Daniel, your request will make more of us happy to be so informed.
Loren Eiseley, in full Loren Corey Eiseley, (born September 3, 1907, Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.—died July 9, 1977, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), American anthropologist, educator, and author who wrote about anthropology for the lay person in eloquent, poetic style.
Eiseley was educated at the University of Nebraska (B.A., 1933) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., 1935; Ph.D., 1937) and began his academic career at the University of Kansas (1937–44) and Oberlin College (1944–47). In his long association with the University of Pennsylvania he served as professor of anthropology (1947–61), curator of early man at the University Museum (1947–77), provost of the university (1959–61), and professor of anthropology and the history of science (1961–77). He also served as a consultant to museums, foundations, and the U.S. government and was the host–narrator of the television series Animal Secrets (1966–67). He received numerous honours, including membership in the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Eiseley’s scientific research centred on the dating of index fossils of the Pleistocene Epoch and the extinction of Ice Age fauna. His writings, however, covered the wide range of the question of evolution and its implications for humanity. He published more than a dozen books, including The Immense Journey (1957), Darwin’s Century (1958), The Firmament of Time (1960; reprinted 1970), The Unexpected Universe (1969), and The Night Country (1971). He also published an autobiography, All the Strange Hours (1975), and a collection of poetry, Another Kind of Autumn (1977). A collection of his poems and selected essays, The Star Thrower, was published in 1979.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen. (Britannica)
That collection of complete intuition left me both calm and terrified.
I wish all our young people were able to learn in this powerful way.
Listening to wise and artistic minds.
Learning by doing... walking with nature. Turning every stone over to learn how life begins and ends. Being protected and contained by knowledge of the most important kind.
That is how our young can become more protective of their futures.
When I was 3-4 I would accompany my Father while he “planted fish”. He ran state Fish and Game hatcheries . He taught me all about raising fish from eggs to fingerlings. Then we would place the fingerlings in big fish planting trucks, drive into wilderness and pour gallons of water with fingerlings into the heads of rivers and streams. From the Canadian border to southern lakes and rivers. All this while he quietly taught me about turtles, frogs, tadpoles , snakes, and that whatever we put into the earth we would drink one day... I absorbed like a giant paper towel. Loved nature, my Dad and being part of life. Water was clear and pure..... until?????
Jean, thank you for sharing the scenes from your childhood, your father's teachings and yours. The words expressed by Eiseley, Cousteau, Dinesen and Auden are the expressions of what they have learned and treasured; their observations, discoveries and study, in addition to intuition
I had never heard of W.H. Auden until reading one of his erotic poems in Avant Garde magazine in 1970. It was an expression of what he treasured and caused me to embrace it as well.
Arizona has finally recognized that and is restricting subdivisions in the Phoenix area. With thanks to Heather for this week's serenity photo and to all of for the excellent quotes.
Years ago, perhaps many, many years ago, there was some talk about redirecting some of the northwest water (Columbia River, etc.) from flowing westward into the Pacific down through the western states and into the Gulf of Mexico. I think that with the growing population and climate change, we're facing a potential near-term disaster.
I remember that. And yes, we are facing disaster. I would say in many places, it is already here. We have water problems here in Oregon. Have a good snow pack this year which is good because we and many farmers are already irrigating and watering like crazy. In NE Oregon, the water is polluted with nitrates. In our own neighborhood, some have private pumps and so use water like there is no tomorrow. It is stealing in my opinion. We are on city water for all our uses and our water bill in the summer always goes up.
The out-of-control exponential growth of the human population and our propensity to destroy habitat while exhausting and polluting natural resources will someday exact its revenge upon us. It could be that this dismal prospect for the future is why some among us (particularly the highly educated) are choosing to forego having children.
‘Going to leave you with a photo from this year’s first trip out on the water...’
___Heather Cox Richardson
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” — Loren Eiseley
“Water is the driving force of all nature.” — Leonardo da Vinci
“We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” — Jacques Yves Cousteau
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.” — Isak Dinesen
“Thousands have lived without love, not one without water.” — W. H. Auden
Very cool, Fern!
Can you educate me as to who Loren Eiseley is/was?
I had never seen that particular Auden quote previously. Magnificent.
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Daniel, your request will make more of us happy to be so informed.
