Innovation and Artificial Light

An enduring human quality is our ability to alter our natural environment. We did this first to survive and then to become a dominant species on Earth. It has been our brain, not our other physical qualities, such as teeth or muscular strength, that has made us more successful than other animals on the planet. In more recent times, we’ve used our abilities to go beyond survival to create thousands of inventions that make life more efficient, faster, and productive. Artificial light is one of those inventions. While impressive, our drive to continue to improve tools and technology has also drastically altered the natural world in ways that threaten its health and our own. From climate change to the extinction of an estimated one million species, human innovation and industrial development has had consequences that will have a huge impact on our ability to survive, as a species, on this planet.

Americans’ Belief in Technological Progress

Although all humans have the ability to innovate, not all cultures view their place in the natural world in the same way. Anthropologists have characterized American culture as one that tends to value science and technology quite highly. Many of us view science as a way to order and control our natural world rather than seeing ourselves as a part of it. To many of us, more control means more progress. Artificial light for example, is a way to override or control the natural rhythm of the sun’s light. Meanwhile, we often fail to consider the impact of our inventions on the planet.

How do we know when our inventions are worth the impact to the environment?