The Future Of Life Edward O Wilson Summary

626 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The use of irony

Author, researcher, and the world’s foremost expert on ants, Edward O. Wilson satirically compares two opposing groups in his book “The future of Life”. In his book he notes the similar critical and hypocritical natures the two share when using their stereotypes to classify the other. Wilson takes the extremes of these two environmentalist groups and essentially uses writing to make them face each other, displaying their hypocrisy using similar syntax styles and diction, showing us how the two groups, while advocating for two different things, share a similar language that ironically puts them ever so closer to each other. Wilson goes about comparing these two groups by having the two sides opposing each other in order to show the flaws in their logic and ideals by having them sit out in the open, so to speak. Furthermore, Wilson foremost uses stereotypes, the extremes of each group, to show their similarities to each other. These two sides ought to be the polar opposites of each other, considering one advocates for environmental preservation and the other is all for the acquisition of mineral, oil, and gas …show more content…

He realized how similar their bickering and allegations were to each other, and so he satirically compares the two in order to reveal these similarities and hypocrisy. It becomes ever so apparent that Wilson choice to use irony and caricature, in the forms of the hypocrisy of the texts and the extreme stereotyping of the groups (he literally spells it out for us in the title of each bit of text), allows the reader to make their own inferences and form their own ideas about the nature of the texts and their similarities; this is essential to the nature of Wilson’s goal as well as the nature of satire, aiming to reveal similarities and flaws via the techniques of

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Edward O Wilson

    537 Words  | 2 Pages

    Edward O. Wilson, the writer of this satire, writes about the opinions of two disagreeing sides to demonstrate the unproductive nature of these litigations. To do this, the author writes in a horatian manner and uses instances of exaggeration, parody, incongruity, and irony to help him convey his message that these arguments are pointless. The well distributed use of these strategies allows the writer to efficiently illustrate and mock the unproductive disagreement of these two groups of people.

    Read More

  • The Concept Of Presentism In Douglas L. Jefferson And Paul Finkelman

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ethical standard that both authors used is that Jefferson stated all men are equal but yet owned slaves, making the scenario unethical. Both authors had the same basic ethical standard in which they judged Jefferson but took two totally different sides to it. To Wilson, the morals of Jefferson’s time gave good reason as to why he thought this standard is incorrect. On the other hand,

    Read More

  • Thoughts In The Presence Of Fear Rhetorical Analysis

    814 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Thoughts in the Presence of Fear” is a manifesto written by Wendell Berry, dated October 11, 2001. It is a post-September 11 manifesto for environmentalists. Berry uses terms such as “we” and “they” as he expresses his ideas, regarding how our optimism for a “new economy” was founded upon the labors of poor people all over the world. I will conduct a rhetorical analysis of four sections of Berry’s manifesto; Sections XI, XII, XIII, and XIV; and discuss his use of ethos, logos, and pathos. Berry uses pathos more often in his paper, to instill feelings of guilt and fear in his readers. While many areas of his paper can be thought of as logos, Berry makes little use of ethos.

    Read More

  • More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wilson commences his book with a personal encounter with “racism”. Harvard professors are usually accompanied by a respectful status and some prestige. This was not the case for Wilson. He resided in a luxurious condominium where his neighbors could not believe he lived there. When dressed in casual attires people could only interpret him as a menace. There were times where he clarified to his neighbors that he resided in this building as well. This could be seen as an act of “racism”. He then creates this problematic scenario. When walking around the inner-city ghetto part of town also he also because nervous when he sees a group of black males (Wilson, 1-4). The dilemma could be seen as followed; is it racism if you are racist to against own race?

    Read More

  • Heal The World: Exploring Palmers "the Case For Human Beings"

    416 Words  | 1 Pages

    Palmer isn't a misanthrope. He isn't out for the destruction of the human species. His writing strategies, such as comparisons, distortion of the opposition, and smokescreening the obvious issue at hand, which is the destruction of the ecosystem, indeed tell the reader of his belief in his writing. Palmer writes this to Everyman--an average person of average intelligence with only an average curiosity about the destruction of the species.

    Read More

  • Dirty Word Clean Place Summary

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    The beginning paragraph is what draws many readers to Quammen’s article. He begins with statements implying that environmentalism is a bad thing altogether. For those who are truly against environmental protection, this is an eye-catching statement. They will want to

    Read More

  • The Over Soul Rhetorical Analysis

    1682 Words  | 4 Pages

    He uses parallelism when he describes that “faith that stands on authority is not faith” and relates it to the faith of those religions that praise Jesus as he says “Jesus, now for many centuries of history, is a position of authority.” For this reason he creates this sort of satire against Jesus by discrediting him as a valid figure to be praised and followed and argues that by praising Jesus we actually cause a “withdrawal of the soul” by reversing

    Read More

  • The Heritage Foundation

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ehrlich, P. R., & Ehrlich, A. H. (1996). Betrayal of science and reason: How anti-environmental rhetoric threatens our future. Washington, D.C: Island Press.

