Both of these environmental systems struggled for a delicate sense of balance and homeostasis-- but their collision in 1492 began a whole new time of competition and struggle for dominance. The environmental impact of such a collision is enormous and should be looked at as part of our understanding of the Age of Discovery. PLANTS Thomas Jefferson once said that, " The greatest service which can be rendered to any country is to add a useful plant to its culture." By this standard, Col... ... middle of paper ... ...opened new windows to science and to all knowledge. The results of the Columbian Exchange come with mixed feelings, owing to the degree of death and slavery that such a clash of natures caused.
The breaking up of Pangaea resulted in many different countries and continents which contributed to globalization as man started to explore the world. Globalization resulted in the exchange and introduction of new species of plants and animals to different lands as man travelled. When the environment became a political issue, it brought about the emergence of environmental history. This study analyses the role and place of nature in human life. It aims to reveal how environmental change and human action are intertwined (Mosley, p.2).
This question brought about the thesis of his book, that environment is more persuasive on development of civilization than people may have once thought. In the first chapter of Guns, Diamond establishes two main arguments that will become crucial to his thesis later on in the book. First, he goes in depth about mass extermination and further extinction of large mammals that occurred in New Guinea and Australia which were important for food and domestication, and secondly he argues that all the first civilized peoples in the world each had the ability to out develop one another, but were hindered or helped by their environment. Diamond continues to provide evidence for his thesis that environmental factors play a significant role in the development of society by citing the Maori and Moriori incident of 1935. In 1935, the Maori killed and enslaved the Moriori peoples.
The authors points out the distinct number of ways that can lead the entire world to globalization. Using examples, the author depicts the notion of contamination and how it affects the world. The term contamination has been used to describe a mixture or blend of all the innovative traditions and values that end up destroying the culture of ancestors. The author clearly illustrates the gradual change that has occurred in most of the religions and cultures ... ... middle of paper ... ...ns, therefore; every individual has a unique taste thus it would be unreasonable to force a universal model, as equity will not be observed. One should not force diversity.
Diamond articulates his work with an unusual spin, using examples of historical civilizations that have snuffed themselves out by their own progress or poor relationship with the environment. The main message conveyed in Diamond's essay is that we are just as capable of choking ourselves out by our own doing today as were the historical civilizations that suffered the same fate. Despite their differing focuses, each article agrees that humans are outgrowing the finite amount of resources that the Earth can provide. A delicate symbiotic relationship between life and the environment has been maintained throughout time. Life on Earth was shaped by the constantly changing climate and surroundings.
This context will review academic sources to scrutinize their bone of contention on this matter as well as criticize them for their shortcomings in addressing this topic. In Bryner Jeanna (2006) in her book, “Nature vs. Nurture: Mysteries of Individuality Unraveled” a publication by Live Science, critical questions arise to challenge if some occurrences are based on genetic inheritance or as a result of mere coincidence. Things like talent, intelligence and personality come to the forefront of their discussion as to weather they are inherited or acquired through environmental exposure and experience (Bryner). In her view, these questions have posed many challenges to philosophy, psychology and genetics. In an effort to ascertain their claims, twin studies were used.
During the clash of any two cultures, there will always be disaccord in major ideologies and ways of thinking which eventually leads to reform or sometimes regression. Concepts of morality and cultural practices can create dissonance when there are opposing views, causing a shift in ethics in order to protect their original way of existence. At times, this conflict can birth efforts at positive social reconstruction, however during specific instances it causes severe destruction and loss of ethical direction. Both in the 16th and 19th century in the landscape of the New World, there was a plethora of contact that occurred between the Euro-Americans and Indigenous peoples that was an instigator in various conflicts as well as social and moral
Many discussions could be had on the complex differences between cultures within America and within the greater international community, but the dichotomy of collectivism and individualism appears to be a common way to categorize cultures based on their worldviews (Hwang, 2005). 2. These cultural differences often can complicate different functions of society, including education. When individuals from one setting interact with individuals from another, information may be misunderstood and some difficulties can arise from these complicated interactions. Thus, various researchers discuss that educators who
In his article “The Columbian Voyages, the Columbian Exchange, and Their Historians”, Alfred W. Crosby seems to think that much of the Columbian voyages and what came out of them was detrimental to many cultures, most of all the Native Americans. Crosby brings up many institutions and ideologies to re-enforce his opinion, such as the slave trade and the conquest of many Native American cultures. One of the major effects of the Columbian exchange was the decimation of the Native American population. Crosby attributes this to many factors, the conquest of the Europeans, the cultural vacuum created by European attempts to Christianize the Amerindians, and the introduction of new and lethal micro-organisms into the ecosystem. More commonly known as viruses, these organisms wreaked havoc with a population that had never been exposed to them previously.
There are many political and public health issues in which environmental racism is a contributing factor. To achieve social and environmental justice, it is vital to look beyond simple government policies. Individuals must see the ethical inequality of environmental racism and its injustices. Communities of afflicted people are both the subject and object of ethical concern and their futures seems to be tied to the whims of governing bodies that make choices not in “their” favor (ethically, financially, and environmentally). Environmental racism is a key contributing factor to many human and non-human health issues nationwide, and worldwide.