In every day thinking, the environment would seem to be the mostly uninhabited part of the Earth, which usually includes deserts, forests, national parts, the oceans, and so on. However, Peat and Cronon believe that what we think is the "wilderness" or "environment" is not truly as pristine as it once was. For example, national parks are believed to be the one part of nature that humans have "saved," but we use these areas for vacations and tourist attractions. Because of this, these authors would not believe that the national parks are truly the "wilderness." Cronon states "This, then, is the central paradox: wilderness embodies a dualistic vision in which the human is entirely outside the natural. If we allow ourselves to believe that nature, to be true, must also be wild, then our very presence in nature represents its fall" (Cronon 11).By this he means that just the very presence of humans mean a lack of wilderness. Because of this, the average person's idea of the environment is probably more like the idea of human's impact on the wilderness; humans changing their wilderness by their presence to create their "environment."
Bibliography: William Cronon, ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, New York: W. W. Norton 7 Co., 1995, 69-90.
The environment is everything; the rivers, deserts, grasslands and forests that make up the earth. However, what the environment means to people has changed over the years. To me, the environment and the wilderness are two different entities. The environment contains everything from the park that surrounds campus to the atmosphere as a whole. The term environment is very broad. The wilderness (a part of the environment) would be Shenandoah National Park, a place so far away from urban areas that people associate it with relaxation. Cronon however raises the question of if the term environment only consists of places where humans are not. Can Shenandoah be considered a National Park that preserves the environment if it is constantly full of tourists and developments? Smaller and smaller areas are being preserved and even some preserved areas are getting overrun by tourists and developments. People want to experience the beauty that is on the earth but by doing so the beauty of the environment is also being destroyed.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The environment is honestly everything that surrounds me. It is the trees around us, the air that we breathe, and even the roads that we walk on. However, Cronon says that the wilderness is an "unnatural civilization that has lost its soul." Cronon believes that the wilderness has no meaning; it has no physical human beings. But, does that mean we are not allowed there? Didn't our environment used to be considered the wilderness? Cronon focuses on how the environment only consists of humans and "real living things." I think that we do not embrace the beautifulness of the nature around us. We either take advantage of it or leave it alone. We have this negative perception of what the wilderness is. Also, the word "wild" just has a negative connotation. We are so focused on making our environment "better" and we are not even paying attention to the untouched parts of our world.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The environment is what surrounds us, in any capacity. For the Earth, it is the streams, forests, and oceans that exist for us and other species. But the environment can be much more specific to each person. It can be the F&M environment, or the environment of your house. How we choose to respect our surroundings is how we choose to uphold the environment we live in. You do not get to choose whether or not you share the greater environment with other organisms. Because of that there should be a mutual level of respect to maintain it and sustain it. It is easy to lose sight of where the environment really matters when we have different definitions of it.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The environment is often spoken of as a detached aspect of our existence. We love to refer to it as land untouched by man, but I believe Cronon will agree with me when I say it is much more than that. Humanity is very much a part of the environment due to the undeniable impact we have on both its growth and deterioration. Although rain forests , rivers and lakes are more likely to be the focus when looking into environmental science, it is an aerial perception on it. The individualized perception of environment is as essential as the bigger notion of what the environment consists of. For instance, the Bronx , NY is an environment I grew up in. Franklin and Marshall college is an environment I am currently a part of. Whether we chose to acknowledge it or not, we share environmental spaces with a combination of both humanity and nature ( grassland, trees, insects, etc..). Due to the fact that both nature and humanity share space in an environment, there should be a level of consciousness on how ones actions hampers the existence of another organism. This consciousness is something we, as humans in the environment, are becoming more numb to as time passes. Once we begin to acknowledge that the environment consists of living things that are not just human, we will finds ways to have humanity and nature coexist comfortably in all environments .
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The environment is, at its core, the context in which a person, animal, or plant exists. It is important to note that the word “context” does not refer only to the landscape and climate, but also to the social, political, and economic states around us. While the environment does include landscape and climate, they are only two ideas under the larger umbrella of interconnected factors which form the environment. Every aspect under the umbrella of environment has the potential to affect the others. Take, for example, the general public’s illiteracy of science as described in Unscientific America. This illiteracy is a social concept, but its existence also affects politics, climate, and economics. Its political ramifications are often aligned with scientific legislation being decided upon based on collective belief, rather than what is the currently best supported theory. This, in turn, can have an effect on the physical environment around us, as well as on the economy. Often, legislation is pushed around by lobbyists from various large corporations, such as gas and oil companies, who want the legislation ruling in their favor. Thus, while the outcome of this legislation is partially based on collective misconceptions, it also is affected by the economic interests of other third parties. As a result of a resource gathering company pushing a legislation in their favor, they will likely continue to abuse Earth’s resources to their benefit, thereby affecting the landscape and climate. This chain of events is important to note in order to see just how interconnected all of these environmental aspects are. These surrounding factors make up the context of our existence, and just as our environment changes us, we also alter it.
