The Scientific Method” Ain’t Necessarily So

One of the biggest methodological problems of run-of-the-mill modern science is that it doesn’t pay enough attention to the philosophy of science. When it does, it tends to fasten onto a single philosopher such as Karl Popper. And the second biggest problem with run-of-the-mill (as opposed to innovative and ground-breaking) modern science is that it Read More

The Power of Story: Procrustes in the Land Between the Mountain and the Sea

Last fall I had the great privilege of making a keynote address to the Center for Culturally Responsive Evaluation and Assessment at their meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Although I developed my presentation on different ways of knowing and the ways that contemporary practices of assessment relate to them with that audience in mind, this particular Read More

Of Pipelines and Rivers: Science and Indigenous Ways

A metaphor carries more cultural significance and greater meaning than first meets the eye. Casual acceptance and use of a metaphor reinforces the package of beliefs and values that come with it, even if we don’t realize that’s happening. Metaphor is, after all, more than mere simile. It’s one of the things that makes story Read More

Urgent help to protect an Old Growth Forest Elder in Northern Europe!

Indigenous peoples live all over the world, and everywhere they have deep ties to the Land. Indigenous and traditional peoples still living in Europe, such as the Finns and Karelians, comprise the root stock of many people living in North America today. Their continuing relationship with the ancient boreal forests of Scandinavia play out to this Read More

Painting Our Children Into a Corner

I learned something horrifying today about one of the things children are taught to do in some horse therapy programs. Here’s a picture to show you. They paint the horse. That’s right. They are taught that a horse is a “perfect canvas.” They paint things that help them process difficult emotions, which is good standard Read More