The Importance of Semantics

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The environment is separate from the economy, but humans are embedded in a very intricate web of life with 10 million other species. The true definition of apes is they are our family. We compartmentalize the fact that these one billion cattle live on the planet,. 700 million pigs over a billion goats, almost as many sheep. Many of these live pretty terrible lives.

For this year’s Earth Day presentation, I highlight common terms in the English language - the meanings of which we've come to take for granted. These words semantically imbue our understanding, perspective, and even behavior but have become untethered from the systemic reality they attempt to describe. Words have power. What we call things and how we describe things matters.

This presentation is recommended to be viewed on Youtube with the accompanying visuals, but can still be listened to and understood in audio-only form.

Thanks to my team - Leslie Batt-Lutz, Lizzy Sirianni, Luke Robert Mason, and Jason Figueredo for putting this together. Also thanks (as always) to my friend DJ White for helpful input. Thanks to Joan Diamond, Kyle Saunders, Maia Nillson, Rex Weyler for helpful input.