Analysis of Man and the Stream of Time

In “The Changing Nature of Nature: Environmental Politics in the Anthropocene” environmental politician Paul Wapner depicts the human impacts on nature, and their significant intervention in ecosystem dynamics. His research outlines the “end of nature” (Wapner, 37) and aims to put emphasis on the beginning of the Anthropocene, suggesting that we are finally realizing that nature is not merely a material object. With this in mind, Wapner argues that the ways in which we protect nature should be significantly different, this, justifying his study. In order to form an argument, Wapner begins by summarizing a general piece of academic research, and through this is then able to provide an organized overview of the logic of his argument. The alternation

In her essay “The Obligation to Endure”, Rachel Carson alerts the public to the dangers of modern industrial pollution. She writes about the harmful consequences of lethal materials being released into the environment. She uses horrifying evidence, a passionate tone, audience, and the overall structure of her essay to express to her readers that the pollution created by man wounds the earth. There are many different ways that pollution can harm the environment, from the nuclear explosions discharging toxic chemicals into the air, to the venomous pesticides sprayed on plants that kills vegetation and sickens cattle. The adjustments to these chemicals would take generations. Rachel

Prior to diving into the many new insights that can be comprehended while viewing history through a natural lense, it is important to define nature in this context. While man is technically a creation of nature, and therefore nature himself, he shall be excluded from this brief definition of what composes nature. Here, nature will be considered everything living or otherwise on this earth that is not a creation or product of humanity. All other creatures and parts of the environment are to be considered nature.

The growing disconnect between modern civilization and nature has reshaped our roles and responsibilities to the natural world. Our relationship with our planet continues to transform. In order to preserve the natural world we must recognize what role it plays in our existence and re-evaluate our ethics towards our ecosystems. Like all living things, we are engineered to survive, and if our environment is slowly becoming inhospitable, then our efforts to reverse our negative impact should be second nature. However, an extreme disconnect between humans and the natural world has resulted in widespread dissociation with factors such as global-warming, diminishing resources, and pollution. This dissociation with the state of our planet, in part, has to do with the fact that these issues do not feel immediately threatening to a large percentage of the population. Recent efforts, however; have begun a movement to reverse our negative impact and promote a more environmentally sustainable way of life. Now, more than ever, we must realize how are species has negatively impacted the natural world and begin to modify our way of life to preserve the environment, the life it supports, and its breadth of virtues.

Aldo Leopold laid the foundation for environmental awareness decades ahead of a “ecological conscience” (257). There have many pleas to reconnect humanity with nature since the release of Leopold’s cherished book. Intuition and reason tell us that living in harmony with our world is more than idealistic—the future of our planet depends on it. The desire for harmony is not new one. Humans have long time sought to live in peace. It is genuine feelings of love and

The interconnection between the human race and nature is complex, and can be interpreted an infinite amount of ways. Mark Jenkins’ ‘King of the Dirtbags’ and Wendell Berry’s ‘An Entrance to the Woods’ are both very similar in the ways they represent philosophical ideas regarding the relationship between the modern man and nature. Both literary pieces discuss the benefits of simplicity, and explain how mankind has a tendency to overcomplicate much of what they develop. The two authors also share the idea in their writings that the ability to adapt to different environments is a crucial trait in evolution and progression as a society. Another major concept that is prevalent in both of the author’s pieces is that man must be able to reach beyond his comfort zone to understand nature’s consistency throughout time.

Since the beginning of time, man relied on nature for everything- food, shelter, clothing, etc. Today, technology runs rampant, even though we use it to our advantage, it cuts humanity’s tie with nature. Richard Louv invokes the sad truth that we are beginning to lose our relationship with nature. In Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv uses anecdotes, hyperboles, hypothetical situations, rhetorical questions, and imagery to argue against the separation of man and Mother Nature.

