010 03:49 PM Report

Bought "Anthill." Based largely on his demeanor. Somehow it seems a good bet he wont let me down.