Striving for increased pretension isn’t recommended, but here I am, desperately seeking to bolster my opinions by naming them. Are my ideas so weak they need inflating with an ‘ism’? Or have I developed a new way of thinking, or at least a tidy way to sweep together existing chunks of thought? You decide.
Mentioning the uncontroversial may help. A friend has a six year old daughter – blisteringly intelligent but dependent on her mother for food, clothes, transport and medicine. Hazards are warded off: food and water dished out. The daughter has few choices; she wears what she’s given and mother plans her day.
Imagine moving forward six years. The daughter’s food and clothes show her personality; friendships and activities will be closer to what she wants and she’ll be expected to make choices. Experience makes a great teacher and nothing teaches like making mistakes. She still can’t survive alone but the parent’s role needs to reduce; treating twelve year olds as six year olds will stunt their growth.
Another six years and she’ll turn eighteen. While she can rely on parents for food and money she could survive outside; select her own friends and money, dress how she wants and create her own career. Eighteen year olds need challenges and even danger if they’re to grow and become adults; managing money, making adult friends and learning cooking become part of the journey. Experience allows growth and even pain can teach.
This thinking doesn’t deserve its own title, but it serves as metaphor.
We’re treated to the phrase ‘Mother Nature’; we’re told how nature provides and shelters, and we’re constantly reminded of restrictions. Don’t mine too much, conserve energy, don’t pollute, don’t let species go extinct.
I agree. Currently our species only has one home and we can’t flourish outside it yet. Like the six year old we depend on mum.
Human brains expand as neurons multiply and new capacity allows an increased reach. Parents or experience may add wisdom, but growth will happen and independence will be both demanded and required.
Similarly human technology develops. We can create our own air and light, forge new materials, produce and store energy and learn how our bodies work. Like the growing child our extra capacities increase our reach, and living in harmony with nature may stunt our growth since some technologies are unsafe or impractical for Earth.
Nature both provides and restricts; the Earth’s finite size makes limits necessary but enforcing those limits may bring harm since any enforcers may abuse their power. We’re told to reduce consumption, yet what if our political systems can’t enforce reductions? To extend the metaphor a plant stuck in too small a pot will stop growing and never flower.
Technology reduces our dependence on nature, and embracing scientific advances will transform our world from cradle into stepping stone. Our reach will increase as moving beyond Earth becomes an option; and adapting to new environments will increase human diversity.
The challenges of becoming an adult lead to the benefits of becoming an adult, so let’s consider what’s possible once we escape natural constraints. Once our descendants can build and create and mine as they want, use the energy to grow and expand as needed their limits to growth will be removed; their plant can flower. All without harming life on Earth.
Growing up brings benefits, but only adults may see the benefits. Even mistakes can teach so long as lessons are learnt.
So here’s ‘Kevinism’. A belief technology will improve and enable, the observation that children will grow and an understanding of the link. Increasing ability demands a looser relationship between parent and child.
Life began in the black volcanic vents on our ocean bed. It spread into the seas – adapting to differing pressures and temperatures. It spread onto land – from muddy flats onto grasslands and mountains, marshes and meadows – each time meeting new challenges which leave life stronger and more diverse. Life spread further into the air and even the stratosphere. What’s more natural than life spreading beyond Earth?