1.16 Fire-A Deeper Conversation with Stephen Pyne - Beyond Physics And Chemistry

A very rare and highly insightful conversation with the worlds foremost fire historian, Stephen J Pyne. We dive deeper into our relationship with fire and touch on our modern day, largely dysfunctional and reductionist, approach.

 Steve Pyne is an emeritus professor at Arizona State University. He has been at ASU since 1985.  In 1986 he joined the charter faculty at ASU West, where he remained for 10 years. He transferred to the School of Life Sciences in 1999.  



Stephen J Pyne is a HUGELY prodigious writer, he has published 35 books, most of them dealing with fire, including extensive historical fire surveys of America, Australia, Canada, Europe (including Russia), and the Earth.   What could be called his magnum opus a 5 book series collectively called Cycles Of Fire, constructs a highly detailed and deeply nuanced history of fire and most uniquely and importantly our relationship to it. 

His latest book on Fire: A Brief History.  Condenses and distills thousands of published pages on fire elegantly in one volume.   

I knew from the first lecture i heard of Stephen's that I must share his work with you.  As someone deeply invested ecology from a 'living' standpoint, Fire was never something I considered or looked into to much depth.  But I found Stephen's message of our need to engage and reassess our relationship with fire so resonating that it led me into a rich world that we interact with everyday and know very little about. 

His Extensive academic work would be impressive on its own before you find that Stephen Pyne spent 15 seasons as a remote forestry fire fighter. Learning and living with fire since the age of 18.  

This combination of two worlds lends Stephen's words and concepts a depth and subtlety beyond facts and figures, physics and chemistry.

Hate it or love it, fire is a part of our world now and forever. A relationship like fire is not easily or wisely ignored.   It was an honour and and treat to learn another perspective on this ever present relationship.   Be prepared to change what you think about fire.  It changed me.  

Hope you enjoy it

Favourite timestamp: 32:57

 3:45  The clarifying power of writing everyday

5:35  Living two lives between fire and academia

11:30 Telling stories of fire

12:47 Fire up and over the rim.

15:00 Expanding the history of fire

15:45 A relationship with fire

20:50 A shift from burning landscape to burning fossil fuels. changing patterns.

23:14 Traditional hunting societies and fire

25:00 Ignition points. Aboriginal Australia

27:43 Another wonderful Mollison story remains just that. sorry guys

30:36 Getting back to the right fire patterns in Arnhem Land Australia.

32:57 Its not just “too much fuel”

48:55 Fire is not just physics and chemistry