Basic Concepts of Ecology

1. Basic Concepts of Ecology 12 September 2012

2. In this course we will need to ground all moral propositions in the context of ... Basic Concepts of Ecology 12 September 2012

3. In this course we will need to ground all moral propositions in the context of ... Basic Concepts of Ecology The Moral Implications of “The Subversive, Conservative Science” 12 September 2012

4. …you may recall from last week…

5. …don’t get me wrong. Some of my best friends are…

6. … then we went on to discuss the the “tyranny of text” and the moral order, etc., etc.

7. Basic Concepts of Ecology 12 September 2012

8. In this course we will need to ground all moral propositions in the context of ... Basic Concepts of Ecology The Moral Implications of “The Subversive, Conservative Science” 12 September 2012

13. "Civilizations exist by geological consent, subject to change without notice." • Will Durant

17. Checking our the neighborhood…

18. Checking our the neighborhood… Where did our nearest space ‘neighbor’ come from?

19. The moon was “thrown” into orbit as debris from a major meteor impact with the earth -- a major celestial collision.

22. Although “big events” like the cosmic encounter that produced the moon are very rare, other earth collisions with space debris are quite frequent, especially in the ‘asteroid belt.’

23. Encounters are ‘inevitable’...

24. The role of comets in the history of the earth is still being discovered. Some suggest that life itself is extraterrestrial in origin…. What are the ethical implications, if any, of this?

25. Some cosmic events have had a big impact • Even if it turns out that life originated endogenously on Earth and only on Earth, we know that the history of life-forms has been dramatically altered by cosmic events in the past.

26. The “Asteroid Hypothesis” is currently the leading explanation offered for the “extinction event” represented by the KT Boundary in the geological record. http://paleobiology.si.edu/blastPast/

27. “Extinction events” are dramatic cases on cosmic intrusions into the history of life-forms on Earth, but smaller “events have occurred as well...

28. How might cosmic events have shaped life’s more recent history on Earth?

29. Some scientists are suggesting that cosmic events may well have directly affected the evolution of the human species. * http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1272000/1272368.stm What if “we” (modern humans) emerged as a result of a cosmic event?

30. Whatever their role in Earth’s past, asteroids and meteors appear to be an ongoing “fact of life” on Earth. There is no “escaping” them. * http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_600000/600172.stm In fact there is a call for new defenses to cope with them. * http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_930000/930564.stm

31. This is not just a “theoretical” problem.

32. This is not just a “theoretical” problem. • Consider what happened in June 1908….

33. In 1908 Earth experienced the largest explosion in “recorded history”…

34. In 1908 Earth experienced the largest explosion in “recorded history”… • …. The trouble was that it wasn’t recorded by many people at all.

35. Tunguska, Russia on 30 June 1908 -- (an artist’s impression).

36. There are now recent scientific expeditions to investigate what happened on June 30, 1908. * http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1628806.stm Recent Events The Don QuixoteMission.

37. So, we should have a look around… … and check out the neighborhood. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3313/01.html

38. See what we’ve learned already…. • "Civilizations exist by geological consent, subject to change without notice." • Will Durant • (with ENVR E-120 amendments)

39. See what we’ve learned already…. • "Civilizations exist by geological consent, subject to change without notice." • Will Durant • (with ENVR E-120 amendments) & cosmic

40. See what we’ve learned already…. • "Civilizations exist by geological consent, subject to change without notice." • Will Durant • (with ENVR E-120 amendments) & cosmic on short

41. See what we’ve learned already…. Species • "Civilizations exist by geological consent, subject to change without notice." • Will Durant • (with ENVR E-120 amendments) & cosmic on short

42. See what we’ve learned already…. Local and global ecosystems Species • "Civilizations exist by geological consent, subject to change without notice." • Will Durant • (with ENVR E-120 amendments) & cosmic on short

46. A general truth… Throughout the observable universe, the whole system is run on just 2 fundamental sources of energy: 1) “cosmic” power (“left-over” from the Big Bang and super nova explosions – geothermal, nuclear, cosmic/kinetic force); and 1a) current solar throughput power.

47. What could the human role be in the cosmic order?

48. To understand this we must remember that... Environmental Ethics must cope withVastly Different Scales of Time & Space Cosmic time scales - the present to 109 - 1010 BP

49. Environmental Ethics must cope withVastly Different Scales of Time & Space Cosmic time scales - the present to 109 - 1010 BP • What kinds of events occur in this time frame?

50. Environmental Ethics must cope withVastly Different Scales of Time & Space Cosmic time scales - the present to 109 - 1010 BP • What kinds of events occur in this time frame? • Over what spatial ranges do these conditions apply?