Rejoining Nature

In 2006 we want to raise an issue central to the human predicament: can humanity find ways of rejoining nature despite its seemingly headlong, even suicidal rush towards turning itself into an ever more dominant species, oblivious of any objective rules of sustainable engagement with the living world.

The Speakers

Stephan Harding
Co-ordinator of the MSc in Holistic Science at Schumacher College & author
BRINGING EARTH TO LIFE
Healing the Split between Science & Intuition

Stephan Harding holds a doctorate in ecology from the University of Oxford. He is the Co-ordinator of the MSc in Holistic Science at Schumacher College, where he is also Resident Ecologist and a teacher on the short course programme. He lives in Dartington, Devon, where the college is based.

Stephan Harding explores how Gaian science can help us to develop a sense of connectedness with the 'more-than-human' world. His work is based on a careful integration of rational scientific analysis with our intuition, sensing and feeling - a vitally important task at this time of severe ecological and climate crisis.

He replaces the cold, objectifying language of science with a way of speaking of our planet as a sentient, living being rather than as a dead, inert mechanism. For example chemical reactions are described using metaphors from human life, such as massiage, attraction, repulsion, etc, so as to bring personality back into the world of rocks, atmosphere, water and living things. In this sense, Stephan attempts to rediscover anima mundi (the soul of the world) through Gaian science, whilst assuming no prior knowledge of science.

Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris is an internationally acclaimed American/Greek evolution biologist, futurist and author who teaches sustainable business and globalisation as a natural evolutionary process. She is a fellow of the World Business Academy and a member of the World Wisdom Council. Her venues include The World Bank, Boeing, Siemens, Hewlett-Packard, Tokyo Dome Stadium, Australian National Govt, Sao Paulo's leading business schools, State of the World Forums (NY & San Francisco) and the World Parliament of Religions. Her books include EarthDance: Living Systems in Evolution; A Walk Through Time: From Stardust to Us and Biology Revisioned with Willis Harman. Websites: www.sahtouris.com

Evolution biologist and futurist Dr. Elisabet Sahtouris helps us discover an updated scientific model of nature as a living, self-organizing universe in dynamic balance and an evolutionary process in which hostile competition gives way to mature collaboration. The Globalisation of humanity in this context is our evolutionary mandate to develop sustainable holistic economics and politics appropriate to global family. The oncoming Hot Age will dramatically speed the process and demand out humility in taking our lead from nature's own secrets of success in surviving crises. If we learn these lessons from our living Earth, we can overcome current obstacles to the maturation of our species and successfully ride the climate changes to thrival against the apparent odds.

George Monbiot
Journalist, author, academic, columnist and environmental and political activist
APOCALYPSE POSTPONED
How to Stop Climate Change

George Monbiot is the author of the best selling books The Age of Consent: a manifesto for a new world order and Captive State: the corporate takeover of Britain; as well as the investigative travel books Poisoned Arrows, Amazon Watershed and No Man’s Land. He writes a weekly column for the Guardian newspaper.

During seven years of investigative journeys in Indonesia, Brazil and East Africa, he was shot at, beaten up by military police, shipwrecked and stung into a poisoned coma by hornets. He came back to work in Britain after being pronounced clinically dead in Lodwar General Hospital in north-western Kenya, having contracted cerebral malaria.

In Britain, he joined the roads protest movement. He was hospitalised by security guards, who drove a metal spike through his foot, smashing the middle bone. He helped to found The Land is Ours, which has occupied land all over the country, including 13 acres of prime real estate in Wandsworth belonging to the Guinness corporation and destined for a giant superstore. The protesters beat Guinness in court, built an eco-village and held onto the land for six months.

He has held visiting fellowships or professorships at the universities of Oxford (environmental policy), Bristol (philosophy), Keele (politics) and East London (environmental science). He is currently visiting professor of planning at Oxford Brookes University. In 1995 Nelson Mandela presented him with a United Nations Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement. He has also won the Lloyds National Screenwriting Prize for his screenplay The Norwegian, a Sony Award for radio production, the Sir Peter Kent Award and the OneWorld National Press Award.

Don Conreaux
Musician, Composer, Performing Artist, Director & Teacher
Art Spot

For the past 30 years, Don Conreaux has brought the mystical and entertaining sounds of the ancient bronze gong (tam tam), bells, bell bowls, shofar and the spiral sea horn (conch) to millions of listeners around the world. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs as performing artist and talk show guest, holds 2 degrees in Theater Arts. Mr. Conreaux has worked throughout his career in theater, in both film and television in Hollywood as an actor, writer, and director before arriving in 1984 to NYC.

"The bronze gong has since ancient times been thought to exemplify the sounds of the universe; the sacred conch suggests the sounds of whales, elephants, dolphins, and wolves. These sounds summon the forces of nature" offers Mr. Conreaux. He is a genuine Gongmaster, as well as artistic director of The Mysterious Tremendum Consort and School of Sacred Sound.

Our Sponsors

This year's Schumacher Lectures are again supported by our three loyal financial organisations who are leading lights in ethical investment. Based in Bristol they are John Scott & Partners (independent financial advisers), Rathbone Greenbank Investments (ethical investment management) and Triodos Bank (ethical banking).