Why History Is Important for Environmental Decision Making Today and Tomorrow

Science and technology have made enormous advances since the American Revolution. But we need only think of the Nazi nightmare that overtook Germany, the nation of Goethe, Schiller, Beethoven, and of major medical and scientific advances, to recognize that human behavior and political developments do not follow the same laws as science. Nor has the United States just marched forward since its inception, taking advantage of new knowledge and ideas to systematically improve the quality of its public affairs. This is demonstrated by the longstanding internal turmoil that is the subject of this book and which has paralyzed the nation’s ability to achieve solutions to major problems.