With deforestation And Down biodiversity Linked to emerging infectious diseases, one might think that the world should turn to science to get answers. But Dr. Neil Vora, a former official of the epidemic intelligence services for US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says that art and philosophy are just as important.
In a episode From the weekly podcast of Mongabay called the newspaper entitled, Vora told the host Mike Digirolamo that science will always be necessary because of the need for facts. “”But if we want to see societal transformation, we‘Will need people to feel inspired, and that‘s where art and philosophy enter, ”explains Vora.
In their conversation, broadcast in November 2024, Vora explains how to watch the film Epidemic He made him fall “in love with the idea of carrying a danger costume and fighting dangerous diseases in the world”. After the school of medicine, he joined the CDC and worked on various Ebola epidemics in poxvirus.
His other passion for nature and animals led him to join International Conservation, an NGO a few years ago.
Although his first university diploma focused on biology and environmental sciences, his second major was international relations with a minor in philosophy. His initial plan was “to go to medicine to jointly defend human health and also for the environment,” he said.
“I had this idea at a very early stage of my education because I knew basically that I understood that human health cannot be separated from animal health and the environment,” he said to Digirolamo .
Vora says that the appreciation of nature is like the appreciation of art and philosophy. “Nature inspires art and philosophy, but we have to see beauty in the world. We have to feel impressed and amazed, ”he says.
The epidemiologist says he has a lot of hope for the younger generations. “I see so much incredible creativity and people act,” he says.
He adds that people should “do a better job to support art and philosophy and narration in the world” and that scientists must also be involved.
“Often, scientists are simply encouraged to stick to the facts and not to give value judgments. But there is a role for scientists and scientists to engage in art and philosophy to help inspire people, to inspire creativity, “he said in the podcast.
Quoting an interview with botanist Robin Wall Kimmerrer The New York TimesVora says he agrees with her that if the Western sciences “have developed incredible means of measuring what is happening around us”, there are other ways to know the world, including through Aboriginal knowledge systems.
“We have measured for many decades that the climate changes, that we have global warming, but that did not necessarily inspire the action,” he said.
Listen to the podcast: How the protection of nature and inspiring art are essential for planetary health and the prevention of pandemics
Banner of a tropical forest in Borneo by Rhett A. Butler / Mongabay.
