In today's Guardian in the UK there is an exchange of views between Paul
Kingsnorth and George Monbiot about whether we can - or should try - to avert
the collapse of civilization. I have just sent off to The Guardian my
contribution to the debate - the letter reproduced below.
Paul Kingsnorth and George Monbiot both miss the point (Is there any point
in fighting to stave off industrial apocalypse?, 18 August). If we are to
make progress towards as good a world as possible, we need to learn how to do
it. This in turn requires that our institutions of learning are rationally
devoted to that task. But at present they are not. Universities seek
knowledge, but do not devote themselves to helping humanity learn how to create
a better world. Judged from this standpoint, they are a disaster -
intellectual and humanitarian. As a matter of absolute urgency, we need to
bring about a radical revolution in our institutions of learning so that they
come to help humanity tackle the immense global problems that lie before us in
more intelligent, effective and humane ways than we are doing at
present.
Nicholas Maxwell
(Emeritus Reader in Philosophy of Science at University College
London)