Viewpoint of Ecological Biodiversity
By Carol Gigliotti

What are your thoughts about what we can learn from other species, even technology as a species, about our role as human beings and our relationship with the Earth?

So you're asking, "What can we learn about our role from other species?" I thought it was interesting you even said that technology could be a kind of species.

It's interesting; most people forget that we fabricated technology. It's not something that sort of came down to us from the skies. It's not something that kind of grew up, even though it uses natural ideas and natural substances. It's something that we've constructed, so it is a part of us. It's not really a separate thing and in my mind, then, you have control over that. In other words, you have responsibility to it and you have responsibility in how you use it and you can change it.

So, I think it's really important to think about inter-species communication, to understand that all species are developed in different ways and have something to teach us in terms of, well certainly, many people have said this, just being in the world.

In terms of what we can learn from other species, I think, again, there are so many different perspectives. When somebody says that cyberspace is the last frontier, I don't think that's true. I think it's really important to remember that there are many creatures on the earth, many species. We really don't have an understanding of their consciousness, their cognition. We're getting that; people are working on that, but there's still this idea that they're beneath us and there's still this idea because they don't speak our language that somehow it's their fault that they don't think; and that they aren't able to communicate because their communication is different than ours.

So, I think it's really important to think about inter-species communication, to understand that all species are developed in different ways and have something to teach us in terms of, well certainly, many people have said this, just being in the world.

Also, for instance, I made a comment about wolves and the kind of family community they have, the loyalty they have to each other, and different things like that. I know, to me, the wolf is very important, in terms of it's communal aspect and its strength and power, but also being able to have that strength and power and still not use it. I lived with a wolf for three months and he was probably the most civilized being I've ever lived with. One of my dogs bit him constantly and she was very small, but old and sick, and he never bit her back. She would bite him and draw blood. He was very big, she was very small, but he knew she was old and sick and he wouldn't do that. He did finally turn around and yell at her basically, but that was fine. She didn't let up, but it was a try to do that.

What message do you most want to convey about the interplay between human experience, advancing technologies, and ecological interdependence?

I think it's really important that we understand, that we don't get too pessimistic, that we still continue to take that risk to actually say, "We don't like the way things are going with the way technology seems to be having its own control and its own dominance over us."

We've given it control over the biosphere that we work and live in and I think it's really important, for Planetwork, I think it being such an important conference, to get a number of different, very diverse people together - from scientists, artists, thinkers, writers, activists - to be active; to actually get together and work on these projects together so that there's very positive projects that involve change with technology coming from this viewpoint of ecological biodiversity. So, I think it's important that we realize that it's our responsibility to make those decisions, know what we're basing our decisions on, and then act on those decisions.

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