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.
Polynesian Navigators and Cultural Appreciation
Davis explores Polynesian navigators who could read the ocean without modern tools, relying on fractal patterns of waves and reflections to navigate. He highlights the importance of appreciating and valuing cultural beliefs and practices that offer alternative perspectives to modern Western culture.
The Impact of Western View on Environment
Davis criticizes the Western view that treats the natural world as inert material to be exploited. He discusses how indigenous cultures perceive reciprocal relationships with the environment and advocate for a shift in the Western worldview towards stewardship and understanding the importance of metaphor in shaping our relationship with nature.
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.