"Green" Activism and its History

Green activism has been around for millions of years, it is second nature to the earth itself. To renew, to recycle, to rid of the old toxicicity and create new health. This nature, this behavior would then be adapted and copied by the inhabitants of said ecosystem. Why not? As it is only "natural". Our own bodies! The way our bodies operate, the organism is an ecological friendly and "Green" living example. From there on, after the many years and tribes flourished in this planet, many new behaviors were adapted. These behaviors were only "actions" copied from an "actor", the human only copies and modifies after the years but never creates! The constant travel and spread of these people and their behaviors allowed them and others to see their way of life. They, the people, with the nomadic style of life were able to see different behaviors and were able to imitate them and take them to where ever they moved. The people learned from their surroundings as to how to live in this new place, they quickly adapted to their surroundings, as it is only of human capacity to do so! As the tribes flourished behaviors spread, ideas came and went, the tribes would then later develop systems of trades, only copied this idea from nature. The people traded ways of life, they traded language, they traded ideas, and they shared what they knew! Living at peace with the one! Living according to the rules and limits of nature!
From these tribes, cultures and ethnicities originated, with a set of beliefs proven to be correct according to their habitat, for now they had settled and built a static "home". (This of course also copied from nature; a home) These tribes, over the years would prove and modify their beliefs, their behavior and would then use to them cal them truths and laws to which abide to. Still, they followed THE WAY, they were observants for many years and were able to identify THE WAY. In short, they lived true to their nature! They were "Green" as we would vulgarly say today! It is then, with this image in my mind that I question as to why the prostitution of our own nature? Why the commercialization of our own selves? Why must we sell and advertise who and what we are? Where did we go wrong? Surely, I might be incorrect in some of my logic but that is where YOU come in. Can you see this? Can you see the pattern, the way? Do you agree that the idea of being "Green" is nothing more than true nature to the human being? How did we lose this nature? Is this what they call Evolution? Adapting? What is making us come back to this primal instinct/behavior? Why now?

Old Paper-The String Theory.

The String Theory is a fascinating new theory that has revolutionized the world of physics since the last twenty years. The String Theory basically claims that taking in account the force of gravity and current knowledge of physics the smallest unit; smaller than the atom and quark everything is made of strings. This monistic metaphysical belief has its roots since the early pre-Socratic era of philosophy. The String Theory can be “dissected” and studied for what it is, just another attempt of a philosopher to make true of the world. This is exactly why we must stop to analyze and look back on other theory such as the one in topic and ask, “Has it worked? And will it work?” Whatever may be the answer we must not forget that it is only a theory and still in the process of experimentation.

  

            Philosophy as some might refer to it, is the father of all sciences, the starting point for every branch of studies; biology, astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, psychology, etc. Major breakthroughs in science, math, and technology have occurred in the last centuries for it had not been for philosophers. Great thinkers leave their legacies; their studies for future generations to discover the many enigmas of this world. Their work is a starting line for those who think alike and want to put an answer to age-old questions. Since the beginning of time many have wondered and wondered, some have not only wondered, but set out on a journey to discover the truth. Of the many journeys taken, physics, the study of how matter reacts in earth in relation to time, space, and energy. Physicists are always trying to find molds that will fit into how the world reacts and make it rational through math; their recent theory, the sting theory, does exactly this. The theory of the Strings is relatively new in the world of physics; but its principle is no stranger in the world of philosophy. The theory of the Strings can be explained and related to philosophy by its most basic idea, the idea that the whole world is made out of strings. This is why when viewing the String theory under a philosophical perspective, the grains of such idea is simply one involving the monistic metaphysical theory that the world is made of one thing. However it should only be left at that, for it is a philosophy explained with some mathematics, we shouldn’t entirely depend on such observations.

