Believing in Science

Understanding climate reality is simply a matter of admitting that we already believe in science. We might not really understand it… but we do believe the results we get from science.

Think about this – flip a wall switch and light comes on. Tribal cultures from a couple hundred years ago would think it’s magic. We don’t even think about it at all. We flick the switch and the light comes on. If it doesn’t come on we know that maybe the lightbulb has blown out, or maybe there is a problem with the switch, or maybe we didn’t pay our electric bill. But we expect it to come on, and basically we know how it works.

That is believing in science.

The lightbulbs in our houses are the culmination of many scientific minds, over many many years, collaborating until they understood, and could finally build it. And yes, it’s also the culmination of centuries of social and cultural evolution until we had the systems in place for businesses to produce the wiring in your house, and the lightbulbs themselves, and hook it all up to that switch that you so mindlessly flick.

We all, also, believe in the permeability and evolution of culture. In simple words – we believe in science and we know that culture changes.

Get in your car and drive to the grocery store. It’s science and culture at play. For us it’s easy. A couple hundred years ago it would have been impossible.

The point?

Scientists have been telling us about Climate Change for years. And we are now all starting to feel it. Really we’ve believed it all along – we just didn’t see the advantages in acting on it. So time for some active imagination.

Imagine getting to the end of the month with some extra money in your pocket because you didn’t spend so much on transportation and housing. Such a happy thing is possible in the very near future if we have enough brilliant scientists at play and move our culture in that direction.

Imagine never having to worry about eating something and getting fat, because we’ve listened to science and learned how to produce and distribute really good food to everyone.

Imagine waking up in the morning with less stress because the world-wide community has simply gotten over the need for dictators and war.

I leave you with those happy mental pictures!