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Advocacy about environmental awareness
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The title “Dirty Word, Clean Place” implies some contradictions. The adjectives are considered opposites. In addition, a “dirty word” usually refers to a curse word or inappropriate phrase, whereas a “clean place” seems to imply a more literal meaning. David Quammen is obviously a well-educated man. His vocabulary is very extensive. He uses quite a few words that one would not hear in a casual conversation, such as “inimical” and “polemic.” Quammen uses many examples throughout his article, and cites many of them, implying that he knows his stuff and has sources to back it up. 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 …show more content…
He delves into the history of the word “environmental” as well as the history of environmental activism. He pinpoints the beginning of the movement to Rachel Carson. According to Quammen, she began the revolution by publishing her book Silent Spring. He says the negative connotations of the word began with her book, pairing “environment” and “the survival of humankind” as if they go hand in hand. This played a major role in the distortion of the word and the intentions of environmentalists. Quammen’s main point is that the word “environmentalism” has a connotation that implies the sole importance of the survival of humanity. The destiny of mankind depends on his environment, but the environment is not a “background.” He suggests the replacement of the “environment” with “nature.” When one thinks of nature, one thinks of animals, plants, waterways and such. It is a broader term, but it better captures the whole picture. The word is dangerous because of what it might lead people to believe, much like the beginning paragraph of the
Adding to this idea that nature and all of its ugliness and abnormalities is still in fact nature, Quammen goes on further by addressing the human attitude towards nature’s intricacies. By this, Quammen refers to the human attitude towards nature as a whole based solely upon his/her opinion of one organism. As textual evidence for this idea, the example of the spider can be used again. Most people associate the black widow as being venomous and deadly, and so they unfairly associate the same characteristics with harmless beneficial house and garden spiders as well. This attitude toward the spiders can also be applied to nature as a whole. Since humans posses this attitude towards nature, a lot of nature’s beauty is often overlooked.
As soon as the novel begins, we are introduced to the concept of saving the environment. The book begins with the narrator explaining his life-long dream of helping the world. He says that the cultural revolution of the 1960’s contributed to his ambition. However, as time went on he
Nesson directs much of his attention in the film at the general public with an emphasis towards the environmentalist in the crowd. His intent with the film is to inform the viewer how the environment is improved with environmental friendly
The book is often cited as an environmental classic - of which there can be little doubt - but it is also said by some to have largely triggered the modern environmental movement. Its warning about the dangers of
It is generally agreed that modern environmentalism begins with ‘A Fable for Tomorrow’, the first chapter in Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring (1962). The fairytale-like opening to the book begins with the words, ‘There was once a town in the heart of America where all life seemed to live in harmony with its surroundings’, painting a classic pastoral picture where she describes civilization far from modern ills coexisting with nature yet away from the perceived danger of the wild. However pastoral peace swiftly gives way to destruction- 'Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep
...ng”. I unfortunately am not an environmental junkie by any means, but this novel really opened my eyes to not only issues of the past, but also current matters as well. I learned the importance of what it means to buy organic and not only for the health benefits, but the environmental benefits as well. I was never aware of how harmful pesticides can be and although DDT may be outlawed in the United States, farmers still use other forms of insecticides to protect their plants. It horrors me that DDT was used for so long, despite the deaths it caused. I admire Rachel Carson for writing this novel and conducting research when no one else cared about the environmental harms placed on our land. Her passion about the earth is evident, and her willingness to put out such a controversial novel during this time period explains why her story is still a relevant resource today.
...ncludes that one of the many problems could be that American environmental movement has focused on preserving nature so much that it has failed to preserve a love for being out in nature. He admits that preserving nature is not the only important factor, and that the real misfortune lies in not being a part of nature.