            Human nature compels us to contemplate and ask about our provenance; why are we here? Early Greek philosophers certainly left a vast number of dilemmas for future philosophers who would answer with math and science. Take for instance Empedocles, a Greek philosopher part scientist from 500 BC. Empedocles was the first to argue that matter, the consistency of things, was made from elements. Empedocles proposed elements were Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind, from these “basic” elements everything in the world was constructed. “How from the mingling of the elements, The Earth and Water, the Ether and the Sun So many forms and hues of mortal things Could thus have being, as have come to be” (Leonard, 1908). Democritus, who would come a few decades after Empedocles, would take this idea a step farther. Democritus noticed that when taking said element, for example a rock, inside this rock even more small particles were present. These observations led Democritus to discover what he called the “atomos”. He described the atomos as the smallest unit of the whole and believed the atomos to be indestructible. “The material cause of all things that exist is the coming together of atoms and void. Atoms are too small to be perceived by the senses. They are eternal and have many different shapes, and they can cluster together to create things that are perceivable. Differences in shape, arrangement, and position of atoms produce different things. By aggregation they provide bulky objects that we can perceive with our sight and other senses” (Nahm, 1962). Years later after Democritus had discovered the atom; Epicurus came and took his idea only to perfection it.  Epicurus not only agreed with Democritus, but also came to the idea that in fact the atoms were responsible for the makeup things. And it wasn’t only atoms that predetermined what could be created or not, but it was the “swerve” that randomized the outcome. The “swerve” was Epicurus solution to how things changed; for him nothing ceased to exist but only changed. “The universe has always been the same as it now is.’ This principle is known to us as the law of indestructibility and uncreatibility of matter” (DeWitt, 1954). What many infer from such claim is that nothing can be destroyed or created. Which would lead to French chemist Lavoisier to the “Law of Conservation of Mass” which basically re-states what Epicurus had found; that matter cannot be destroyed, it only changes but its consistency stays the same. All of these basic observations done by early philosophers lead future scientists to work with such findings. Today not only do we have more than four elements, we have more than one hundred. Democritus was not far when he stated that the atom existed but today not only do we know that the atom exists, but also that it is in fact the essential being for anything. These ideas, Democritus, Empedocles, and Epicurus lead to what we know as today the Law of Conservation of Energy. There seems to be a relation between scientists and philosophers, scientists are philosophers who make true of their beliefs through not only observation but also mathematics.

            In an online Physics and Astronomy Forum called PhysLink.com, a person by the name of John asked, “What is the String Theory and who came up with it?”According to Brent Nelson, M.A. Physics, Ph.D. Student, UC Berkeley, the theory dates back to 1986 when in a September 1986 article of Scientific American by the title of ‘Superstrings’ Michael Green first introduced this concept. Brent Nelson points out that the string theory is one of the theories that seem to explain many things, it is still in everlasting change because of new technology that modifies certain aspects of the theory. The string theory is basically a theory that states that the whole world is made up of various types of strings. These strings react to various forces that act upon these ropes, thus making them move.  This theory as of right now is one of the most commonly used to study physics; it is sort of a temporary answer to the question of what is this world made of? In another website Alberto Güijosa, a researcher from the Department of High Energy Physics of the Institute for Nuclear Science at Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM), further explains this concept. “Ordinary matter is made of atoms, which are in turn made of just three basic components: electrons whirling around a nucleus composed of neutrons and protons. The electron is a truly fundamental particle (it is one of a family of particles known as leptons), but neutrons and protons are made of smaller particles, known as quarks. Quarks are, as far as we know, truly elementary” (Güijosa, 1998). Normal matter can be described as such; however, when presented with the problem of gravity, there seemed to be something missing. “The essential idea behind string theory is this: all of the different 'fundamental ' particles of the Standard Model are really just different manifestations of one basic object: a string. How can that be? Well, we would ordinarily picture an electron, for instance, as a point with no internal structure. A point cannot do anything but move. But, if string theory is correct, then under an extremely powerful 'microscope' we would realize that the electron is not really a point, but a tiny loop of string. A string can do something aside from moving--- it can oscillate in different ways. If it oscillates a certain way, then from a distance, unable to tell it is really a string, we see an electron. But if it oscillates some other way, well, then we call it a photon, or a quark, or a ... you get the idea. So, if string theory is correct, the entire world is made of strings!”(Güijosa, 1998). Such theory seems to be the answer when faced with the problem of gravity, as already stated. This is why the String Theory is causing such a revolt amongst the physics world, because they finally seem to have answered one of many questions. This theory seems to be  perfect fit to describe as to what the world is composed of, however numerous amount of calculations to determine if such thing is true have been done over the past thirty years. Still, since the first time mentioned, such theory has not been proven, it is still in the testing.

            So far the String Theory shows lots of similarities with many early philosophers and their idea of what The One was. The One, that which is everything the only thing that stays never-changing, in other words; the constant variable. For Thales the Pre-Socratic Greek philosopher The One was water. Thales believed that everything in the world; trees, animals, mountains, etc. were constructed from water. Heraclitus claimed that the one was the changing, that everything itself is ever changing. That in fact everything in this world was partially made of changing. Parmenides believed the one was a mysterious substance; this mysterious substance was in all. The mysterious substance didn’t really answer anything it was just a way of explaining Parmenides reason for the one. Zeno another pre-Socratic philosopher stated that the one was actually ideas in general. Zeno thought that it was our ideas that shaped what the world looked like. All of these philosophers viewed life in a monistic view; their metaphysics stated that they perceived reality to be made of only one thing. Like these philosophers, physicists believe that the world is made of one thing; in the case of the String Theory, strings.

