Response to Roderick Nash´s Essay Island Civilization: A Vision for Human Occupancy of Earth in the Fourth Millenum

In the article by Jared Diamond, many interesting theories are discussed about Easter Island’s history and decline. Diamond makes connections to the environmental challenges we face today and he compares the catastrophe of Easter Island to our current over consumption of natural resources. While this article makes for an interesting read, much of it is offered from a single perspective and little counter evidence is offered. The author writes in a way that could engage a non-academic audience who may not be interested in counter evidence, or proper referencing. The article lacks credibility due to its narrow scope and conversational diction. At the root of this discussion however, is the notion that the Rapa Nui people were

The first scholars that existed named the whole period of human devolvement the “Stone Age.” The stone age is divided into three periods which are Paleolithic which means the old Greek age, Mesolithic and Neolithic which is the new Greek age. The Paleolithic and Neolithic stone ages have many great differences and has changed greatly between the two periods.

Samuel Eliot Morison- A Harvard historian, most distinguished writer on Columbus, the author of a multivolume biography Christopher Columbus, Mariner, and was himself a sailor, retraced Columbus 's route across the Atlantic and tells about the enslavement and the mass genocide of the natives

Millions would speed and not follow the law in various ways. This affects everyone around them. Public safety laws are in effect for a reason, and they are based upon keeping the mass of society healthy. Putting others health before individual freedom shows the integrity in humans. This shows that they know the right thing to do and why doing some actions is wrong.

In the essay “Island Civilization: A Vision for Human Occupancy of Earth in the Fourth Millennium” Roderick R. Nash proposes the idea of clustering population on a planetary scale, in order to reduce detrimental environmental impact and deter humanity’s current course leading to self-destruction. In addition, Nash’s plan for an island utopia is a solution to which, he believes, will end this man-instigated desolation of nature and civilization expanding past sustainable limits. However, Nash’s proposition does not take into consideration all the atrocities and the problems that can result as a consequence of instigating his proposal of an Island Civilization. Altogether, Nash’s island civilization would not be a viable option for the future

Roderick Frazier Nash, author of "Island Civilization" wanted to see how the human tenure on Earth could be like a millennium from now. Seeing that the measuring time in thousand years units began in 1582, when the fixed date for Christ was set on December 31, 999, this millennium in present time would be the start of the fourth one. How could humans survive the earth, such as a strategy for occupation that will work in the long run and for the ecosystem."Having such a goal is a vital first step to solving problems" (Nash 372). Surviving the earth, the term "wilderness" may come into place. Having "wilderness" literally means self-willed land, a place where wild animals roam, and where natural processes proceed not bothered by humans. In the

A man named Robert Laughlin once said, "The Earth is very old and has suffered grievously: volcanic explosions, floods, meteor impacts, mountain formation and yet all manner of other abuses greater than anything people could inflict. Yet, the Earth is still here. It's a survivor." Laughlin clearly believes in this quote that the Earth can take care of itself. The Earth has been through worse disasters than just pollution, and extinction of species and plants. Roderick Nash, an environmentalist and activist, says otherwise.

Geography had a tremendous impact on early civilizations, the topography of the different regions played a key role in their development and formation. This statement by Fernand Braudel “ Geography is the stage in which humanity’s endless dramas are played out” (Getz et al., Exchanges, 26) is a very moving and telling description. The terrain, whether it is natural or man made is not the end all, be all. It does however affect the stage a great deal. Mountainous areas act as blockades, which keep the societies independent, plains open up the area, and rivers enable everything to move around freely. 2

“It is a vision, a dream, if you prefer, like Martin Luther King’s, and it means clustering on a planetary scale.” (Nash) In Historian Roderick Nash’s essay entitled “Island Civilization: A vision for Human Occupancy of Earth in the Fourth Millennium,” Nash not only proposes the ideology of Island Civilization but also challenges readers to be informed of the rights of nature. Gaining insight on the options of preservation and nature from masterminds like John Muir, Henry David Thoreau, and Wallace Stegner. Nash devises a plan of action for Earth during the fourth millennium. Realizing the illustrate of our worlds “wilderness” Nash educates on the ways in which the natural world will evolve one thousand years from now.

3) Which of the following is considered to be an original hearth of urban settlement?

In the 1930's, V. Gordon Childe proposed that the shift to food production was one of the two major events in human history that improved the condition of human societies. Childe described the origins of agriculture as a 哲eolithic Revolution.But the shift from hunting and gathering to food production was not as advantageous to humanity as Childe believed. Although there were benefits, there were also serious drawbacks, and humans paid a price for the advantages of agriculture.

The first civilizations, the foundations for future empires, were all founded and created between 3500 B.C.E. and 500 B.C.E. by groups of nomadic peoples who decided to settle in an area for certain group specific reasons. Some of the main states of the first civilization were Mesopotamia, Norte Chico, Egypt, Indus Valley, China, and Olmec. The second wave civilizations, built between 500 B.C.E. and 500 C.E., included the Persians, the Greeks, Romans, Chinese (Qin and Han), and India (Mauryan and Gupta). The first wave civilizations were sparked by the agricultural movement that led to the settlement of large groups of people in areas that became the cities and states that formed these first civilizations. The rise of civilization led to

The emergence of agriculture was a major stepping stone in human history. During this birth of agriculture, also known as the Neolithic revolution, humans began inhabiting permanent settlements, grow their own crops, and domesticate both plants and animals for food (Weisdorf, 2005). Considering humans have been hunter-gatherers for the majority of their approximately 7 million years of existence, the emergence of agriculture in the Old World only occurring 10,000-5,000 years ago, marks a significant transformation in food sustenance techniques (Weisdorf, 2005). However, this turning point in history is associated with both positive and negative implications. There is much controversy over whether or not the introduction of

Philosopher Sir Francis Bacon wrote of a fictitious island in a short story called The New Atlantis. The island Bensalem is unlike any other in terms of societal advancement, however, with strict laws to follow. Power within the leaders is needed to create and mandate the laws on Bensalem. The story illustrates three different types of leaders with that power: religion, government, and scientists. While all three are relevant, scientists and religious leaders are the two magnified throughout The New Atlantis.

Long before any white man ever set foot in this hemisphere, there were fully functional and highly developed societies here. These civilizations were sophisticated, could even be considered more advanced than the European nations at the time. While the rest of the Eastern world was in the dark Middle Ages, the people here were flourishing.