"[they have] investigated everything handed to us in sacred books. They have left nothing of what was held sacred before. They have only investigated the parts and overlooked the whole, so much so that one cannot help being astonished at their blindness." -Dostoyevsky
This Chapter discusses knowledge and the forces which form attitudes. It builds on the role of agriculture in natural resource management and proposes a wider view of empathy for the environment as a parallel consideration with technical and social aspects in education. The benefits of education are highlighted, and its role in ensuring a knowledge base sufficient to allow awareness and use of increasingly available information is introduced.
Natural resource management is viewed differently by those engaged in technical and development oriented research, and those who eschew a technical approach in favor of idealized concepts of life. Are the two mutually exclusive? Capra (1992) draws parallels between the approaches of scientists, predominantly theoretical physicists and mystics. He suggests that both methodologies are thoroughly empirical in that, while physicists derive their knowledge from experiments, mystics gain theirs from meditative insights. In their respective fields, both of these observations are acknowledged as the sole source of knowledge. The mystic has the universe as his body and his physical body as a manifestation of the universe, according to Capra (1992) and ... his inner vision [becomes] an expression of the highest reality, and his speech an expression of eternal truth and mantric power. The physicist, in contrast begins his inquiry on the essential nature of things by studying the material world and as such becomes aware of the essential unity of things and events including the physicist's consciousness as an integral part of this unity. He claims that the mystic and the physicist also share similarities in the conclusions they reach.
This approach seems as difficult for the traditional mystic as for the traditional scientist to accept. From the perspective of this Chapter, it is important to recognize the fields of thought which unite these alternative means of searching after truth. They may form a basis for the resolution of apparently opposing arguments concerning environmental interaction and management.
Knudtson and Suzuki (1992) claim that we have failed to achieve the promised technological utopia and that scientists are increasingly questioning the assumptions underpinning scientific investigations. They present statements from leading scientists and others whose philosophical viewpoints on the relations between humans and the environment support veneration of nature. However, the very questioning of the limits of scientific knowledge by scientists should be recognized as part of the scientific method rather than a criticism of it. It is too easy to frame such comments in terms which appear to cast doubt on the scientific pursuit of knowledge and its accomplishments thus far. Just as we must respect the religious-like views of concerned philosophers, we should also retain Respect for the Scientific Method.
| Respect for the Scientific Method
...scientific elders speak out on what they suspect may be inherently sacred, or spiritual, dimensions of our nature. One remarkable public statement titled "Preserving and Cherishing the Earth: An Appeal for Joint Commitment in Science and Religion", was issued at a recent international conference on the environment and economic development in Moscow, attended by religious, political, and scientific leaders from 83 nations. Importantly, it was signed by a number of the most respected and articulate scientists of our times, including astronomers Carl Sagan, and Freeman Dyson, physicist Hans Bethe, atmospheric scientist, Steven Schneider, and biologists Peter Raven, Roger Revelle, and Stephen Jay Gould. One of the most scientifically daring passages states: ... "As scientists, many of us have had profound experiences of awe and reverence before the universe. We understand that what is regarded as sacred is more likely to be treated with care and respect. Our planetary home should be so regarded. Efforts to safeguard and cherish the environment need to be infused with a vision of the sacred" Knudtson and Suzuki (1992) |
These statements may be understood in different ways according to the readers' perspective. However, they do indicate the wide context in which scientific investigation has been taking place. It is not new for scientists to acknowledge factors beyond their understanding or even to acknowledge personal religious viewpoints. It is important that we realize that those elements which are not understood in scientific knowledge are investigated in a context which acknowledges all of the variables concerned including humans, as noted in the previous chapter, while maintaining respect for the subject. In the words of Albert Einstein ... one cannot but be in awe when [one] contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries to merely comprehend a little of this mystery each day. Never lose a holy curiosity (Clark, 1971). The work of Knudtson and Suzuki (1992) idealizes the understanding and treatment of the environment by hunters and gatherers. They note for example that Bushmen in southern Africa have developed strategies to ensure provision of a wide range of food resources which have sustained their lifestyle for some 10,000 years. Similarly, the !Kung Bushmen of north-eastern Botswana apparently understand their natural surroundings to such an extent that the habits of animals and growth phases of plants are utilized to manage the environment to provide adequate food and other essential supplies through periods of different seasonal availability. Knudtson and Suzuki (1992) aim to introduce us to the ecological consciousness of such peoples and to suggest that such a level of consciousness is needed on a wide scale today. This is consistent