Green Space, Green Time: The Way of Science [Hardcover]

Over the last few centuries, science has usurped domains of knowledge that were once the province of religion. At the same time, however, both science and religion have enforced strict boundaries throughout. Science can describe the world to us, but it cannot tell us about meaning or values. This is a compelling case for breaching this barrier - in effect, for a reunification of science and religion.In a provocative book that is sure to be controversial, Connie Barlow puts forth a compelling case for breaching the barrier between science and religion-in effect, for a reunification of knowledge and meaning. Evolutionary biology, rendered as an Epic of Evolution, provides a powerful origin story appropriate for our times. Conservation biology, ecology, and Gaia theory all reveal how we fit in with the natural world; Barlow argues that they can not only inform our ethics but also expand our sense of meaning. In dozens of unusually candid conversations with leading scientists and philosophers, she presents an emerging view of a new meaning for science in our lives-and why this new meaning is crucial for our times. Green Space, Green Time could well mark a turning point in humanity's troubled relationship with nature. -John Davis Editor, Wild Earth Magazine1 The Way of Science.- A Surprise from Sociobiology.- Varieties of Ecoreligious Experience.- Science and Meaning.- 2 Science and the Coming of a New Story.- The Epic of Evolution.- Science into Story.- A Conversation with Catalysts.- Celebrating the Epic.- 3 Biology and the Celebration of Diversity.- Re-Storying Biodiversity.- Islands Everywhere.- A Conversation with an Earth Ecstatic.- Life Loves Life.- 4 Ecology and the Birth of Bioregionalism.- Keystones, Aliens, and Ghosts.- Polarities.- A Conversation with Hands-Off Stewards.- Creating Science-Based Rituals.- 5 Geophysiology and the Revival of Gaia.- Powers of Persistence.- A Developing Biosphere.- A Conversation with the F1 and F2.- Beyond the Science.- 6 Meanil“W