Few among us question actions done “in the name of science” when said actions are carried out by credible groups or individuals. It goes without saying that the acquisition and expansion of knowledge is highly valued. As long as the pursuit is not directly harmful to people, it generally gets a pass. But one level deeper, what is science itself done in the name of?

Not surprisingly, much of science is in the service of modernity: producing remarkable short-term advantages for humans—generally at the expense of the rest of the Community of Life on both short- and long-term scales. A great deal of the scientific enterprise concentrates on technology. Market systems assure funding for efforts that will facilitate continued growth: accessing more energy, more materials (and novel ones, to boot), more indispensable gadgets, and longer lives for affluent humans whose ecological footprints are already monstrous (let’s keep those ones going the longest, yeah?).

But you know me, I can find fault even with “good” science whose focus is on the more-than-human world. I am reminded of a statement a grad student once started to make: “The problem with trees…” Another student, seizing on the humor of the moment, adopted an official tone as if a debate moderator: “The Problem with Trees: GO!” Yeah, so the problem with conservation biologists…

Let’s see how much I step in it, here.

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