Nature

Nature

NatureChapter 15NatureOverall the humanities have been positive toward nature, but some have been indifferent

Force that ultimately rules the universeCalled Nature by the westCalled Brahman in IndiaCalled Tao in ChinaCalled Dharma to BuddhistsRomanticismRomanticism is a movement in art, literature, music and philosophyEquate the words natural and freeNature and humanity are part of the same whole

Early WarningsRoman Poet- LucretiusGenesisOn the Nature of Things

Attributed the beginning of the natural world to a mighty collision of atoms.

Predicts the world will end in a violent explosion

Nature is awesome, powerful and dangerousBible passage says that humans fill this earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature

Some say this means we are responsible for its care, others feel we may do with it as we please11th and 12th century viewsRebellious young men studying for the priesthood objected to the strict training

Urged fellow student to discover the natural world

Roots of great poetic theme- the identification of unspoiled Nature with youth and joy and all good thingsRenaissance ViewsCities were filthy, (plague), filled with poverty

used humanities to escape to pristine nature

Midsummers Night Dream, The Tempest

Decay of NatureSir William Temple, believed in deism (Nature is like a clock created by God or a clock maker, left it to run unchanged forever and saw no need to intervene)

Believed that as the clock slowed down nature would wither and die and all life would perishDecay continuedBelieved not only Nature, but humanity itself was decaying (hedonism)

Later, artists and writers perceived that options existed, Nature came to mean the out-of-doors withfresh, clean air, part of the world not destroyed by factories

The Urban AttitudeSocrates believed that being alone in lifeless nature could never take the place of stimulating conversation with his companions.

Cities are where culture, sophistication, arts and philosophy are foundManifest DestinyAmerican mythology is urban. Trailblazers were brave pioneers who tamed the wildernessKilled the uncivilized savagesFelt it was their obligation to spread their civilization

Henry David Thoreau

Most famous American environmentalist of 19th century

Naturalist-someone who chooses to live far from society in a natural environmentEnvironmentalism stemmed from a lock of need to enjoy companionship and conversation in urban surroundings

Nature is not a universal cause, it is the road to personal happiness

Let those who choose to work in crowded, dirty cities continue to do soWilliam WordsworthThe World is Too Much with Us

Focused on getting and spendingBelieved nature was capable healing itself and those who leave urban society

Nature as an Awesome Force

Nature can be portrayed as both terrifying and majestically beautifulMoby Dick- the whale (God/Nature) is not benevolent or caring, is unreasonably powerfulThe Frakenstein MonsterWarns against meddling with nature

Dr. Frankenstein creates a creature that will live forever and be perfect

Nature should be admired not analyzed or messed with

Nature and Native AmericansLong tradition of a deeply spiritual relationship with natureTheir gods watch over various aspects: rivers, hunting, cycle of life and deathRituals with songs and dances to intensify these relationships

Joseph Conrads Heart of DarknessWritten as an indictment of the arrogance of dominant cultureNarrator is sent to Africa to find Kurtz (companys chief trader)Kurtz has become savage, kills anyone who opposes him , stole a native woman from her husbandEnds with narrator lying to Kurtzs wife, claiming his last words were of her

Inconveniences1980s scientists began warning about climate change.Enhanced by deforestationCarbon emissionsAn Inconvenient Truth- won acclaim and awards for presenting Climate ChangeLeads to higher sea levelsSpecies would vanishReduced food supply and drinkable waterIf you ask people on the street whether we should worry about the environment they say yes, but know pollution is a necessary part of modern life.

Should we live like Conrads narrator, content with a lie? Or can we hope that scientists are right that global warming is a natural cycle and poses no danger?