The Millennium Project
Reconciling differences – Celebrating Diversity
If we are to heal our planet, we need to reconcile our differences and celebrate diversity – this call for consilience needs to be widely spread.
Stressing Consilience!
All of John Anderson’s projects–from palaeobotany to Earth Alive to cultural history–are intimately linked. They are interdisciplinary and multinational. Indeed, they showcase the fundamental connection between all things. Consilience operated in the past and a deep sense of consilience—of reconciliation—is being stressed by Anderson and colleagues as our only option as a species into the future.
Tracing the links between individuals and their works
What John Anderson sees as an extension of his Gondwana Alive and Africa Alive projects has been his Millennium project—a lifelong study and presentation of the 250 individuals, in the sciences, arts and governance, who have been central to driving Western civilisation from 1000-2000 AD; through the Renaissance, Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment; how did we get from the Middle Ages to here in 1000 years; and whereto from here?! Core are the evolving links between the individuals and their works: such as Linnaeus’ classification of plants leading to the Romanticism of Rousseau (philosophy) and Goethe (literature) and on through to that of Beethoven (music) and Turner (art).
During my environmental career I have walked different paths (research, ecotourism, development) and they have all lead me to the same conclusion – that the route of our environmental problems lies in a lack of connectivity between people and the rest of nature, in an isolation that removes us from the consequences of our decisions and ensuing actions. Of late I have seen many examples of consilience, of people walking different paths to arrive at the same approach – it gives me hope as it means that we can use that approach to unlock the synergy diversity brings and heal our home.
Why Gondwana Alive supports The Millennium Project?
Gondwana Alive supports the Millenium project because it helps us to understand the connectivity between all things, to understand the consilience between 250 most influential thinkers since 1000AD and encourages consilience as a means of healing our planet.
How does Gondwana Alive support Africa Alive Corridors?
Through promotion of the values of reconciliation and diversity, and the goals of the Millennium Project