Don’t monkey around with creativity.

1. Don’t monkey around with creativity.

4. Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky, 1863-1945

5. The genesis of man was a singular event, unique in geological history, which had no analog in the preceding myriads of centuries. From the scientific standpoint, one must consider it as the consequence of a long natural process, of which the beginning is lost to us, but which has lasted without interruption over the course of all of geologic time. No scientific theory up till now has been able to encompass the paleontological evolution of the organized beings, of which the latest important expression has been the genesis of man….

6. “Man is profoundly distinguished from the other organisms by his action on the environment. This distinction, which was great from the beginning, has become immense with the passage of time. The action of other organisms is almost exclusively determined by their nutrition and their increase. The sole fact of the formation of free oxygen is sufficient to appreciate the planetary importance of their nutrition. And it is one fact among thousands of others. The formation of oil, petroleum, iron-bearing minerals, humus, calcites, coral islands, are isolated cases--among thousands of others—of the manifestation of their increase. Mankind certainly acts in the same way as all of these organisms. But his mass is completely negligeable in comparison with the totality of living matter and the direct manifestations in living nature of his nutrition and his increase are almost nothing. The wise Austrian economist L. Brentano has given a very clear representation of the scale of humanity within the environment. If one assigns to each human individual a square meter, and if one brings together all the humans existing on the terrestrial surface—the surface that they would occupy would not exceed that of Lake Constance. It is clear that the manifestation of such a living mass considered on the scale of geological phenomena would be negligible. Reason changes all. Through it, man utilizes material in the environment—inanimate or living—not only for the building of his body, but also for social life. And this usage has become a great geological force. Thought, by its existence, introduces into the crustal mechanisms a powerful process which has no analog before the appearance of man.” -V.Vernadsky, Human Autotrophy 1925

8. “The mere accumulation of facts, even an extremely extensive collection, does not constitute scientific method; it provides neither a direction for further discoveries nor does it even deserve the name of science in the higher sense of that word. The cathedral of science requires not only material, but a design, harmony… a design for the harmonic composition of parts and to indicate the pathway, by which the most fruitful new material might be generated.” - D. Mendeleyev

10. Note the Question marks

11. “From the standpoint of the biosphere, the individual living organism is usually lost from view; in first place comes the aggregate of organisms- living matter. In biogeochemistry, however- in some strictly defined cases- at times it is necessary to pay attention to the discrete organism, to its individuality. It is indispensable to do this in those cases, where the activity of Man appears as a geological factor, as we see happening now, and the individual personality sometimes becomes vividly apparent and is reflected in large-scale phenomena of a planetary character. The human personality changes, accelerates, and causes geological processes of enormous significance, through its presence in the biosphere. We are living in a brand new, bright geological epoch. Man through his labor- and his conscious relationship to life- is transforming the envelope of the earth- the geological region of life, the biosphere. Man is shifting it into a new geological state: through his labor and his consciousness, the biosphere is in a process of transition to the noosphere. Man is creating new biogeochemical processes, which never existed before. The biogeochemical history of the chemical elements- a planetary phenomenon- is drastically changing. Enormous masses of new, free metals and their alloys are being created on Earth, for example, ones which never existed here before, such as aluminium, magnesium and calcium. Plant and animal life are being changed and disturbed in the most drastic manner. New species and races are being created. The face of the Earth is changing profoundly.” -V. Vernadsky, Problems of Biogeochemistry, 1939

12. Potential relative population density

13. “Until now the force of fire in its multiple forms was the almost unique source of energy for society. Man obtained it by the combustion of other organisms or their fossil remains. Some dozens of years ago, we began systematically to replace it by other sources of energy, independent of life—first by hydro-power. We measured the quantity of hydropower— the motive force of water—existing on the terrestrial surface. And it was seen that large as it seems, it is not sufficiant by itself for societal requirements. But the reserves of energy which are at the disposal of reason are inexhaustible. The force of the tides and ocean waves, radioactive atomic energy, solar heat are able to give us all the power needed. The introduction of these forms of energy into life is a question of time. It depends on problems of which the solution doesn’t present anything impossible. The energy thus obtained will not have practical limits. -V. Vernadsky, Human Autotrophy

16. “Chemistry is closely connected with the work of the manufacturer and the artisan, its sphere is active and is a means of promoting the general welfare.; Besides this honourable vocation, chemistry has another. With it, as with every other elaborated science, there are many lofty aspirations, the contemplation of which serves to inspire its workers and adherents. This contemplation comprises not only the principal data of the science, but also the generally- accepted deductions, and also hypotheses which refer to phenomena as yet but imperfectly known… In this latter sense scientific contemplation varies as much with times and persons, it bears the stamp of creative power, and embraces the highest forms of scientific progress. In that pure enjoyment experienced on approaching to that ideal, in that eagerness to draw aside the veil from the hidden truth and even in that discord which exists between the various workers, we ought to see the surest pledges of further scientific progress. Science thus advances, discovering new truths, and at the same time, obtaining practical results. The edifice of science not only requires material, but also a plan, and necessitates the work of preparing the materials, putting them together, working out the plans and the symmetrical proportions of the various parts. To conceive understand, and grasp the whole symmetry of the scientific edifice, including its unfinished portions is equivalent to tasting that enjoyment only conveyed by the highest forms of beauty and truth. Without the material, the plan alone is but a castle in the air- a mere possibility; whilst the material without a plan is but useless matter. All depends on the concordance of the materials with the plan and execution, and the general harmony theryby attained” • Dimitri Mendeleyev, Principles of Science.