with the theme that a broader base is needed for natural resource education, including agricultural education. However, it is also possible to gain the impression from such publications that primitive societies hold the clue to management of the natural environment for today's circumstances. Vast differences in population density require us to challenge such suggestions and indeed it now appears that primitive communities had their own impact on the natural environment. Sorensen and Epps (1993) surmise that, in Australia, one wave of aboriginal migration probably led to the extinction of mega-fauna through improved hunting technology or increased demand on food resources. The dingo or native dog accompanied another wave of immigrants some 8,000 years ago and is believed to have eliminated several mainland indigenous animals particularly the Thylacine and the Tasmanian Devil which only survived on the island of Tasmania. The effect of such extinctions on native flora together with the impact of fire used as a hunting tool has not been estimated. The later introduction of exotic plants to Australia has been linked to these and other migrations, such as the Macassans who are believed to have introduced the Tamarind tree. Romantic opinions about environmental management based on the wisdom of primitive societies, and religious views of the essential intangibles associated with minimizing impact on the environment, provide a useful alternative viewpoint. We cannot dismiss these approaches out of hand. In more pragmatic terms, we must be aware of popular views in more developed countries (MDCs) that food and other biological primary products can be produced by primitive techniques or organic farming, for example. It is necessary to widen the understanding of the general public about the limitations to our knowledge and about world demands for food. At the same time, we should acknowledge that adjustments to agricultural production technologies in the main food producing countries of the world are possible and necessary.
It seems popular to refer to Australia as the Bread Basket of Asia; a vast agricultural producer selling its products into an increasingly rich Asia. Whether those who coined the phrase intended that it be understood to mean that Australia had the technical capability to meet such a demand is now irrelevant. Of course, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products in terms of the proportion of produce consumed domestically. However, the environmental constraints of Australia, in particular the distribution of rainfall and irrigation, limit its capacity to feed more than a few countries let alone one-quarter to one-half of the world's population. Likewise, a viewpoint in the USA that the nation can produce sufficient food for the world still retains currency. In a recent proposal for collaborative university and international research center action, proponents felt the need to advise the USA Congress of the reasons that preclude the United States from being able to feed the world (University of Florida, 1995). They note that the economic and environmental burdens of attempting to feed the world would be intolerable because lands not currently used for agricultural production are either of marginal productivity or sensitive to disturbance, and that returns from such areas would be insufficient under a market economy regime. They also note that less developed countries (LDCs) would not have the foreign exchange available to pay for food imports at prices required by USA producers and that, in the unlikely event that this situation changed, extensive investment in infrastructure for ports, storage, transportation and handling facilities would be required. In any event, they note that imported food sold at world prices is unlikely to reach the poorest segments of communities who would remain unable to afford it.
There is a clear need for increased natural resource management knowledge to be generated and disseminated. This knowledge embraces those fields of importance to the public and those known to be important to natural resource solutions by practitioners in the field. The context of these deliberations extends beyond technical research into social, economic and policy areas. Oram (1993) notes the need for strong policies on sustainable natural resource management and highlights this as the primary area of deficiency in the implementation of sustainable agricultural knowledge to date. The IFPRI Response (1994) through its Environment and Production Technology Division accepts the challenge of accelerating food production in LDCs while focusing on the programs which accommodate environmental and social concerns. These approaches embrace the ingredients seized upon by the public commentators in their desire to contribute to the natural resource management debate. While the implied need for accelerated research in natural resource management areas is emphasized in IFPRI and other CGIAR documents, there is a wider need for education of the public in the general principles of natural resource management, and of scientists in the broader context of their scientific investigations.
| The IFPRI Response
Priority topics for action in international research are:
|
The imperative of a wider educational approach to the environment and agriculture is implied in the discussion of natural resource management thus far. Hulse (1992) translates Francis Bacon's title Nam Et Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est as True Scientific Knowledge Is Itself Power. If we accept the broader meaning of knowledge implied in Scientia, we might well state that the power derived from knowledge is directly related to the ability to apply and impart that knowledge. The knowledge which education should seek to impart rests on all of; technical areas, social areas, and on understanding of interaction between these, and of such abstract components as aesthetics and psychological comfort.
