The Ethical Dilemma Of Hawaii Regarding The Construction Of The Thirty Meter Telescope

Like the other Hawaiian islands, Kauaʻi is the top of an enormous volcano rising from the ocean floor. With lava flows dated to about 5 million years ago, Kauaʻi is the oldest of the large Hawaiian islands. Roughly 4 million years ago, while Kauaʻi was still erupting almost continuously, a portion of the island collapsed. This collapse formed a depression, which then filled with lava flows.

Because they were being ignored, Native Hawaiians protest to not accurately following procedures before approving the Thirty Meter Telescope to be built on Mauna Kea. Pluralism is absent in democracy.

Accordingly, a religious person is devout in the sense that he has no doubt of the significance and loftiness of those super personal objects and goals which neither require nor are capable of rational foundation. They exist with the same necessity and matter-of-factness as he himself. In this sense religion is the age-old endeavour of mankind to become clearly and completely conscious of these values and goals and constantly to strengthen and extend their effect. If one conceives of religion and science according to these definitions then a conflict between them appears impossible. For science can only ascertain what is, but not what should be, and outside of its domain value judgments of all kinds remain necessary. Religion, on the other hand, deals only with evaluations of human thought and action: it cannot justifiably speak of facts and relationships between facts. According to this interpretation the well-known conflicts between religion and science in the past must all be ascribed to a misapprehension of the situation which has been described.

Located in the southeast region of the Island of Hawaii, Kilauea sits on the flank (or the side) of the active Mauna Loa volcano, and is one of five shield volcanoes that together form the Island of Hawaii.

This paper will provide information on the volcanoes of Hawaii, where it is known to be the home of one of the world’s largest volcanic islands, merely second to Iceland. It is not just the beautiful landscapes and wildlife that spark the interest to this particular area, but the uniqueness of the Hawaiian volcanoes and islands themselves are what make the area so significant. There will be information spanning from the history of the origin of the islands to how Hawaii must adjust to the volcanic hazards in order to keep the area livable. With these ideas in mind, I will first address background information on the area and set the scene as to what makes this area so special. Then I will transition to the history of how the

Mauna Kea should remain cultural and not allow project TMT (thirty-meter telescope) on the mountain. According to Hawaiian legend, Mauna Kea is the meeting place of Papa (Earth Mother) and Wakea (Sky Father) who are first ancestors in Hawaiian history. We as Hawaiians view Mauna Kea as a temple or house of worship. In our cultural understanding, it is believed that Mauna Kea was not created by man, but by Ke Akua (God). Mauna Kea is both the burial ground and the embodiment of the most sacred ancestors. This is why I am advocating that a thirty-meter telescope, or TMT does not belong on Mauna Kea. Mauna Kea is a volcano on the island of Hawai’i that is sacred to Native Hawaiians as an elder ancestor and the physical embodiment of deities revered in Hawaiian culture and religion. According to Kay Ala Kahaulelio, a Hawaiian astronomer and student at University of Hawaii, he says, “the sacredness of Mauna Kea is beyond what we can comprehend in the human realm. It is so scared because it is the portal and the closest temple where we can connect with our God.” In Hawaiian genealogy, Mauna Kea is perceived as the center of ones being. It holds burial grounds and is a place where people scatter ashes of their loved ones. On Mauna Kea there are a total of 13 telescopes- a number that I feel is too high that there are enough telescopes on Mauna Kea. Currently, there are thirteen working telescopes being operated by astronomers from 11 different countries, so why do

For many years astronomers and people alike have constantly heard about the observations and records of the Chinese and Europeans. No other culture can provide as much information as that gathered by the Chinese and Europeans, but there are many other cultures that observed and recorded the night sky, one of those being the Native Americans. During the last fifteen to twenty years archaeoastronomers have uncovered much concerning the beliefs and records of Native Americans. Unfortunately, the methods of keeping records of astronomical events were not as straight forward as the Chinese and Europeans. The Native Americans had to use what they could to record what they observed. Their records were found on rock

If you’re even the slightest bit interested in the existence of humans, you have probably wondered on how humans and the earth itself got here. Most modern day religions have their own idea of how these tings happened, but most of them make little sense and/or have no logic to them at all. The two creation stories that will be discussed in this paper are the Navajo Origin Legend and Scientology’s Story of Xenu. The Navajo believed that the gods made humans out of corn and wind and he gods sent them off to procreate. While the Scientologists believe that Xenu the all powerful emperor killed all of the beings that inhabited the 76 planets he ruled over and created new beings and implanted all the knowledge tat humans have today over 75 million years ago.

