Editorial - Change
Change is the only constant in life.
—Heraclitus, Greek philosopher (535-475 BCE)
Hello, Dear Reader, and welcome to Issue 20 of Consilience.
This issue is devoted to exploring the theme of change.
Although at times it may feel like our contemporary reality is hurtling towards greater disorder, entropy is only one force of change. The science of change explores how organisms, individuals, and societies adapt, what mechanisms drive transformation, and why resistance to changes in the status quo is such a common experience.
Metamorphosis and transformation, mutation and evolution - the organisms and phenomena that science studies change in a multitude of potent and intriguing ways, but science itself is also prone to strong tides of change, the most powerful of which is a paradigm shift. From Copernicus’s heliocentric model of the solar system to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection, to Einstein’s theory of relativity, the history of science shows us many examples of profound and irrevocable shifts in how humans relate to reality.
In this issue, you will have the opportunity to read from science poets from a myriad of backgrounds and vocations. They hail from Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. The diverse perspectives on change herein stem from the minds of writers, poets, academics, medical professionals, teachers, researchers, and linguists.
The poems and artwork of Issue 20 reflect on topics and ideas such as the remarkable modifications larvae achieve in the motionless pupal state of profound rest, the physical changes in the hippocampus of the London cab driver, geographical fluctuation in response to shifting tides, and photosynthesis’ transformation of light energy into biological chemicals.
The inevitable force of change sparks our imaginations and inherently triggers our anxieties. The Consilience Team champions humankind’s ability - with our incredibly plastic neurons - to navigate uncertain times of change with renewed dedication to scientific rigor and human grace.
The Consilience Team