The IFPRI (1995a) 2020 Vision is one of this decade's important documents. It highlights the technological aspects of knowledge demand in terms of agricultural education and research and emphasizes basic literacy and skills development in adults. It also notes the need to strengthen extension systems or, by implication, mechanisms to disseminate improved technologies and techniques. In recommending that each country allocate initially one percent rising to two percent of its total agricultural output to agricultural research, one might well provide an estimate of the proportion (25%?) of those percentages which should relate to agricultural education. Such allocation would enhance the roles of education in both maintaining reliable training of future researchers and providing the essential knowledge- base necessary for effective dissemination of technical and related information. However, the IFPRI document may not adequately acknowledge the critical role of natural resource management education including agricultural education. One way of emphasizing the relationship between education in natural resource management and economic development is illustrated in Figure 3.1. The deficiencies of many LDCs in terms of inadequate staffing, core financing and under-equipping of national agricultural research systems have been listed by Tribe (1994). Another analysis (Prichard, 1990) identifies the first of the most important constraints limiting such systems as being shortages of well trained scientific and technical staff - refer to the Box - Education for Research.
The Task Force on Research Innovations for Productivity and Sustainability (University of Florida, 1995) quotes the National Research Council of the USA in defining the current research agenda as follows; ... solving the problems of competitiveness, a high quality food supply, and natural resources and the environment will require much more new knowledge than was required to solve previous problems ... as an example, ... genetically engineered biocontrol agents for pest management ... will likely take a tenfold increase in understanding of the biology of such agents and their survival and action in various ecosystems before such engineered biological controlled agents can be effectively developed and used. The Task Force also defines research as basic, strategic, applied or adaptive and seeks to include technology transfer as part of the research and development continuum. This is a useful approach and one used by many funding, service-provider, and user groups in research and development. Nevertheless, it also begs the question of the role of education in both providing a knowledge framework among persons targeted to receive information and knowledge and in the continuous creation of research, development, extension, production, processing and marketing capabilities related to agriculture.
Education for Research
|
The economic role of agricultural education is acknowledged by Rostow (1987) who attributes a portion of the growth of countries such as Thailand and Malaysia to education systems which have enabled their populations to accommodate new technologies and ideas. Schultz (1964) also notes the essential nature of appropriate higher education for the development of human resources which are necessary to accommodate the major changes associated with the modernizing of agriculture.
Figure 3.1 Natural Resource Education as the Driver of the Agricultural Engine of Economic Development - the broken line encircles the model commonly referred to as agriculture as the engine of growth. ... [Therefore, the higher proportion of the work force in agriculture and the greater the proportion of family budget spent on food, the larger the effect on economic growth and poverty alleviation of productivity increases in agriculture (CGIAR, 1995).]
Natural Resource Management Education Researchers Extensionists Farmers Public
Research Adaptation of Knowledge NRM
New Technology Base Aware
Agricultural
Productivity
Increase
Agricultural Agricultural
Income Output
Increase Increase
Natural Resource
Management
Trade-offs Wider Lower
(Required by Spending Food
Society at Large) Patterns Prices
Higher Consumer
General Income
Incomes Increase
Economic
Development
The classical demand profile for graduates of agricultural education has changed significantly in recent times (Falvey and Maguire, 1996). In the past, the researcher had to be a good scientist, the technical specialist had a subsector label, and the extension worker was a generalist. All three layers were supplied by agricultural universities or faculties of agriculture - but this has now changed. Scientific advances in genetics, microbiology, chemistry as applied to agriculture and natural resources, have made it increasingly likely that pure scientists complement agricultural scientists in agricultural research. The field of extension remains open to agricultural scientists yet the skill-mix there has also changed from the classical profile and continues to change. The treatment of farming as a business, the increasing sophistication of agribusiness, and major demographic shifts in rural populations has created a demand for skills which come from faculties other than agriculture. The imperative of natural resource management introduces further demands on such agricultural education. For many LDCs, the traditional beacon of agricultural education may be dimming.