The environment can mean different things to different people. Whereas I think of the environment in a similar sense to Peat's and Cronon's reference to the "wilderness," the untouched and unharmed aspects of the earth. This terminology separates the environment by human interference. Those areas occupied and effected by human presence changes that environment to reflect the needs and conditions of the modern human life. While nature and wilderness is often stripped away or diminished, there is a different type of environment established. With time the harm inflicted by mankind grows and becomes a larger, and harmful part, of the environment.
The environment is the natural elements that surround any living organism. The environment on Earth is composed of plant life, oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, valleys and a wide variety of soil. There are more factors that influence change on the environment. Different types of precipitation can affect the environment. Rain plays a role in the water cycle, which is essential for the growth of plant life. The environment has evolved to deal with natural disturbances on Earth. Humans influence change into the environment as well. Clearing massive amounts of forest and building cities is hurting the environment. The amount of pollution humans release into the atmosphere is causing major problems. An environment is composed of multiple factors and on Earth humans have done the most damage to it. This means humans have the power to make policies that will help preserve and rebuild the environment.
The environment is a very broad term that can be interpreted in many ways. I believe the environment is the nature all around us, whether it is a national park, a place untouched by humans, or the tree outside my window. Cronon explains that many people believe "wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth". Cronon does not agree with this romanticized idea of the wilderness and that the wilderness is not pristine or untouched. Like Cronon, I believe that wilderness is much more complicated than that. Humans have affected the entire planet, and it is almost impossible discuss the environment without touching on the impact humans have had it.
The environment is everything that encompasses around us-- the living and nonliving things that subside within every aspect of every turn. Nature feeding, nurturing, exhausting, and threatening, it's an entity where growing development and depletion occurs due to human progress and nature's own flaws. The environment can be divided into two perspectives: nature in of itself and the human-dwelling sector. This portrays how the environment can either be domesticated or undomesticated where cultural imperialism dominates with human hubris which only threatens the environment. However, when I talk about the nature perspective of the environment, Cronon calls it The Wilderness, nature is seen as this pure virgin domain that is not manipulated unlike the environment as a whole. Cronon describes the Wilderness as a state of mind and wonder because technically the wilderness is a region that is untouched by man. Many writers and philosophers romanticize the idea of the wilderness because it is like one’s stream of consciousness: a stream that never ends. And so the nature within the wilderness is abundant and limitless in which nature overproduces, has increased profligacy, and has a rich diverse culture-- uninhabited and uncultivated. Wilderness within the environment becomes the preserved condition of the environment. But remembering, “human ingenuity and human creativity is limitless” which can be dangerous and beneficial all at the same time.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines the environment as the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. This rudimentary definition attempts to grapple just how extensive the definition of environment is. In the technical sense, environment encompasses all living things that we can make physical contact with. But I believe that environment also covers that which you can’t touch. The word “conditions” in this definition really strikes a chord with me. If I were asked to define the word environment as a student here at Franklin and Marshall, my answer would cover more of the conditional, such as the social life here on campus and the temperament of the students here, rather than talking about the physical environment of Lancaster. In other words, as a government and business double major, my personal definition of environment varies greatly as compared to an environmental science major. While my definition would encompass the conditional aspects of my environment, the environmental studies student would describe their physical surroundings. The best part is that neither of our definitions are wrong, just limited. I am excited to see how my definition of environment will transform as I acquire knowledge about my surroundings as supposed to my conditions.
In its most literal sense, the environment is everything around us. It is the immediate space that we live and interact in, as well as the greater world that we inhabit. It can concern the social, political, or economic context in which one resides, but more often than not, “the environment” refers to our natural surroundings. According to William Cronon, the environment carries with it a connotation of wilderness. In its purest and most sacred form, the environment exists without any form of human civilization. In fact, Cronon goes as far as to suggest that the environment is the opposite of unnatural civilization, thereby placing the responsibility of protecting the environment on humans. However, due to human activities, the environment is being threatened by forces such as global warming. Chemicals and gases that human use have damaged the ozone layer and poisoned our water and soil. It is from this rising environmental crisis that the ideology of environmentalism has emerged. The main doctrine of environmentalists is that we, as a society, must “return to nature.” This is to be accomplished though advocating for a greater respect for the nature and the improvement of environmental protection policy.
