Cronon Nature And The Environment Analysis

‘The sheer popularity’ of stimulating nature or using nature as ad space ‘demands that we acknowledge, even respect, their cultural importance,’ suggests Richtel. Culturally important, yes. But the logical extension of synthetic nature is the irrelevance of ‘true’ nature— the certainty that it’s not even worth looking at. (Louv lines 9-19)

Throughout history, humans have had a strong reliance on nature and their environment. As far back as historians can look, people have depended on elements of nature for their survival. In the past few decades, the increased advancement of technology has led to an unfortunate division between humans and nature, and this lack of respect is becoming a flaw in current day society. In Last Child in the Woods, Louv criticizes modern culture by arguing that humans increasing reliance on technology has led to their decreasing connection with nature through the use of relevant anecdotes, rhetorical questions and powerful imagery to appeal to ethos.

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.

The beautiful blossoms that bloom in Californian spring, the summer daisies alongside the cooling lake, long after the summer the trees have lost their leaves entering autumn to fresh white snow out in the mountains. Nature is able to show us its true beauty without any falseness and modifications. After all, is it not ironic how people go to museums to look at paintings of colorful flowers, green hills, and clear water streams; those are beauties that can easily be observed in real life outside of the urban environment which are surrounded by them, or how people buy recordings of the calming sounds of nature, similar to what you would listen to at night in the woods or smell nature aromas of the candles. What we are doing is trying to mislead our minds and pretend to think that we are in the woods but are instead cornered inside our small, well-furnished, and full -with-technology apartment.

In “The Last Child in the Woods” (2008), Richard Louv argues that the separation between humankind and nature is occurring because of our rapid advancement of technology. Louv creates his evidence through anecdote of experiments with genetic technology and his friend’s shopping experience to celebrate “survival in the material world,”; imagery of times spent looking outside of the backseat and “understanding of how cities and nature fit together,”; and diction. He writes on this subject in order to remind both his generation and future generations of the beauty of nature and to urge future generations to hold respect and reverence for it. Louv pleadingly addresses the younger generation to hold the same wonder and amazement

Val Plumwood in her essay “Paths Beyond Human-Centeredness,” illustrates the impact that humans have on nature and non-animals when it comes to preserving environments. Understanding that nature has it’s living properties that let it thrive among its resources allows for people to grasp the complexities that come about when construction companies destroy the environment in which they work. Plumwood uses the term dualism to refer to the sharp distinction between two classes of individuals. There is the high class, which is considered as the “One.” In contrast, the other side of the division consists of individuals that are classified as lower and are subordinates to the “One” as “Others.” This account on dualism allows the reader to understand how humans can significantly alter the environment because of the way they perceive its resources and inhabitants. Plumwood defines five characteristics that illustrate the oppressive actions that change the connection between human relations and the relationship between humans and nature.

Nature The world is an awe-inspiring place. Its nature is often times a safe haven for those seeking refuge from a busy world. Some avidly searching for answers consult a greater being in nature. Relationships are even drawn together from the work of the natural world.

In spite of the availability of sources to help provoke thought, members of society still fail to acknowledge nature as one of them. They don’t see it as a way to learn their place in the world nor will they ever come to the realization that they are simply allowing themselves to succumb to the world around them. They are doing nothing more but simply contributing to the lack of diversity amongst

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

Long ago, people depended on nature for shelter, food, and survival. However, as time goes on, new inventions develop, and society improved except nature which humans still depend on for survival. Some people today think that nature is not important, or at least not as important as their phone or computer. Humans understand that food comes from plants and animals and paper from trees, but they do not reflect on how much they take from nature compared to the small actions they take to give back. Emily Bronte's “Shall Earth No More Inspire Thee”, Jack London's “To Build a Fire” and Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild all display the very weak relationship between man and nature because humans no longer feel dependent on nature.

In examining human history, historians often omit the ecological element of history, and vice versa, when we look at natural history, it is almost completely devoid of humanity. The purpose of environmental history, according to Cronan, is to unite these two histories, as one has often influenced the other. When examining history, historians often make the mistake of assuming either nature or culture to be static, isolated, unchanging. However, the two are complex systems which can, and often do affect each other, however, as Cronon states on page 18, “… the relationship between nature and culture should always be viewed as a problem of comparative dynamics, not statics.”

Throughout American history, humans have never had a positive and unified way to name and interact with nature. Many disagree on a definition for nature, and when a definition gains traction, it often leads to destruction masked as “progress” (Marx 14). But not all definitions of nature are so damaging. Ursula Goodenough, a biology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, wrote The Sacred Depths of Nature to create a new religion based in nature (Department of Biology). Goodenough’s treatment of “nature” illustrates her unique interpretation of the word. Goodenough understands the word nature to mean life, and life means biology. She uses this appeal to scientific reasoning to inspire humans to care for the world we live in. And while

Nature as w e know it means different things to different people. To an economist, natural is often seen as a resource to be transformed and put in readiness for human use. An alternative view is that humans are stewards who should care for natural things as well as making use of nature’s bounty. Another view is that nature of animism, which sees nature as a living thing, something to be respected and not controlled. Some native American’s view the earth as a sacred place could be called animist. Another alternative view is that the entire planet earth is a self correcting system based on a symbiotic relationship between the earth and the living beings(Peacock,

In the essay “Humans Ought to Use Nature to Serve Their Own Needs,” Tibor R. Machan says humans should use nature for their own wants and feel no guilt or shame about it. He feels that it is okay for human beings to keep destroying the planet with pollution, and the toxic fumes and chemicals that we pump into the air we breathe every day. Machan believes that because human beings are nature themselves, we should be able to use nature however we please and indulge in activities just for our own personal enjoyment and happiness. There are many environmental activists concerned with the disappearing rain forests and scientists who study global warming who would be appalled at Tibor R. Machan when he says he is grateful for all of the despoiling of our planet, not to mention everything else he feels about exploiting nature just for fun activities.

To fully understand my current relationship with nature, it is important to look back over my life and identify how the relationship came to be, what has hindered and what has sustained this relationship. In order to do this, I have broken my life down into stages from early years, to teenage years, to young adulthood and finally onto more recent times. This paper will examine not just my experiences, but the meanings behind these experiences and how they have come to shape my relationship with the natural world. Towards the end of this paper I will make links as to why this understanding is important and how I can use it to enhance my future, not only as a citizen of this earth, but as a worker in the human services industry, so that I can help others enhance their own futures.