            String theory as already explained; contains the main metaphysical idea that the world is made of strings. This idea is also viewed in the historical context of philosophy; they both share the same elementary ideas. The only difference is that physicists do not mainly focus on the ideas or observations of the world; they do not contemplate, in the other hand; they make calculations based on observations. For several centuries we have trusted what these persons have written and said. Our whole educational system has been majorly based upon philosophies proven by observations and mathematics. John Locke argues that science and its views is nothing more than a person’s point of view on the world, just like any other person would. More importantly is that theories based on observations cannot be one-hundred percent accurate.  They cannot be taken into full consideration because even our senses can fool us, we cannot be certain in fact if what we are seeing is true. Locke in one of his epistemological claims argues that in fact knowledge is the agreement of our ideas. “We have hitherto considered those Ideas, in the reception whereof, the Mind is only passive, which are those simple ones received from Sensation and Reflection before-mentioned, whereof the Mind cannot make anyone to it self, nor have any Idea which does not wholy consist of them. But as these simple Ideas are observed to exist in several Combinations united together; so the Mind has a power to consider several of them united together, as one Idea; and that not only as they are united in external Objects, but as itself has joined them. Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call Complex; such as are Beauty, Gratitude, a Man, an Army, the Universe; which tough complicated various simpleIdeas, made up of simple ones, yet are, when the Mind pleases, considered each by if self, as one entire thing, and signified by one name” (Locke, 1894). This claim certainly makes one think, and truly analyze in deep what is science? In this case, the String Theory is nothing more than a person trying to make true of the world he perceives. Which makes us think? “What else has been nothing but opinions? What really have we learnt?” Well some may argue that knowledge does not exist, that is purely just recollection of experiences from our souls. Others argue that in fact we do have knowledge and that sciences prove many things in this world. Which one applies?

            The String Theory is simply yet another metaphysical philosophy; it is only an attempt to explain the world. However one cannot disregard that for the past centuries these ideologies have seem to work and helped us understand more of the world in which we live in. Perhaps it is not only just an attempt to make the world rational, maybe it does work. History has proven to be favorable for the sciences and the philosophies that support its cause. Whatever may be the case, one thing is clear; that in fact philosophy is all around us. Philosophy may be unappreciated by many, forgotten if you may; but it is still present in all aspects of our lives. If not for philosophy never would we learn about chemistry, physics, nor would anything may have been discovered. If it not had been for the philosopher inside every great inventor, scientists, mathematician, politician, etc. society would indeed fall apart. A world without philosophers would simply be pointless; “the goal of every generation of people on this planet would be to duplicate, as closely as possible, the beliefs of previous generations. Lacking habits of philosophical criticism and independence, the Old Way would be not only the Best Way but also the Only Way. Philosophy began, and continues to develop, by ceaselessly arguing that there are far better ways than the Old Way” (Company, & philosophie, 1999). Philosophy is the only window that humans have that enables us to peek into what reality might be. Philosophy as used by such scientists should be a tool to be used when trying to find an explication for our problems. It should be used to examine our way of life, our society, and perhaps help us understand the habitants of the world so that we can live in harmony.

           

              

Reference Page

Company, H.W., & philosophie, Université. (1999).International philosophical bibliography. 1999.

DeWitt, N.W. (1954). Epicurus & his philosophy. London, Bombay, and Karachi: Geoffrey Cumberlege: Oxford University Press.

Güijosa, A. (1998, December). What is String theory? Retrieved from http://www.nuclecu.unam.mx/~alberto/physics/string.htm

Leonard, W. E. (1908). The Fragments of Empedocles. Chicago, IL: The Open Court Publishing Company.

Locke, J. (1894). An Essay concerning human understanding. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.

Nahm, M.C. (1962). Selections from early Greek philosophy . Cambridge, England: The University Press.

http://www.physlink.com/Education/AskExperts/ae138.cfm?CFID=27690395&CFTOKEN=3e7cd5229b8bed00-FE6F6A2B-15C5-EE01-B9812F43A3DEEB0D

Now, the question, to you, the reader. What do you think that our reality, our universe, our existence is composed of? Matter? An idea(s)? An emotion? Nothing? There is no such thing? Or what? I want to hear from you!