The environment is everything in our surroundings that is natural to the Earth. This includes our air, waterways, forests, grasslands, wildlife, etc. Many people use the words “environment” and “wilderness” interchangeably, as though they represent the same thing. The wilderness, however, is much more removed from civilization- or the “human disease” as Cronon put it. Things such as National Parks create the illusion of being in the wilderness, despite the human manipulations and alterations that are keystone in establishing the overall feelings and sensations that parkgoers experience. This “ wilderness” as we know it, Cronon believes, is merely a place of refuge for the privileged. The wilderness is a seemingly magical escape from all the troubles of modern human life, while the environment is the part of nature that is very readily incorporated into daily human interactions. The air we breath, the water we drink, the trees that absorb the carbon we release into the atmosphere- these are all components of our environment. The environment includes all of the resources that are so heavily integrated into the human existence. It is this dependence on the environment that Cronon declares needs to be reevaluated, for he feels it is unsustainable and harmful to the natural systems of the Earth.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The environment is any naturally occurring place that is inhabited by a living organism. Examples of naturally occurring places include oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts and much more. Plants, animals, and microorganisms are the main inhabitants. However, humans live in environments but manmade structures are not environments. The organisms living in the environment, including humans, can have both positive and negative effects on their living space. The environment provides the basic necessities for survival including, food, water, and air. It is important to understand how to properly utilize all the benefits of the environment you live in.
The environment is an extremely broad term that includes many things. In Cronon’s article, "The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature” he writes about how environmentalists place too much emphasis on wilderness. Although Cronon notes that the environment mainly has to do with nature, I believe that in modern times the term “environment” now includes much more than just wilderness, it includes modern technology. To me, the environment is a shared space that is inhabited by humans, other living creatures, and societal inventions.
The environment is anything and everything that surrounds us. From the more natural side of trees and creatures that we see every day, to the buildings that we live and walk through, all are a part of the environment. When most people think of the environment however, the intoxicating images of pristine peaks and dew laden glades are drawn into the mind. This directly addresses the issues that Cronan attempts to explain in “The Trouble with Wilderness” He states that classical writers such as Thoreau romanticized the wilderness and as a consequence have turned it into a sort of elaborate retreat for wealthy individuals. As an example, Thoreau once said “We need the tonic of wildness... we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” This idea of being constantly wanting to be in contact with nature invariably effected the actual amount of wilderness that is available. We isolate the areas within set boundaries of National Parks and call the areas inside of it a true “wilderness experience” despite never being more than a few miles from a well-worn trail, or set campsite. Instead, Cronan suggests that we should realize that we as humans have affected the ideas of our environment, and instead of viewing it solely as a natural place, recognize the effects that human interaction had on creating the artificialness of our wilderness.
Thoreau, Henry David, and J. Lyndon Shanley. Walden. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1971. Print. Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The term "environment" is used to describe the physical world around us. It is something commonly referred as the subject of pollution and human degradation. Human beings, too often, forget our dependence on our environment andhow said degradation can lead to our demise. Everything from the air we breath to the very laptop I am typing on right now is a product of our environment. Our environment is our source for all the man made things we cherish from our cellphones to our homes. We constantly take from this environment without thinking about its repercussions. The typical pictures that we see in our minds of wild forests and mountain ranges when we think of the environment is a large part, but the artificial products we have made all once came from the same place.
The environment is all that is around us, both seen and unseen. We, as humans, are best described as harmful towards the environment. In regards to Cronon's article, "The Trouble with Wilderness," he portrays the wilderness as the only natural and untouched land that civilization has yet to inhabit and modernize to suit our presence. He presents it in this sense by stating, "the wilderness is the preservation of the world." Through this quote, Cronon introduces the wilderness as a refuge that is how all of the environment should be. Man-made entities have harmed nature and have overcome majority of the world, creating an almost irreversible spread of pollution and waste into the environment. Although the wilderness is his main focus throughout the article, he makes it apparent that even though the natural habitats seem to be wasteful lands due to pollution, they are still part of the environment. Furthermore, the environment is not only the nature we see around us, but also the climate and the growth of animals, plants, etc. The environment is meant to be shared, the only way to protect it's true beauty is approached best by with respect and a declaration of utilizing the aspects of nature properly so that environmentalists, like Cronon, view more than the wilderness as the only pure environment.
