E.O. Wilson

Last night I attended a lecture by renowned naturalist and author E.O. Wilson. The subject was the immense biodiversity of our planet. His thesis: what he terms "Wilson's Law"...If we only seek to preserve the physical world (the air, water, resources, etc.) and lose sight of the living world (animals, insects, plants, etc.) we will ultimately lose both. However, if we preserve the living world, we will also preserve the physical world in the process.

Needless to say, the lecture was fascinating. The content explored all kingdoms of life on Earth, ranging from distant cosmic perspectives to the details of electron microscopy. His reports and predictions of destruction and extinction were frightening. His admonitions and hopes were inspiring. He concluded the speech with a quote by John Sawhill, the late president of the Nature Conservatory:

A society is defined, not only by what it creates, but by what it chooses not to destroy.