Subject: | |
From: | |
Reply To: | |
Date: | Fri, 25 Mar 2011 08:59:32 -0500 |
Content-Type: | text/plain |
Parts/Attachments: |
|
|
>
>>Nature seems to be indifferent or perhaps unaware of its importance...
>
> Would one expect 'nature' to have awareness?
>
>>In nature, over time, we see periodic and seemingly indiscriminate
>>extinctions,
These are a couple of snippets of the discussion thread that seems to have
interestingly become philosophical more than biological. I have been
reading this with interest, but let me try to bring it back to an informed
discussion of beekeeping.
As best we can tell man is the only organism on the planet with an awareness
of its own existence and its own mortality. It is the only organism than
consciously plans for its future. Honey bees live in the present using
instinct to make the continuation of the species more likely, but there is
no remorse if the instinct fails. They are indeed indifferent and unaware.
We humans project our interest in planning for the future into the bee
world. (or the whales, whooping cranes, wolves, ash trees.....). That is
not wrong. That is human
If we lose the honey bee to extinction, is it a big loss? We humans say yes
because of our fear that it may affect our ability to survive as a species.
We have a consciousness that includes the ability to plan for the future.
There is nothing wrong with that.
I would not apologize for showing a desire to conserve the honey bees. It
is a human thing to do.
To wax back to the philosophical Carl Sagan once said something like....
Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Either thought is
awesome....
If we are alone, and we screw it up... that would be a bummer. Conservation
of bees and the conservation of life on Earth is a legitimate human concern.
Inspecting my bees this spring I find my bees have survived better than the
last two winters. This human is pleased with that. My contribution to
conservation.
Larry Krengel
***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html
Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm
|
|
|