“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.
In the wasteland scenario, earth is almost entirely neglected. Civilians no longer live amongst the wonders of nature instead live amongst trash and poison. A product of continual growth which led to the butchering of the ecosystems. From my perspective this scenario is the most logical for the future of Earth. At the rate of population growth, expansion and resource consumption, the inability to sustain our population seems to be leading to milking the Earth completely dry.
The second future envisioned scenario by Nash is that of the ‘garden scenario.’ In this situation, humans seem to have achieved their absolute potential in technological ways. Rather than living as one with the environment humans will have replaced necessary environmental processes with artificial ones, or eliminating all things unnecessary to personal survival. Diversity will have been eliminated and only wilderness will aid human civilization. This scenario could never happen because the food web of the Earth is co complex, by removing ...
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... the world that these scenarios can keep the wilderness safe and from our cancer-like tendencies to self destruct.
Island Civilization is an excellent idea for a science fiction movie, but as for a legitimate plan for the future of our planet the idea is simply unachievable. Roderick Nash appears to have been as optimistic about the future as possible, but he forgets the physical restrains that our planet allows. Although most of the scenarios Nash describes seem impossible, the waste land seems the most achievable from my point of view, even if people do not want to achieve this scenario.
Works Cited
Roderick Nash. ISLAND CIVILIZATION A VISION FOR HUMAN OCCUPANCY OF EARTH IN THE FOURTH MILLENNIUM. 2001. .
. Worldometers. December 18, 2013 at 6:50:52 PM. .
In Roderick R. Nash’s essay “Island civilization: A vision for human occupancy of earth in the fourth millenium” he quotes “Of course a change like this one [Island civilization] involves compromises with human freedom.” Nashs plan for the future is to make self-sustaining “islands” of civilization. These civilizations would be clusters of the population, and quite similar to cities. His plan also relies on advanced technology that would not harm the Earth and that the “islands” remain isolated from each other. All food production, manufacturing, sanitation, and other services would take place directly within the civilization. This would mean that we as humans would lose many rights that we have had for hundreds of years such as human freedom. I do not believe that with all of the people obsessed with their rights that anything like island civilization will happen anytime soon.
Kirby, Brendan. "Point Clear : Shrinking island in a sea of growth ." Mobile Press-Register 26 March 2001.
In Nash published an essay, Island Civilization: A Vision For Human Occupancy of Earth in the Fourth Millennium, that clearly shows his negative view in humanity. He discusses the history between humans and nature and how humans have been biased against nature. He elaborates by talking about how when people explore the world, they are destroying it in one way or another. Nash also brings up other traits that humans have that should be considered helpful and great. Nash distinctively looks down upon human beings. He brings up scenarios that would benefit the planet. He emphasizes his vision, Island Civilization. He also mentions other scenarios such as garden, future primitive, and wasteland. Nash is constantly blaming humans for the destruction of nature and Earth's wounds, maybe it's true, but Nash under estimates Earth's self healing abilities.
When the Europeans traveled to the New World, they expected the wilderness to resemble the Garden of Eden. The reality was a rude awakening. They found the vast lands of the new world to be full of uncultivated
Cronon, William “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature” ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1995, 69-90
The article by Jared Diamond called “The End of The World as We Know Them” explains to us we have the chance to change our future from previous civilianization like Mayans. One alternative that we can infer is a stronger focus on benefiting the earth and not our self. For example instead of using war to gain more resources from other countries and cause more damage to other civilization, we should all live in peace and live natural energy from the sun like solar panels. If we keep the ground that we live on, we can keep our lives that we dwell on.
In the article "Island Civilization: A vision for human occupancy of earth in the fourth millennium" a very good point was made about how humans are not treating the earth with respect, however our generation still has a chance to turn the earth from cancerous to healthy.
In your essay “Island Civilization: a Vision for Human Occupancy of Earth in the Fourth Millennium”, several proposals are brought up with seemingly impossible solutions to the problem of environmental decay that is currently consuming, endangering and threatening our planet. Dr. Nash, you believe that humans have to do what they are capable of in order to restore the planet to its “natural” once prosperous condition. When humanity came into the picture, it began to manipulate the environment for its own personal benefits. The essay makes the point that the world is not ours to destroy and take from, but rather that people live alongside nature without disturbing it. You state that your proposal may be controversial due to some major changes, and that the ” whole purpose of this essay is to put forward for discussion a strategy for occupation of this planet that will work in the very long run, and for all the natural world.” The concepts brought up are quite controversial, and for that reason your points are arguable.
He believes that the wilderness has helped form us and that if we allow industrialization to push through the people of our nation will have lost part of themselves; they will have lost the part of themselves that was formed by the wilderness “idea.” Once the forests are destroyed they will have nothing to look back at or to remind them of where they came from or what was, and he argues everyone need to preserve all of what we have now.
Many years ago, people saw the wilderness as a savage wasteland, but today, it is viewed as “the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth.” (Cronon) He discusses this changed point of view by stating the difficulties that society will have rectifying environmental ailments if it stops viewing wilderness as “a dualistic picture in which the human is completely outside the nature.” (Cronon) This is understandable because humans rely on others to create opinions, and they do not know how to form their own thoughts and solutions to issues such as environmental ones. Therefore, it is with great importance that humans begin to learn how to formulate their own thoughts and share those personal thoughts with others, such as sharing solutions about environmental
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