In The Natural Contract, Michel Serres observes that since human beings came into our own through a social contract, we've lost sight of the need for some kind of equilibrium agreement with nature: we think we can live in time (le temps qui passe) but forget the weather (le temps). Seems harder to forget the weather these days. As southeast Australia fries (hottest day since record-keeping began in 1885 with Melbourne hitting 46 C / 115 F), two-thirds of Queensland is apparently under water because of cyclone-caused flooding. Meanwhile, all we got in New York today were some clouds that seemed like the downy feathers of a giant bird.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Weather with you
In The Natural Contract, Michel Serres observes that since human beings came into our own through a social contract, we've lost sight of the need for some kind of equilibrium agreement with nature: we think we can live in time (le temps qui passe) but forget the weather (le temps). Seems harder to forget the weather these days. As southeast Australia fries (hottest day since record-keeping began in 1885 with Melbourne hitting 46 C / 115 F), two-thirds of Queensland is apparently under water because of cyclone-caused flooding. Meanwhile, all we got in New York today were some clouds that seemed like the downy feathers of a giant bird.