The Emerald

Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World: A Conversation With Wade Davis

Jun 18, 2019

34:12

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Quick takeaways

Cultural diversity should not be undermined by a hierarchical view; each culture has something important to contribute.

Indigenous cultures offer alternative perspectives, valuing reciprocal relationships with the environment and the importance of metaphor.

Deep dives

The Importance of Cultural Perspective

Wade Davis discusses how different cultures have their own unique expressions of genius and ways of viewing the world. He emphasizes that cultural diversity should not be undermined by a hierarchical view of culture, and that each culture has something important to contribute.

The Importance of Kinesthetic Awareness

03:13

The Evolution of Humanity

03:08

The Importance of Cultural Views in the World

01:26

Introduction

2min

The Evolution of Humanity

3min

The Importance of Story and Ritual in the Age of Technology

4min

The Polynesian Voyaging Society and the Hokulea

4min

The Importance of Kinesthetic Awareness

3min

The Origins of the Council of Human Knowledge

3min

The Importance of Metaphor in the Deanimation of the World

5min

The Role of Nature in the Creation of the World

6min

The Importance of Cultural Views in the World

1min

10.

The Serpent and the Rainbow

3min

What can we learn from those who can read the ocean like we can read words on a page? How can we transform how we view culture when modern western culture likes to position itself as the top of the cultural pyramid? What does a vision of sacred geography have to offer us? What are its implications for planet and person? A discussion with anthropologist and ethnobotanist Wade Davis.

If you don’t know the work of Wade Davis, you should. Davis is a Canadian anthropologist, ethnobotanist, author, and photographer whose work has focused on worldwide indigenous cultures, especially in North and South America and particularly involving the traditional uses and beliefs associated with psychoactive plants. Davis came to prominence with his 1985 best-selling book The Serpent and the Rainbow about the zombies of Haiti. Davis is Professor of Anthropology and the BC Leadership Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk at the University of British Columbia.

He’s also an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society (probably the coolest job title on the planet) and his work has taken him all across the world. Today on The Emerald, Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in the Modern World: A Conversation with Wade Davis.

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