David Peat

Pausing the Cosmos 211are no more than myths that must be “corrected,” exposed for theirnaiveté, or “made more scientific.” Rather, they should be respected,for they represent different possible glances at the universe and differentways of structuring knowledge. If we take these various stories togetherthey provide a rich multiplicity of perspectives, similar to thoseof a Cézanne painting.The danger arises when a culture takes its own story as the absolutetruth, and seeks to impose this truth on others as the yardstick forall knowledge and belief. We should never forget that, at their deepestlevel, all questions, all searches for knowledge, be they “scientific,” “mystical,”“philosophical,” or “religious,” point to a the same truth, but oftenin profoundly different ways.For example, some years ago I had discussions with a Mohawkcommunity about their school system. On the one hand, they knewthe importance of youth remaining connected to their culture. On theother, they realized that if they were to survive in contact with the modernworld, their community would have to confront “Western” science,medicine, and technology. To care for their land, for example, and dealwith environmental threats, the next generation would need to knowabout biology, ecology, and chemistry.So the community decided that mathematics and science shouldbe team-taught with a teacher trained in Western science standing sideby side with a Mohawk elder. When one spoke of molecules and chemicalreactions, the other would discuss energies and relationships ofpowers and spirits. In this way children could learn the beauty andrationality of Western science but still remain in contact with the depthof their own tradition. Rather than Western science and indigenouscultures coming into conflict, each would enrich the other.Where Do We Go from Here?The natural world, and all those advances thought has created for us(from microeconomics to genetic engineering, from legal constitutionsto satellites), are impelling us to take a step back, to pause and lookaround at all we have created. Our world is, in part, the actuality of allthat is. But this actuality is perceived and shaped by thought. In turn,