The Verde Valley Archaeology Center hosted a talk by Matthew Goodwin, Ph.D., on Friday, Feb. 24, on the subject of dark skies and why they matter.
Goodwin discussed how light pollution is harmful to wildlife, given that many plants and animals depend on the cycle of light and dark to regulate their behaviors. In coastal locations, for example, sea turtles, which normally follow the moon, are disoriented by lights and lose their way.
Goodwin pointed out that there is no scientific evidence that street lights actually deter crime. If anything, he argued, the absence of light makes people safer since it allows their eyes to adjust and their range of vision to increase, while with light, people can exploit shadows.
Goodwin added that as much as 50% of outdoor lighting is wasted and that artificial light at night is harmful for health, often leading to increased risk for sleep disorders and depression. Instead of using phones or laptops right before bed, which produce a stimulating white light, Goodwin suggested going out to look at the stars before bed each night as a natural remedy.
Connecting the abundance of artificial light with a loss of human heritage, Goodwin reminded the audience that their ancestors experienced a vivid night sky that inspired science, religion, philosophy and other innovative ways of thinking. He recalled the German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s argument that there are two things that fill the mind with admiration and awe: “The starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”
This combination of admiration and awe, Goodwin said, results from feeling simultaneously attracted and repelled. He claimed that the night sky evokes a sense of morality in us.
Summarizing thoughts from the Czech philosopher and writer Erazim Kohak, Goodwin argued that daytime is the time to create something new, while dusk is a time for philosophy and reflection and night is a time for poetry, to do something that transforms and continues the world. He related how Kohak stressed that daytime work should not be continued into the night, and that turning off lights for balance is necessary.
Goodwin presented an image of the U.S. at night to show the spots of light pollution that are visible from space. While the western area of the country produces significantly less light pollution than the eastern half, there are random hot spots in the west as well. These are flares from oil fields burning off unwanted natural gas.
Arizona has 17 dark sky sites, including Sedona, Camp Verde and Cottonwood. Flagstaff was the world’s first community designated an International Dark Sky Place in 2001. They also enacted the first outdoor lighting ordinance in 1958.
Goodwin also quoted the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche: “As long as you still feel the stars as something ‘above you,’ you have not yet acquired the gaze of a man of deep understanding.”
“We are among the stars and they are among us,” Goodwin said.