    Read More

  • ' By Hein And Stassen Berger's Invitation To The Lifespan?

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gender Dysphoria was previously referred to as Gender Identity Disorder or transsexuals and is characterized by “a marked incongruence between one’s experienced or expressed gender and one’s assigned gender as a male or female” (Sue, Sue, Sue and Sue, 2014, p. 363). Using an article written for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing (2012), “Gender Dysphoria in Children: Let’s Think This Through” written by Hein and Kathrene Berger, and our text, “Invitation to the Lifespan (2014)” by Kathleen Stassen Berger, we will expand upon the effects of what was proposed in the article and it would affect a child. Although highly controversial, Hein and Berger argue against diagnosing a child with GD providing several key points, while

    Read More

  • The Unnatural Kingdom By Daniel Duaney Analysis

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    One strength of his article is that it can easily elicit an emotional response from the more sympathetic readers and outdoor enthusiasts. Duane appeals to pathos when first setting the scene of a day in the wilderness. He describes what it would be like if one had the “good fortune” to spot a Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep in the wild. He writes, “You unwrap a chocolate bar amid breathtaking views . . . the sight fills you with awe and also with gratitude for the national parks, forests, and yes, environmental regulations that keep the American dream of wilderness alive” (Duane 1). For the audience that connects to this emotional appeal, this instantly draws them in to the article and can arouse feelings of amazement and wonder toward the sight described. It can likewise leave readers wondering whether or not this scene is truly so perfect. This statement can also appear too dramatic for those less passionate. When Duane writes, “The sight fills you with . . . gratitude for the . . . yes, environmental regulations that keep the American dream of wilderness alive,” it seems almost untrue, as most people do not think twice about the environmental regulations that keep animals in their

    Read More

  • Free Essays - Use of Satire in Pride and Prejudice

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Satire is used in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen to show the deficiencies in morals and ethics of the characters that Austen disapproves of. Satire is used to "attack" characters and to bring about change. The different characters types she satirizes are "suck-ups," hierarchical, and/or ignorant.

    Read More

  • Peter Singer Arguement That We are Speciesist

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    Singer’s argument that our society is speciesist hinges on his observation that “most human beings… [would] cause pain to animals when they would not cause a similar pain to humans for the same reason” (Singer, Animal Liberation, p. 17). His hypothesis is that “the overwhelming majority of humans” take varyingly active and passive roles in championing activities that cause irreparable harm to other species in the name of the “most trivial interests of our own species” (Singer, Animal Liberation, p. 9). The examples he provides to substantiate this theory range from accounts o...

    Read More

  • Paul Taylor The Ethics Of Respect For Nature

    804 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his essay, The Ethics of Respect for Nature, Paul Taylor presents his argument for a deontological, biocentric egalitarian attitude toward nature based on the conviction that all living things possess equal intrinsic value and are worthy of the same moral consideration. Taylor offers four main premises to support his position. (1) Humans are members of the “Earth’s community of life” in the same capacity that nonhuman members are. (2) All species exist as a “complex web of interconnected elements” which are dependent upon one another for their well-being. (3) Individual organisms are “teleological centers of life” which possess a good of their own and a unique way in which to pursue it. (4) The concept that humans are superior to other species is an unsupported anthropocentric bias.

    Read More

  • Nature

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    Both “The Clan of One-Breasted Women” and “An Entrance to the Woods,” gives a viewpoint on the human relationship with nature. Terry Tempest Williams critizes man for being ruthless when it comes to nature and other humans. Wendell Berry believes similarly the same thing. He believes that man needs nature just as much as they need civilization. However, regardless of the differences, both writers offer an insightful perspective on the forever changing relationship between man and nature. And this relationship is, and always will be, changing.

    Read More

  • Summary of the Chapter 'Blessed Unrest'

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hawken writes that the movement, a collective gathering of nonconformists, is focused on three basic ambitions: environmental activism, social justice initiatives, and indigenous culture’s resistance to globalization. The principles of environmental activism being closely intertwined with social justice rallies. Hawken states how the fate of each individual on this planet depends on how we understand and treat what is left of the planet’s lands, oceans, species diversity, and people; and that the reason that there is a split between people and nature is because the social justice and environmental arms of the movement hav...

    Read More

More about The Future Of Life Edward O Wilson Summary

Open Document