Edward O. Wilson has spoken
Yesterday I went to my second Tinbergen Lecture, organised by the Natural History Museum, the NRC and Leiden University. Last year Jared Diamond spoke about collapsing societies and the need to acknowledge the need for cooperation if we want to survive.
This time it was Edward O. Wilson. This eminent scholar spoke about the need for unified science. Environmental Policy, Biology, Social Science and Ethics are sectors and the scientist needs to 'jump' in between the fields so that progress can progress.
I am now reading his book "Consilience. The Unity of Knowledge", which is very interesteing. When i let this man sign my book i proposed to him that History needs to feed into this global forwrd-driven science. He said there is a lot of ground to be covered and that doing world history will surely expose the links history, and humanities in a broader view, can make to 'science'.
He made a deep impression on me and the urge to engage in a new study is growing on me like a fungus.
posted by jonathan even-zohar @ 22:54
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It was after the Gulf War that his mother and boyfriend at the time decided to 'descend' from the Holy land and set sail towards The Hague, being the birthplace of Even-Zohars
mother. Jonathan managed well in Grade school and High school, so the
next logical step was the University, the infinite source of knowledge.
After speculating on Industrial Design, Social Geography and Journalism
it was the study of History at Leiden that turned out to be his
decision.
Now, four years into the study, matters have only become more
complicated as this student advances towards World History; meaning the
complete array of fields a historian may implement in explaining the
entire past of the entire world to fellow men. It is especially the
philosophical character of World History that attracted Jonathan.
For him there is only one question that stands above all others like a
lonely chuchtower in some Flemish village, which asks the cause of the
Western Rise and the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, the role of the
European self- and worldimage throughout its history may explain the
role of Europe in the Eurasian Human Web. Thus, the direct contact
between Islam and Christianity is to be investigated. Were Muslims
constantly on the verge of invading Europe? How did Arab people perceive
the 'barbaric' Christians? How was Science spread and how did the West
pick up knowledge form the Arabs or from further East? Europe and the
Islam are still not at peace, certainly not in the mind.
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