In MDCs, such as Australia, the importance of relevant education and training for agricultural producers continues to rise (Sorensen and Epps, 1993). Notwithstanding debates concerning the practicality of university- based learning versus the need for imparting skills for the owner-operator who must be both manager and laborer, the over-riding impression that one gains from such analyses is the rising levels of knowledge among those engaged in agricultural production. The same applies to those supplying services through advice, sales, financial services, and general information in a changing agricultural environment. Coupled with this is an increased responsibility to understand the implications of natural resource management - this rests firmly on knowledge of the interrelationships of biological and social systems in the long term. Arguments such as those of Sorensen and Epps (1993) that those concerned with the teaching of agriculture should maintain close contact with the production aspects of their science, remain applicable to the area of natural resource management. It is also becoming clear that the interactions between the biological, chemical, physical, and social sciences concerning natural resource management require a firm basis in practical management skills and outcomes related to real-life situations.
The challenge of sustainability is not one which should be entrusted solely to agriculture as natural resource management educators. It includes moral principles which provide guidelines for the wide use of natural resources and equitable care on behalf of future generations. The New Zealand Natural Heritage Foundation (NZNHF, 1995) acknowledges the need for an environmentally educated populace while allowing individuals to develop their own professional and personal codes and environmental values. The role of tertiary institutions is one of responding to the needs of environmentally aware learners. Likewise industry, professional associations and other interest groups will demand such a response from the tertiary education sector. Recasting institutional objectives in terms of environmental ethics and responsibility may become a hallmark of progressive institutions. Management of such institutions would be based on concepts of sustainability and environmental management with curricula across all faculties reflecting such responsibility.
| Environmental Education
The sectors of education considered in such terms have been categorized as follows:
|
The map of perceptions of sustainability of agricultural systems against ideology (Figure 3.2), indicates that not all forms of modern agriculture are necessarily unsustainable. Nevertheless, there may be a need for a shift in public attitudes to agriculture. In quoting John Stuart Mill, ... no great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought, ... the New Zealand Natural Heritage Foundation concludes that education plays the central role in raising awareness of the whole population while also developing understanding and skills to implement the principles of sustainability. Thus the role of education is wider than that of the technical elements of natural resource management including agricultural education. It includes the creation of an environmentally literate and competent populace with tertiary institutions adopting environmental sustainability as a central pillar of all curricula. The New Zealand investigation notes the critical role of tertiary institutions and of cross- disciplinary courses; the essential cross disciplinary nature of agricultural education provides a basis for such environmental education although the poor representation of the arts in most courses weakens their value for this purpose. An approach which ensures a firm scientific understanding matched with appreciation of the humanities is needed. Agricultural education is undergoing major change in most of the world and thus has the opportunity to refocus on the wider social goals of today. Refer to the Box - Environmental Education. Figure 3.2 Map of Agricultural Systems in the Dimensions of Sustainability and Ideology (after Reeve, 1992) Ideology and Values Acceptance Conventional Conservatively of modern cotton growing stocked industrial pastoral systems ideologies and values Low input agriculture or conservation cropping Mixed ideologies Organic and values agriculture Wheat growing in Nth Africa - Roman times Traditional river delta agriculture Acceptance Biodynamic Hunter-gatherer of alternative agriculture systems ideologies Apparently Apparently unsustainable sustainable Sustainability It is easy for environmental management discussions which are unhampered by consideration of global food production needs and scientific limitations, to suggest that, for example, primitive societies have been the only people who to live sustainably. Orr (1992) has gone even further in suggesting that perhaps education is part of the problem because cultures with higher levels of formal education have tended to become the most environmentally destructive. Such statements, which in fairness have been presented to provide a context for the argument of broader environmental education, ignore the imperatives of today. It is no longer possible for us to assume that the arguments of even a decade ago are current in terms of the global food debate. Exponential increases in food demands to be supplied from a finite and perhaps diminishing resource base must be considered in the emotion surrounding some elements of the environmental debate. While we must be careful in separating the wheat from the chaff, there is much to be learned from the social and ethical statements concerning natural resource management which need to be instilled more clearly into agricultural education.
Paarlberg (1995) has captured the essence of some unproductive elements of the debate between environmentalists and agriculturists concerning sustainable agriculture in LDCs. The debate itself has distracted international policy makers and donors who have responded to lobby groups rather than the, more commonly institutionally based, scientists who are in command of facts which should be included in decision-making. The need for firmer grounding in the principles of natural resource management among policy makers, donors and others is becoming clearer. As H.G. Wells once noted ... human history becomes more and more a race between catastrophe and education.
