Abstract
Closing lecture presented by Dr. James E. Deacon on May 17, 1974 for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Environmental Studies course "Man and the Environment." Deacon presents his students with a question of what makes "man" unique among all the creatures of the Earth and suggests that it begins with the ratio of brain to brawn. He reminds them that the course was considered as much a social science as a natural science because of the questions it had posed them, and mentions the involvement of UNLV history professor Dr. Scott Locicero. The remainder of the lecture delves more deeply into how humans learned to exploit their environment and control against hunger, predation, and disease, but without consideration for the limits of that exploitation. He closes by suggesting that the modern world may prove to be a "DIY extinction event" if humankind fails to modify its actions.
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Closing lecture presented by Dr. James E. Deacon on May 17, 1974 for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Environmental Studies course "Man and the Environment." Deacon presents his students with a question of what makes "man" unique among all the creatures of the Earth and suggests that it begins with the ratio of brain to brawn. He reminds them that the course was considered as much a social science as a natural science because of the questions it had posed them, and mentions the involvement of UNLV history professor Dr. Scott Locicero. The remainder of the lecture delves more deeply into how humans learned to exploit their environment and control against hunger, predation, and disease, but without consideration for the limits of that exploitation. He closes by suggesting that the modern world may prove to be a "DIY extinction event" if humankind fails to modify its actions. Digital audio available; no transcript available.
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Preferred Citation
James Deacon lecture for UNLV "Man and the Environment" course, 1974 May 17. OH-04005. [Cite format consulted: Audio recording or Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
This interview was donated to the Oral History Research Center (OHRC) which is part of the UNLV University Libraries Special Collections and Archives Division.
Processing Note
Interview materials were processed by UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives in 2023. Melise Leech wrote the collection description. Access copies were created for born-digital audio and/or transcript files. The audio has been minimally reviewed and all readily available information has been included in the description.