10/25 - presentations/ecology of eden reflection

 Something in the presentations today got me thinking. If we say that certain things will survive, nature or humans or animals, I'm curious as to how Eisenberg is meaning survival. Throughout the history of the planet, there have been several mass extinctions where 99% of all life was destroyed. Some scientists argue that we are in another one right now, caused by humans. And yes, it is true that even after so much destruction, at least some life persevered to create the diversity of life we have today. This is one of the areas where religion/spirituality could be seen as interacting to shape the way that we understand our surroundings, our world. Is 1% survival enough for Eisenberg, so that we step back and allow our own actions to cause death 99% of life as we know it? Is this really survival? Eisenberg seems careful to avoid any distinct value placements on different kinds of life or survival, even going as far to almost alleviate burden from humans by elevating nature to an 'above humans' capacity for survival and rebirth. This is similar in some ways to the Gaia hypothesis. While I'm not one to totally rule out this kind of thinking, I also agree with the sentiments that were expressed in class that humans are responsible for what's happening now, and we should do what we can to, at a bare minimum, not cause more destruction. 

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