[meteorite-list] Meteorite Collecting (Should Not Be) Linked to Fossil Controversy

From: Donald Blakeslee <blakesle_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:42:03 2004
Message-ID: <3.0.2.32.20010123122410.006e4ec4_at_twsuvm.uc.twsu.edu>

Hi,

I don't know whether anyone participating in this thread is really this
interested, but:

There is a book about why humans value exotic things -- things that are
very old or come from vast distances. Written by a cultural anthropologist
who studies the civilizations of Central America, it is nonetheless
universal in its application. Wehn I read it, I immediately thought of the
cabinets of the upper classes in Europe that evolved into modern museums.

The book is "Ulysses' Sail'" by Mary Helms. If you want to know why we
collect arrowheads, meteors, fossils, give it a try.

It doesn't, however, speak to what the rules should be. As someone
interested in the human uses of meteorites, I hope for two things: that
everyone will report precise locations of the finds and that everyone
shares a slice of any find with the scientists so that they have no reason
to call for shutting down meteorite hunting.


Don Blakeslee
Department of Anthropology
Wichita State University
Wichita, KS 67230-0052
Received on Tue 23 Jan 2001 01:24:10 PM PST