Emergence Theory on Lake Erie? (by Karin Lauria)
On a recent trip to my hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, some members of my family and I paid a visit to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, located at the entrance of Presque Isle state park on Lake Erie. The photo to the right is of a placard at the top of the Center’s tower, which overlooks the lake.
I found this quote from Antoine de Saint Expury’s The Little Prince both inspirational and reminiscent of the concept of emergence in biology. Essentially, the tree is greater than the sum of its parts; it is an ‘enduring force straining to win the sky.’
Ethically speaking, the quote suggests that the tree has intrinsic value, and that we, in turn, have moral responsibilities to it. Holmes Rolston would tell us that the tree possesses intrinsic value by virtue of innate properties that it attempts to defend in the interest of its own survival.
Whatever you take from it, it’s a beautiful quote I thought I’d share with you.
Happy New Year,
Karin
Karin Lauria :: Jan.11.2008 :: Ethics, Religion :: No Comments »