About the author
Rachel Carson was a writer, scientist, and ecologist. Carson graduated from Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham University) in her home state in 1929. She later studied at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory, and received her MA in zoology from Johns Hopkins University in 1932.
Writing radio scripts during the Depression for the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, she also contributed feature articles on natural history for the Baltimore Sun. She worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for fifteen years, eventually becoming their Editor-in-Chief for all official publications.
While with the government she wrote pamphlets on conservation and natural resources, and edited scientific articles. Probably inspired by both a love of nature and the research she had access to, she wrote three books on the sea: Under the Sea-Wind (1941), The Sea Around Us (1952), and The Edge of the Sea (1955). One of her biographers, Linda Lear, says “These books constituted a biography of the ocean and made Carson famous as a naturalist and science writer for the public.”
Lear further describes Carson’s literary ethos by explaining “Embedded within all of Carson’s writing was the view that human beings were but one part of nature distinguished primarily by their power to alter it, in some cases irreversibly.”
Despite her writings about the ocean, Carson is best known for her book Silent Spring published in 1962. In it she warns about the negative long-term consequences of pesticide use in the agricultural industry. However, the book is in keeping with her earlier work as it is a call to all of us to be aware of how we are engaging with nature.
Rachel Carson died in 1964 after a long battle against breast cancer. Her legacy is ongoing, with all of her books still in print and her message of environmental awareness resonating perhaps now more than ever.
On the book
The Sea Around Us is an award-winning, poetic description of the ocean. Each chapter of the book explores a different aspect of the ocean, from the creatures in it to the wind that flows above it; from how islands are born to how tides vary across the globe.
We recommend you read the book viewing each chapter as a different lens on the same system. Even though the book is broken down into chapters covering different phenomena, ultimately everything Carson describes is connected to everything else in the book.
We also think there is great value in making your reading of this book a multi-sensory experience: Listening to ocean sounds such as waves, whale calls, and seagull calls, looking at artwork depicting the ocean by Turner, Celmins, and Hokusai, watching documentaries such as Oceans and My Octopus Teacher, and engaging with the music of A Sea Symphony or Une barque sur l’océan. We suggest these ideas as a way to expand on the concept of multiple lenses. Combining Carson’s evocative descriptions with other views of the sea enhance our appreciation for the diversity, size, and role of the ocean.
Suggested reflection
At first, a book about the ocean might seem an odd book to read unless one is very interested in the topic. We chose this book partly because of its vivid descriptions. Partly because it is a beautiful chronicle about an important part of the natural world.
But we also chose this book because of its suitability for contemplating the world through the lens of systems thinking.
We believe that systems thinking is a critical skill that isn’t talked about enough. Humans live our lives as part of so many systems, it’s almost nonsensical to consider life without considering systems. Therefore, developing our understanding of systems can help us solve problems more effectively in our everyday lives.
The ocean is a large, complex system. It’s one we are all familiar with, but many of us probably don’t know the parts, their capabilities and interactions in great detail. Those of us who do know more about the ocean likely are used to looking at it through one lens. For example, if we like to fish or sail or dive, those activities frame how we approach and think about the ocean.
The Sea Around Us is a great book for giving us some of the information we need to start to glimpse the complexity of the ocean, and to practice using some mental models to increase our understanding of the system.
Reflection Questions
- The book uses different lenses to look at the same system. In what way did this technique augment or hinder your ability to appreciate the complexity of the sea?
- What is the value in describing ocean activities and interactions on a micro-level?
- Can you identify three feedback loops in the ocean system?
- Systems can have properties which aren’t present in their individual components, but which emerge through their interactions at scale. For example, the sea has many properties droplets of water don’t have. This is known as emergence. How do the detailed descriptions help you understand the potential of the ocean system to display emergent properties?
- There is no doubt that the sea is a critical component of the broader earth system. How might humans build a margin of safety when interacting with the oceans so as to not negatively alter the role the oceans play?
- Dynamic equilibrium is an important concept in many biological processes such as homeostasis. It refers to a system’s ability to maintain a balance within constantly changing variables. What are three ways the ocean maintains a dynamic equilibrium?
- What are the fundamental components of the ocean system that must remain functional in order for the system to maintain its capabilities?
- Imagine the world as it could be in 2091. What do you want the ocean to look like?
- What are your three top takeaways from the book?
- After reading the book, what are two things you would like to know more about?
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source: www.thecooperreview.com
