John Muir naturalists are those with John Muir’s beliefs, as extracted from his collected writings and applied to today. I have spoken for them in The Life of the Creative Spirit, p.159:
As a condition of holding office, John Muir naturalists want elected officials who make decisions having impacts on nature to be required to have had and passed a course in ecology, a course in aesthetic appreciation, and a course in the value of nature to mental health and creativity. Who would put the operation of hospitals in the hands of unlearned, heartless surgeons?
For a brief biography of John Muir, click here.
I would take this a step further. I think that the candidates should all take these classes together, with continuous coverage on CNN. We could then see them interact in a more natural setting, hear the level of thought they're capable of without speechwriters, and find out how good they are at learning new things, which is surely an important skill for people in power.
Posted by: Rebecca | October 01, 2008 at 04:08 AM