Loren Eiseley, in full Loren Corey Eiseley, (born September 3, 1907, Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.—died July 9, 1977, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), American anthropologist, educator, and author who wrote about anthropology for the lay person in eloquent, poetic style.
Eiseley was educated at the University of Nebraska (B.A., 1933) and the University of Pennsylvania (M.A., 1935; Ph.D., 1937) and began his academic career at the University of Kansas (1937–44) and Oberlin College (1944–47). In his long association with the University of Pennsylvania he served as professor of anthropology (1947–61), curator of early man at the University Museum (1947–77), provost of the university (1959–61), and professor of anthropology and the history of science (1961–77). He also served as a consultant to museums, foundations, and the U.S. government and was the host–narrator of the television series Animal Secrets (1966–67). He received numerous honours, including membership in the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Eiseley’s scientific research centred on the dating of index fossils of the Pleistocene Epoch and the extinction of Ice Age fauna. His writings, however, covered the wide range of the question of evolution and its implications for humanity. He published more than a dozen books, including The Immense Journey (1957), Darwin’s Century (1958), The Firmament of Time (1960; reprinted 1970), The Unexpected Universe (1969), and The Night Country (1971). He also published an autobiography, All the Strange Hours (1975), and a collection of poetry, Another Kind of Autumn (1977). A collection of his poems and selected essays, The Star Thrower, was published in 1979.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen. (Britannica)
Thanks much, Fern!
Sounds like a wonderfully learned scholar, and an interesting dude. I will have to check him out.
Take care!
Thank you for those wonderful quotes.
I've read a few of his books, but probably around 40 years ago.
Eisley was an anthropologist. A wisdom keeper about Nature and how we are connect to HER. His book are on Amazon
Thanks, Fern! Isak Dinesen, (Karen Blixen), Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke gets my vote for quotes today.
“The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.”
My favorite!
Fern,
That collection of complete intuition left me both calm and terrified.
I wish all our young people were able to learn in this powerful way.
Listening to wise and artistic minds.
Learning by doing... walking with nature. Turning every stone over to learn how life begins and ends. Being protected and contained by knowledge of the most important kind.
That is how our young can become more protective of their futures.
When I was 3-4 I would accompany my Father while he “planted fish”. He ran state Fish and Game hatcheries . He taught me all about raising fish from eggs to fingerlings. Then we would place the fingerlings in big fish planting trucks, drive into wilderness and pour gallons of water with fingerlings into the heads of rivers and streams. From the Canadian border to southern lakes and rivers. All this while he quietly taught me about turtles, frogs, tadpoles , snakes, and that whatever we put into the earth we would drink one day... I absorbed like a giant paper towel. Loved nature, my Dad and being part of life. Water was clear and pure..... until?????
Jean, thank you for sharing the scenes from your childhood, your father's teachings and yours. The words expressed by Eiseley, Cousteau, Dinesen and Auden are the expressions of what they have learned and treasured; their observations, discoveries and study, in addition to intuition
I had never heard of W.H. Auden until reading one of his erotic poems in Avant Garde magazine in 1970. It was an expression of what he treasured and caused me to embrace it as well.
Marvelous quotes.
There'd be no life without water.
W.H. Auden was right - all life needs water to survive.
Arizona has finally recognized that and is restricting subdivisions in the Phoenix area. With thanks to Heather for this week's serenity photo and to all of for the excellent quotes.
Years ago, perhaps many, many years ago, there was some talk about redirecting some of the northwest water (Columbia River, etc.) from flowing westward into the Pacific down through the western states and into the Gulf of Mexico. I think that with the growing population and climate change, we're facing a potential near-term disaster.
I remember that. And yes, we are facing disaster. I would say in many places, it is already here. We have water problems here in Oregon. Have a good snow pack this year which is good because we and many farmers are already irrigating and watering like crazy. In NE Oregon, the water is polluted with nitrates. In our own neighborhood, some have private pumps and so use water like there is no tomorrow. It is stealing in my opinion. We are on city water for all our uses and our water bill in the summer always goes up.
The out-of-control exponential growth of the human population and our propensity to destroy habitat while exhausting and polluting natural resources will someday exact its revenge upon us. It could be that this dismal prospect for the future is why some among us (particularly the highly educated) are choosing to forego having children.
Old, well educated, no children describes us.
Absolutely! Science tells us that we contain over 70% of water, and so does planet Earth.
Thank you again Fern, for this loveliness to contemplate. 💕💕💕