Our Attempts to Control the Natural World and the Environmental Crisis

Our Attempts to Control the Natural World and the Environmental Crisis

As reports of ecological degradation increase around the world,

human concern about environmental issues is also heightening. Scientists,

philosophers and others have all begun the process of determining the

causes of the environmental crisis and trying to sort out how to fix these

problems. In this essay, I would like to examine two of the most widely

expounded philosophies on the cause of environmental degradation in the

Western hemisphere. The first philosophy states that the Judeo-Christian

religious tradition is primarily to blame while the second philosophy

labels technology as the main culprit of the environmental crisis. I will

argue that neither of these two philosophies provide full explanations for

the current world situation. Furthermore, I will suggest that the true

root of environmental degradation stems from human values, particularly

the value which humans place upon having control and "freedom" from the

natural world.

As you all read, the philosophy that the Judeo-Christian religious

tradition is to blame for the environmental crisis was first expounded by

historian Lynn White in 1967. Although many people have supported White's

theory, no one has been able to provide adequate factual proof for his

hypothesis. Further, his focus is too narrow to account for the extent of

environmental degradation in the modern world. I think that the

Judeo-Christian religion certainly played a role in the negligent

treatment of the Earth but it is not entirely too blame. Also, as Patrick

Dorel argues, the Judeo-Christian tradition can be interpreted to go

against White's theory and to support the notion that humans are intended

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...ists, we must learn to account for this power in world

decision-making.

Technology is not necessarily beyond human control but it is time

that we realized how out of control the power of technology can become.

From biological weapons to environmental destruction, technology is being

used in a destructive way throughout the modern world. Rather than trying

to blame technology or religion, the step we need to take now is to figure

out how to reduce the amount of damage which we do to ourselves and the

earth. This step involves evaluating a whole range of modern issues, from

politics to individual values to global economic systems. As with

ecosystems, all of our actions have unexpected consequences and we must

learn to think more about these consequences.

Sources Cited

Tiles, Mary Oberdiek, Hans. Living in a Technological Culture. Routledge, 1995