The Wayfinders: Why Ancient Wisdom Matters in a Modern World

Class of 1945 Lecture
          
Wade Davis, Ph.D., National Geographic Society Explorer for the Millenium; Anthropology Professor and Chair in Cultures and Ecosystems at Risk , University of British Columbia
Friday, October 14, 7:30 p.m.

Every culture has a unique answer to the fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? Of the world’s 7,000 languages, fully half may disappear within our lifetimes. At risk is a vast archive of knowledge and expertise, a catalogue of the imagination that is the human legacy. Ethnographer, writer, photographer and filmmaker Wade Davis will lead us on a thrilling journey to celebrate the wisdom of the world’s indigenous cultures. From Polynesia to the Amazon, the Andes, Africa, Australia, Nepal and finally the rainforests of Borneo, understanding the lessons of this journey can become our mission for the next century. Rediscovering a new appreciation for the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed by culture, is among the central challenges of our time.

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Date/time: Friday, October 14; 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free and open to the public
Location: Statler Hall Auditorium, Cornell University

This lecture is funded, in part, by the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future