The aesthetic component of the environment has not been factored into agricultural education to a significant extent. There is also a need for resource ethics to be included in such education. The reductionist approach of the scientific method, which it is popular to criticize today, does introduce limitations in attempting to synthesize a broad picture. Holistic thinking, presented by some as a palliative, may not synthesize the essential knowledge created by science unless it is applied by persons with a sound understanding of the implications and applications of that knowledge. Roberts (1995) lists important goals in education as not only knowledge, but the instilling of interest, abilities, understanding, attributes and ideals - with knowledge as a means to these ends.
In economic terms, Barr and Cary (1992) reveal the anomaly between conventional approaches which view land as rationable according to price mechanisms and the value of financially unproductive native forest areas. The equations of Young (1992) provides an indication of an integrative approach to economics which may link social and technical sciences. Refer to the Box - The Value of Everything.
| The Value of Everything
Far from understanding the cost of everything and the value of nothing,
the new economics of Young (1992) attempts to value a wider context for
natural resource management and agricultural production.
Increasingly, economists are recognizing that ecological systems maintain economic ones and that it is dangerous to assume that economic activity does not influence the capacity of ecological systems to maintain that activity. Young (1993) |
A recent Internet conference sponsored by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO, 1995) presented better management of knowledge and technology as a part of the solution to improved food security for the next century. It also noted that the style and content of agricultural education continues to be dominated by approaches and examples from MDCs - Refer to the Box - Northern Research for the South? All agricultural institutions, and particularly those in LDCs, would benefit from major reorganization (Oram, 1993). He suggests that this should be based on determining the types of people who will be required in future to meet the needs of sustainable agriculture and natural resource management. These people would need expertise in such areas as:
| Northern Research for the South?
The Internet Conference convened as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations of FAO in Quebec noted the dominance of northern (MDCs) influence in southern (LDCs) food and related research, viz.;
FAO (1995) |
In addition to these new needs, Oram (1993) has also identified apparent anomalies in the numbers of research scientists per disciplinary area across LDCs. He notes, for example that crop science generally allocates priority to plant breeding, pathology and entomology, while crop agronomy and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) would appear to be underemphasized. Animal sciences which receive some 15 per cent of scientific resources appear underserviced when the contribution of livestock to agricultural GDP is assessed at around 30 per cent; the situation may in fact be worse in areas other than animal health because approximately 50 per cent of those resources are allocated to veterinary science and much of the remaining proportion to animal breeding, thus leaving pasture, fodder and animal nutrition and management areas grossly underserviced. However, the largest deficiency highlighted by this analysis is the paucity of input from the social sciences in most LDCs and Eastern Europe. Those social scientists engaged in public sector institutions are predominantly economists rather than sociologists and related disciplines. While such expertise exists within universities, the availability of these staff to provide policy advice, research and other functions relating to overall natural resource management and food production is limited. For those persons who are the resource managers, there is a need to ensure that they understand both technical and social factors.
LDCs must adapt their institutions to accommodate existing knowledge for today's requirements as well as to participate in the international development of knowledge and information. In this way, technical change and institutional development can be related (von Schilfgaarde, 1992). This challenge is most readily met through continual upgrading of human resources through better education and training and increased flexibility in institutional structures. A critical role is available for universities within the agricultural knowledge systems in LDCs. Nevertheless, as noted by Oram (1993), investment in university education by national governments and by international financing institutions has been regarded as an area which provides private benefit to students and does not spread the benefits of international assistance widely. This short-sighted approach has produced the current weaknesses in human resources, particularly in areas which inter-relate disciplines such as physical, biological, social and informational sciences.
Human resources are needed for further education as teachers, for research as researchers, and to assist in policy formulation relating to the adoption of new technology and the introduction of sustainable resource management practices. Oram (1993) notes that ... the first step should be a crash program to upgrade their academic staff capacity in the relevant disciplines and to restructure their curricula and degree courses. Research capacity of many national universities is weak, hence their ability to produce M.Sc. and Ph.D. graduates is limited. Training the trainers is an area where international assistance could be particularly valuable, through overseas scholarships, exchange programs, special courses, and postgraduate collaboration between universities. While LDCs depend on technologies which degrade the natural resource base, they in many cases, do not have the scientific and technically trained staff with the discipline bases necessary to generate more appropriate mechanisms of natural resource management. Priority policies usually focus on sustained food production and economic growth.
