history of interface- building, to come together to address the pressing global problems
at a common frontier. In this sense, convergence is essentially a vertical model, of which
convergence in the life sciences-horizon is a good example.
Moreover, the convergence model is a very good model for various initiatives but
it is silent on the role of ethics and wisdom inquiry. Therefore, it should be made
clear that convergence alone is not enough in meeting the global challenges within a
KBCE. Ethical principles and wisdom inquiry must also play their dynamic roles in
building a new world with a reduced climate change risk. Concerted efforts are
needed in this context to bring ethics and wisdom inquiry into play in the reintegrated science scenario, more so in terms of knowledge resources dynamics.
Already nurtured by the wisdom of culture, namely, the world’s diverse cultures,
many of them unfortunately disappearing or already disappeared like the world’s
many dying species and languages, the humanity must now be guided to dynamically move forwards to a culture of wisdom, if it is to negotiate its future prospects
under the global challenges it is confronted with now. Hopefully, the culture of
wisdom, envisaged here, would include the newly emerging wisdom inquiry at its
very core (Pandit 1995, 2007b, 2008, 2010b, c, 2012b). It is important, particularly
for the developing countries, to redesign the trajectories of economic growth and
human development, including scientific and technological development, within the
culture of wisdom, fostering a harmonious, dynamic and life-enhancing interaction
between culture, ecology and biodiversity.
But what is the wisdom of culture exactly? To put it very briefly, in the past
philosophical traditions it had been simply assumed, without stating it explicitly,
that in their search for knowledge the different sciences would take into consideration the wisdom of culture that finds a mention in the oldest definition of philosophy as love of wisdom. After several thousand years, particularly in the context
of modern science, one is prompted to ask where is the wisdom of culture to be
found in the sciences that have an in-built efficiency to produce highly fragmented
knowledge of the universe that we take for granted as final truth. Fragmented
knowledge allows its ambivalence easily to be misused and abused, depending on
what kinds of interests are at play, once knowledge and discovery are moved from
universities and research institutions into society and industry. In short, reductionism of fragmented knowledge flourishes everywhere (Whitehead 1923;
Waddington 1977, xi–xii, pp. 23–24; Pandit 2007b, 2010c; Wynn 2015).
What about the culture of wisdom? While thinking of today’s global challenges
we must rethink our approach to education, global population explosion, humanity’s ecological overshoot, destruction of the planet’s carbon sinks, urban
lifestyle-based overconsumption, overproduction of goods and services, anthropogenic global warming-driven climate change, the challenge of designing carbon
free green technologies, and the challenge of green growth within the KBCE. All of
these are already ample evidence, first, how science and technology, instead of
being an exception, are a part of the larger problem and, second, how the uses and
abuses of science thrive on the forces of power and arrogance. However, a consensus among the academics and scientists across the disciplinary boundaries is
growing in favour of the view that concerted efforts at rebuilding a culture of
Knowledge-Based Climate Economy …
155
at a common frontier. In this sense, convergence is essentially a vertical model, of which
convergence in the life sciences-horizon is a good example.
Moreover, the convergence model is a very good model for various initiatives but
it is silent on the role of ethics and wisdom inquiry. Therefore, it should be made
clear that convergence alone is not enough in meeting the global challenges within a
KBCE. Ethical principles and wisdom inquiry must also play their dynamic roles in
building a new world with a reduced climate change risk. Concerted efforts are
needed in this context to bring ethics and wisdom inquiry into play in the reintegrated science scenario, more so in terms of knowledge resources dynamics.
Already nurtured by the wisdom of culture, namely, the world’s diverse cultures,
many of them unfortunately disappearing or already disappeared like the world’s
many dying species and languages, the humanity must now be guided to dynamically move forwards to a culture of wisdom, if it is to negotiate its future prospects
under the global challenges it is confronted with now. Hopefully, the culture of
wisdom, envisaged here, would include the newly emerging wisdom inquiry at its
very core (Pandit 1995, 2007b, 2008, 2010b, c, 2012b). It is important, particularly
for the developing countries, to redesign the trajectories of economic growth and
human development, including scientific and technological development, within the
culture of wisdom, fostering a harmonious, dynamic and life-enhancing interaction
between culture, ecology and biodiversity.
But what is the wisdom of culture exactly? To put it very briefly, in the past
philosophical traditions it had been simply assumed, without stating it explicitly,
that in their search for knowledge the different sciences would take into consideration the wisdom of culture that finds a mention in the oldest definition of philosophy as love of wisdom. After several thousand years, particularly in the context
of modern science, one is prompted to ask where is the wisdom of culture to be
found in the sciences that have an in-built efficiency to produce highly fragmented
knowledge of the universe that we take for granted as final truth. Fragmented
knowledge allows its ambivalence easily to be misused and abused, depending on
what kinds of interests are at play, once knowledge and discovery are moved from
universities and research institutions into society and industry. In short, reductionism of fragmented knowledge flourishes everywhere (Whitehead 1923;
Waddington 1977, xi–xii, pp. 23–24; Pandit 2007b, 2010c; Wynn 2015).
What about the culture of wisdom? While thinking of today’s global challenges
we must rethink our approach to education, global population explosion, humanity’s ecological overshoot, destruction of the planet’s carbon sinks, urban
lifestyle-based overconsumption, overproduction of goods and services, anthropogenic global warming-driven climate change, the challenge of designing carbon
free green technologies, and the challenge of green growth within the KBCE. All of
these are already ample evidence, first, how science and technology, instead of
being an exception, are a part of the larger problem and, second, how the uses and
abuses of science thrive on the forces of power and arrogance. However, a consensus among the academics and scientists across the disciplinary boundaries is
growing in favour of the view that concerted efforts at rebuilding a culture of
Knowledge-Based Climate Economy …
155