June 13 — Desideratum 6: Discipline Your Thoughts Conferring human attributes to nonhuman aspects of Life — “Mother Nature,” “Father Winter” — has long muddled the relationship between science and culture. But being a part of Life, we are not so really different from all else living. This becomes the naturalist’s quest: discipline your thoughts. 2017 series description - Views and Vistas: A Naturalist's Desiderata Some things in life we can prove to be true; some things we know to be true; and some things we accept to be true. Things we accept become beliefs. A desideratum is a powerful belief, a tool by which we guide our passage through life. When difficult decisions must be made after all facts have been assessed, the desiderata of our lives guide how we proceed. Naturalists cope with the interface between humanity and nature, a confrontation sometimes elegant, sometimes hostile. These are a naturalist’s desiderata, the tools by which humanity can survive nature and nature can survive humanity.