Elliot Sober's main point in this essay is about how could justify the environmentalism theories because they have some difficulties in reasoning their objectives and solutions. He illustrates about this difficulties and then he suggests some ways that can help to reason correctly about environmental concerns. He explains his points about some philosophers theory that try to give reasons about preserving the species and the environment. He tries to clarify about the ignorance argument that this argument suggests we must preserve every endangered species that it can be useful for human. Sober criticizes this opinion because sometimes a valuable species was known not to be valuable previously. Therefore he suggests that we should not because of human preference try to keep a species or keep not. The Slippery Slope Argument, that environmentalists affirm that every extinction is important significantly because it is possible arguing that none of species can be important that much then it will turn to a slippery slope argument. Sober mentions about the fact that If we consider a value for diversity therefore each species have value so we can value diversity without overemphasizing the position of each species separately. The Appeals to What is Natural, that is about what is natural to or what is domesticated or artificial. Sober claims that this distinction is meaningless because we believe that human beings also are part of the nature and what human makes also is part of
The environment in America today is far from Eden, but there is a valiant battle being fought by many to return the earth to a more "natural" state. Green and clean is the preferred vision of the future1. This trend towards environmental awareness, or environmentalism, is a prominent theme in today’s American society. Politics, industry, marketing, and media all use the environment as a means to sell themselves. With such a high profile, it seems almost unbelievable that there was a time when the word environment was little known or not used. However, the period was not so long ago. Even before World War II nature was referred to as wilderness and wilderness existed to serve humans2. The shift from nature existing to serve humans to humans protecting the environment was not a very complex project, but rather one of many small influences and their resulting effects. Hence, the rise of environmentalism in American society is the result of gradual social changes, which created a shift in social values.
The writer starts of the anti-environmentalists section by setting a mockery tone and explaining that the side arguing sees their opposing side as inferior. The writer sets it up so that the anti-environmentalists argue in a very childish manner. They use words like “enviros” an “wackos”. The superior state allows them to exaggerate on the characteristics of these conservationists. The anti-environmentalists openly accuse the environmentalists of always looking for power. He exaggerates their policies to make them sound hungry for power. Next, the writer becomes incongruent and tries to get people on his side by saying that these men and women are trying to pass laws and become very powerful to take control and transform this country.
Leopold’s Sand County Almanac and Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring were counted as one of the most environmental books in the 1900’s. The book is considered to be the main reason for the large underpinnings of environmentalism in America. Sand County made many people realize what we were starting to miss, and how nature needs to be taken seriously as a major part of the human life, future, and history. When the book became a best seller in the 1970’s, more and more people start campaigning for better help and overall conservation with nature. More and more people in the community starte...
This is how the writer explained the changes in man's role in the modern world. The Nature is the most powerful element in the world--it could never be manipulated and it could not even be predicted. To be able to endure the hostility, the alienation of nature, humans have to listen to one another. Individualism should be set aside.
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring revolutionized the American point of view concerning the environment. It rejected the notion that pesticides and chemicals are the right choice for “controlling” various animals that are seen as an inconvenience. Carson writes about the dangers of pesticides, not only to nature but man himself.
Through her book, Rachel Carson spoke out against the use of pesticides and technology to control nature. At the time, her book was revolutionary and her words had the power to cause a shift in public awareness about the environment. This one person speaking out helped start the environmental movement that impacts so many areas of our life today.
Ecologists formulate their scientific theories influenced by ethical values, and in turn, environmental ethicists value nature based on scientific theories. Darwinian evolutionary theory provides clear examples of these complex links, illustrating how these reciprocal relationships do not constitute a closed system, but are undetermined and open to the influences of two broader worlds: the sociocultural and the natural environment. On the one hand, the Darwinian conception of a common evolutionary origin and ecological connectedness has promoted a respect for all forms of life. On the other hand, the metaphors of struggle for existence and natural selection appear as problematic because they foist onto nature the Hobbesian model of a liberal state, a Malthusian model of the economy, and the productive practice of artificial selection, all of which reaffirm modern individualism and the profit motive that are at the roots of our current environmental crisis. These metaphors were included in the original definitions of ecology and environmental ethics by Haeckel and Leopold respectively, and are still pervasive among both ecologists and ethicists. To suppose that these Darwinian notions, derived from a modern-liberal worldview, are a fact of nature constitutes a misleading interpretation. Such supposition represents a serious impediment to our aim of transforming our relationship with the natural world in order to overcome the environmental crisis. To achieve a radical transformation in environmental ethics, we need a new vision of nature.