Environmental history explores a variety of topics in order to connect nature to humans. In doing so, a new history emerges. As this history unveils itself, it becomes evident that throughout time, humans have taken it upon themselves to improve the nonhuman world for their own gains. Numerous scholars have contemplated this idea, and while they do not all agree on the meaning or the means of improvement upon the land, it remains a constant theme. By exploring the theme of improvement to land, a clear path forms. The idea of improvement in environmental history creates artificial agency for humans, as well as revealing that improvement cannot happen without having an adverse effect on humans.

Annie Dillard’s environmental philosophy on “The Present” changed my perspective on the history of Toxic Pollution by Roueche because it mainly focuses on what we need to improve on as a whole to make a better society. “Catch it if you can,” which is a phrase used throughout Dillard’s book introduces self-awareness. We all need to be aware and conscious of the present because it gives us a better chance of surviving and succeeding as well. Of course, what makes us to be more valuable on earth is money and power including education, but pursuing all that too much might make us to loose full insight of who we are and how we get things done. We humans keep using toxic waste to pollute the air without knowing the cause and

The Western world is the dominant society with specific parameters for modernity, which understands nature-people relationships from a perspective that is grounded on human domination over the environment. Nature is regarded as a provider of resources (e.g. oil, timber, cupper, rubber, etc.) for the profit and greed of a market-based economy that seeks infinite development. Consequently, the human-nature relationships are subject-object, implying

There is an unwritten sense that the bond between man and nature is predestined. Humans may have a physical relationship with each other, but the connection with nature begins at birth. However, continuous advancements in technology, as time passes, weakens the bond between humans and nature. People have become fixated on technology and checking social media, so much that they lose touch with nature. Even though humans only need water, food, and shelter to survive, humanity has an ever growing need to innovate and improve man’s living conditions. Humans tend to think of nature as responsible for providing for humans, instead of vice versa. Today’s society lives in the fast lane, where instead of being able to enjoy leisure

In this text, Cronon analyzes the concept of nature in today’s society. Cronon begins by discussing his bird's-eye view (from a Boeing 727) of the wildfires that were raging in Southern California in 1993. The author explains that he was on his way to a residential seminar at UC Irvine. One of the goals of this seminar was to explore contemporary environmental problems from an interdisciplinary perspective. The concept of nature and the environment is discussed in the text and popular ideas involving these terms are challenged; specifically the idea of nature as something that is pure and stable. Cronon goes on to suggest that the way we view nature is connected to our values, and our conflicting assumptions of nature can be detrimental to

The future of society is an often unpredictable and unpleasant topic due to the many variables which effect it. In “The Lost Island” and in “The City of the End of Things”, the future is depicted as something detrimental to the society each story represents. In Pauline Johnson's short story, “The Lost Island”, this concept is expressed in the visions given by the Medicine Man, who foretells the oppression of his people by the arrival of the colonizers. In Archibald Lampman's poem, “The City of the End of Things”, this concept manifests through the downfall of greater human society in favour of a more robotic era. This essay focuses on how these two texts exemplify the variable nature of the future by focusing on the harmful possibilities

An Eco-modernist manifesto states that we need a good Anthropocene, which “demands that humans use their growing social, economic, and technological powers to make life better for people, stabilize the climate, and protect the natural world” (Page 7). In order to protect the natural world, we should stay away from nature and give more land back to the nature world, instead of letting human society goes along with nature in harmony. The new technologies would allow us to achieve much more from a limited amount of land. Thus, “humans have the opportunity to re-wild and re-green the Earth” (Page 14) and will achieve a great Anthropocene.

White’s thesis in The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis states that in order to confront the expanding environmental crises, humans must begin to analyze and alter their treatment and attitudes towards nature. The slow destruction of the environment derives from the Western scientific and technological advancements made since the Medieval time period. “What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them” (RON p.7). Technology and science alone will not be able to save humans until we adjust the way of thinking and suppress the old ideas of humans power above nature. Instead, we need to learn how to think of ourselves as being