The Hawaiian islands cover 6,459 square miles and the land area is 6,423 square miles. The highest poin in Hawaii is Mauna Kea which is 13,796 feet into the sky. The lowest poin in Hawaii is at Pacific Ocean edge. Mauna Loa is the largest volcanic mountain in the world measures 13,679 ft in volume. The Mean Elevation is 3,03 feet above sea level. The highest temperature is 100 degree Fahrenheit which recored on April 27, 1931 at Pahala. The lowest temperature in Hawaii is 12 degree Fahrenheit recored on May 17, 1979.

Shannon Hall wrote Hawaii’s Telescope Controversy Is the Latest in a Long History of Land-Ownership Battles to highlight the ethics issue surrounding the use of a sacred location to further science. The bases of this ethics issue begins in the 1950-1970, when the pursuit of the Moon, technology and science trumped nearly all other concerns. During this time period allocations of property were leased to astronomers in areas where locals had very little say. This occurred on the peak of the largest mountain in the world, Mauna Kea. This mountain starts at the bottom of the ocean floor and rises a staggering 33,500 ft, nearly a mile taller than Mt.Everest. The peak of the mountain is a prime location for the most advanced telescopes in the world.

An astronomer killed my religion. More accurately, reading an astronomer’s carefully chosen and thoughtful words changed my life forever. I was raised in a strict religious home in my early childhood. Both my parents were Jehovah’s Witnesses, and being the good Witnesses that they were, they often chose to shelter their children from the worldly influences surrounding them. There were many things in life forbidden to me, many truths locked away. Unfortunately for my parents, I’ve always been curious about the world and literacy was my key. It wasn’t until I was 13 years old when I first discovered Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. Reading Sagan’s reflections on the world and humanity ignited something in me that had been smoldering for a long time; the idea that I did not need religion to find purpose and meaning in life, rather I must only look within myself.

Teens all around Hawai’i are very very passionate about Mauna Kea because it has long lasting history as the biggest mountain and is sacerd to hawaiian’s and they want to protect it from change. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano on the island of Hawai’i, it has the highest point in the State of Hawai’i, as well as being the tallest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit. I am a 15 year old Sophomore at Konawaena High School.

“A’ole TMT, aloha aina.” Today, Hawaiians are facing a huge impact on their culture and beliefs. Astronomers and scientist want to destroy Mauna Kea ( hawaiian sacred temple) so they can be ne’ele (nosey) and explore our solar system. Mauna Kea is located on our youngest island; Hawaii. Mauna Kea is a descendant of the sky father (Wakea) and the mother earth (Papa Hanau Moku.) As our sacred temple is in the process of being destroyed our the people hawaii chant “E iho ana o luna. E pi`i ana o lalo. E huli ana na moku. E ku ana ka paia”. In english this chant says, “we will stand together high and low and fight for our island until we are all united as one nation.” Many native hawaiians are getting arrested for standing up for what they believe in. Some police officers cry on the scene because as much as they want to be with their people chanting and protecting the aina up at Mauna Kea, they have to be the ones arrest their own people. According to national geographic, Mauna Kea is the tallest mountain in the world. This dormant volcano stands at 32,696 ft- causing it to be the highest point in the United States and a potential site for the thirty meter telescope. ( para 2) Although the thirty meter telescope has been in the process for

There are many topics that science and religion have opposing views on and continue to debate. One of these subjects that has received a great deal of attention and has placed an enormous wedge between the two realms is the varying opinions concerning the creation of the universe. For nearly a century, scientists have explained this phenomenon with the Big Bang theory, whereas spiritual thinkers have long placed their faith in the Genesis creation account. Both submit valid arguments, however, it is ultimately up to each individual to decide which testimony to accept as truth and to consider if it is possible that both opinions could co-exist.

Since the beginning of recorded civilization, stars played a huge role in religion and proved vital to routing. The invention of the telescope, the discovery of the “laws of motion” and gravity in the 17th century prompted the