Gratitude

The “Enlightenment” was a period of intellectual and philosophical progress beginning in the 17^th century. Some consider our Declaration of Independence a direct result and perhaps the period’s greatest achievement. It’s one sentence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” may be the single most cherished sentence in the English language.

The Enlightenment is closely aligned with the development of the scientific method. We should be grateful for this revolution for several reasons.

Science explores the universe for truths about God’s Creation. It is the nuts and bolts, the physics, and the chemistry of nature. More important, it is the most rational method to accumulate and verify knowledge.

Science and religion are like a loving brother and sister. While science explores fact, religion teaches us how to apply what we discover with love, compassion, sympathy, respect, kindness, and gratitude.

In our struggle to understand and morally apply our understanding we are the beneficiaries of a long legacy of inspired thinkers. While I will focus on science, the Enlightenment is responsible for the institutions which have made America great and the world a more peaceful planet. You may find it worth your time discovering the Enlightenment since we are its greatest beneficiaries.

In attaining life and liberty, science is the greatest contributor to our well-being.  In 1700 the average life expectancy was 29.   By 1850 our life expectancy had increased to 40. In 1850 about one third of all new-born died before the age of 5.

Prior to the major advancements in medical and agronomy science it was tough to grow old. Then came science. Today the average life expectancy is over 70 years and we can expect to be much healthier while living longer.

Immunizations often come to mind as medicine’s greatest contribution to mankind. The scourges of measles, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, smallpox, and tuberculosis have been brought to bay. Even the basics of medicine like washing hands came from Enlightenment scientists.

Throughout history mankind has had a horrible time feeding itself. Hunger, famine, and starvation afflicted us continually. In the battle to survive, Chemistry and Agronomy scientists have saved more lives than anyone.

Scientists such as Carl Bosch and Fritz Haber developed a process to obtain nitrogen from the air to create fertilizer. This is arguably the most important advancement ever made in agronomy. Fertilizers from this process are responsible for saving a whopping 2.7 billion lives by vastly increasing crop yields. One telltale fact is a third of the nitrogen making up our bodies comes from this process.

Norman Borlaugh is the father of the Green Revolution. As a product of our Midwestern values, he worked tirelessly to improve crop yields for 62 years. In 1944 Mexico was struggling to feed its citizens. Wheat harvests were abysmally low. He and his team moved to Mexico and by 1963 Mexico’s wheat crop had increased six-fold. The scientists had done this by meticulously crossbreeding 6000 strains of wheat. They took their work to India and Pakistan with similar results. Later he worked with maize in Africa. His scientific work is accredited with saving a billion lives.

These are quite the numbers. The lives saved credited to these three alone are over a thousand times the total population of the USA today! But have you ever thought how much suffering was alleviated and avoided? Most of the lives saved were kids.

I have no children, but I have some appreciation the grief a mother experiences when she loses a child. My father died of cancer in his 80s. He had been unconscious for days and when he died, I summoned mom. She came to see him and her words stunned me. With tears in her eyes she said,” Now you get to be with the kids.”

Mom and dad’s first kids were twins, a boy and girl. They were born premature and died shortly after birth.  She had carried this loss and grief over 40 years. Can you imagine the “good old days” when the chance your kid might die in childbirth, or of disease, or of slow starvation hovered over you relentlessly?

Without question science, despite all its warts and dangers, has unequivocally given us much longer lives with less pain and grief. It is rare an American dies of starvation or of infectious disease.  COVID-19 is with us today, but I am sure science will find safe effective vaccines to beat this scourge too.

Yet the American culture, has turned its back on the aspirations of the Enlightenment and especially science. Since 1960 we have grown mistrustful of our once cherished institutions, and indifferent and even cynical towards science. As a climate activist, with mountains of confirmed data to back up the science, it has been frustrating to say the least to listen to deniers spouting unsupportable lies. It is a dangerous time of intellectual neglect.

Today may be a turning point. Epidemiologists and in particular Dr Fauci are held high in public esteem. We see them as humble, dedicated professionals who hold our best interests foremost. It is the same for climate scientists and the myriad of scientists who bring us solutions to our crises. It is too early to call this a turnaround, a return to sanity, but I am hopeful.

I find the best way to keep a positive attitude is to pray in gratitude each evening. One of the things I thank the Lord for are the great scientists he has given us who dedicated their lives to keep us fed, healthy, and safe.  I include those whose vigilance worldwide keep us aware of the health of our planet. They are our wise planetary eyes and ears.

 I give thanks for those who work diligently to find solutions to meet the climate crisis. They will be the next Habers, Boschs, and Borlaughs. They will, if we support them, continue to solve our problems.

Special note: Scientific American, considered to be the longest continuously published magazine in the U.S. and claiming articles by more than 150 Nobel Prize winners dating back to its 1845 origins, has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history until now, It endorses Joe Biden.

Book recommendation: “Enlightenment Now” by Steven Pinker