The few outstanding universities in LDCs in the agricultural and natural resource management sciences are often mistaken in MDCs as representing what is possible across the board. These exceptions trace their privileged positions to unique histories which are difficult to duplicate and, unfortunately, such institutions do not appear to place as much emphasis as they once did on the interdisciplinary scientific approaches of agriculture and natural resource management. From an outside perspective, it is difficult to assess the impact and level of integration of universities in agricultural knowledge systems in developing and transitional economies. For example, in Hungary the fragmented nature of higher education and research institutions severely limits the impact of both education and research and renders it some two to three decades behind that of other western European countries. The need for change in agricultural and natural resource management education in both MDCs and LDCs is increasingly recognized; the need for change and strengthening may be greater in LDCs.
The impact of education on economic development and hence the creation of choices in environmental management terms is illustrated by the experience of the World Bank in terms of - Returns to Education.
| Returns to Education
In reviewing the evidence for 60 developing countries over 23 years, the World Bank found that those countries that focused on human resource development and had sound macroeconomic management experienced an annual GDP growth that was a whopping 2.5 per cent higher than most that did neither. ... It is interesting to note that if two countries' GDP were 100 at the start of the period and one followed sound macro-management policies and focused on human resource development [and another] did neither ... at the end of the 23 years, the GDPs would stand at 342 and 197 respectively, a difference of 145, a difference almost 1.5 times the total GDP of 23 years earlier. Serageldin (1995) |
Economic development has been separated into the four phases of; hunting and gathering, agrarian, industrial, and infotronics (IBIS, 1995). Reliance on electronic knowledge and information services is predicted to accelerate from this, the early stages of the infotronics age. Agriculture has relied on information for improved decision making as a means of advancement throughout the ages. For example, Tribe and Peel (1989) note the importance of meteorological station networks throughout Australia some one hundred years ago as a basis for understanding longer term environmental trends. The utility of information in agricultural and other natural resource management fields relies not only on the quality of that information but on the ability to understand and apply it.
Extension or technology transfer is increasingly referred to as a continuum with research. This conceptual viewpoint is limited insofar as it assumes that pieces of information on new technologies are inherently valuable in the absence of a knowledge-base to assimilate that information. IFPRI (1995) notes the mixed performance record of public sector extension in LDCs. It calls for innovative approaches to strengthen communications between researchers and farmers while noting that the importance of information for agricultural systems will increase dramatically in the next two decades. Information dissemination can be expected to accelerate through satellite communications, radio, video and the Internet - this is discussed further in Chapters 8 and 9. While reviewers with a research orientation may call for improved linkages and innovative approaches to extension in order to overcome apparent deficiencies of the past, failure to acknowledge the critical role of education in providing a knowledge-base and as the context of extension may in fact be limiting the success of existing extension programs.
The role of education in providing an essential level of knowledge among producers provides an essential underpinning to a sustainable farming system. This role of agricultural or natural resource management education is a critical component which is easily overlooked if extension is interpreted in isolation from the utility of the disseminated information.
Knowledge of extension and its modes of operation is limited. Anderson and de Haan (1992) note the relatively brief history of extension and the limitations placed on it through public institutions. In a situation of increasing need for greater food production from a finite resource base, and with these conditions magnified in LDCs with high population growth rates, the need for widespread understanding of natural resource management principles is not only desirable but critical. The role of natural resource management education, including extension, can be conceived in terms of:
Within this context, the current natural resource management education systems of both LDCs and MDCs appear to offer great opportunity for change. Some crucial aspects of current agricultural education systems are examined in the next Chapters.
Pater God of ancient man
unknowable and unknown,
successive great religions
placed You above, upon a throne,
Then science through Newton's pact
parted values so home-grown,
became our means of knowing all
The need for You overthrown.
Now with nothing thought unknowable
just unknown at this juncture,
awaiting scientist's keys to heaven -
we want it now not later,
Yet in this age of knowledge
we crave for something greater,
and take for god, Environment
and Nature's magic aura.
Damascus Road revelation
or returning to the past?
for our ancients worshipped nature
before Church fixed Your image fast.
Environment as our new god -
will the scientist be aghast?
or can she bring new values
mix care with fact, and make it last?
Philosophy, return to womb -
mere verbal paraphernalia,
Divorce yin from yang, care from power
there is nothing chancier,
Soul's renaissance, regained paradise -
role of intelligentsia,
Man in nature, arts with science
the true meaning of scientia.
