Title: The Uniquely Human Illusion of Species Royalty: A Climate Change Perspective
Speaker: David Wolfe, Department of Horticulture
Date and Time: Tues., Sept. 10, 3:30 p.m.
Location: 404 Plant Science Building
This seminar will explore human evolution and psychology in relation to our response to climate change and other global environmental challenges. Despite our intellect and complex social structures we have reached a point where the magnitude of anthropogenic climate change is likely to negatively affect at least some humans and other species. This will be evaluated in relation to the context of our evolution and the genetic constraints on our intelligence. It will be argued that while we now widely recognize human society as part of the natural world, we continue to view our mental abilities as unbounded and exempt from natural laws. Approaches to addressing climate change with a more realistic and science-based understanding of the factors constraining our abilities will be discussed.