Thoreau, Henry David, and J. Lyndon Shanley. Walden. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1971. Print. Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of environment is how beautiful it is. Not only the National Geographic pictures, but also the simple everyday surroundings such as the layout of my dorm room are all part of the environment. Humans have become very proficient at using the environment to their own advantage even it means that more will be destroyed than produced. Personally, it hurts how much we abuse our environment for our own greed and not thinking about the future because the environment which is everything around us has shaped us into who we are today, the good and the bad. -Ignas Slyka
The environment is wherever one is. It is an extremely broad term and can be used in many different contexts. There is the environment such as one in a classroom, the setting and atmosphere of the room. There is the environment on a campus, the feel it gives for instance. And then there is the natural environment. The type of environment I think of when I think of being isolated in a park, in the woods or in the ocean. The natural environment is what allows us to live and experience the special things that we so greatly take advantage of. -Ceci Herdeg
Environment is often describes as the natural habitat of living organisms. Cronon describes it as the wilderness and all that is “untouched by the disease of humans”. In a certain sense I disagree with both of those definitions. I believe that what humans have done in terms of buildings and construction also becomes the environment. The environment is what provides a sustainable life to its inhabitants. Buildings all advances humans have made are things that help to provide a longer and more physically appealing lifestyle with in our environment, which is why I believe that they should all count toward the environment.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995
In every day thinking, the environment would seem to be the mostly uninhabited part of the Earth, which usually includes deserts, forests, national parts, the oceans, and so on. However, Peat and Cronon believe that what we think is the "wilderness" or "environment" is not truly as pristine as it once was. For example, national parks are believed to be the one part of nature that humans have "saved," but we use these areas for vacations and tourist attractions. Because of this, these authors would not believe that the national parks are truly the "wilderness." Cronon states "This, then, is the central paradox: wilderness embodies a dualistic vision in which the human is entirely outside the natural. If we allow ourselves to believe that nature, to be true, must also be wild, then our very presence in nature represents its fall" (Cronon 11).By this he means that just the very presence of humans mean a lack of wilderness. Because of this, the average person's idea of the environment is probably more like the idea of human's impact on the wilderness; humans changing their wilderness by their presence to create their "environment."
ReplyDeleteBibliography:
William Cronon, ed., Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, New York: W. W. Norton 7 Co., 1995, 69-90.
In the next blog, please respond with your name so you can receive credit for your post
DeleteThe environment is everything; the rivers, deserts, grasslands and forests that make up the earth. However, what the environment means to people has changed over the years. To me, the environment and the wilderness are two different entities. The environment contains everything from the park that surrounds campus to the atmosphere as a whole. The term environment is very broad. The wilderness (a part of the environment) would be Shenandoah National Park, a place so far away from urban areas that people associate it with relaxation. Cronon however raises the question of if the term environment only consists of places where humans are not. Can Shenandoah be considered a National Park that preserves the environment if it is constantly full of tourists and developments? Smaller and smaller areas are being preserved and even some preserved areas are getting overrun by tourists and developments. People want to experience the beauty that is on the earth but by doing so the beauty of the environment is also being destroyed.
ReplyDeleteCronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.”
In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed.
New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
-Katie O'Loughlin
Grade: A
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The environment is honestly everything that surrounds me. It is the trees around us, the air that we breathe, and even the roads that we walk on. However, Cronon says that the wilderness is an "unnatural civilization that has lost its soul." Cronon believes that the wilderness has no meaning; it has no physical human beings. But, does that mean we are not allowed there? Didn't our environment used to be considered the wilderness? Cronon focuses on how the environment only consists of humans and "real living things." I think that we do not embrace the beautifulness of the nature around us. We either take advantage of it or leave it alone. We have this negative perception of what the wilderness is. Also, the word "wild" just has a negative connotation. We are so focused on making our environment "better" and we are not even paying attention to the untouched parts of our world.
ReplyDeleteCronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
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The environment is what surrounds us, in any capacity. For the Earth, it is the streams, forests, and oceans that exist for us and other species. But the environment can be much more specific to each person. It can be the F&M environment, or the environment of your house. How we choose to respect our surroundings is how we choose to uphold the environment we live in. You do not get to choose whether or not you share the greater environment with other organisms. Because of that there should be a mutual level of respect to maintain it and sustain it. It is easy to lose sight of where the environment really matters when we have different definitions of it.
ReplyDeleteCronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
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ReplyDeleteThe environment is often spoken of as a detached aspect of our existence. We love to refer to it as land untouched by man, but I believe Cronon will agree with me when I say it is much more than that. Humanity is very much a part of the environment due to the undeniable impact we have on both its growth and deterioration. Although rain forests , rivers and lakes are more likely to be the focus when looking into environmental science, it is an aerial perception on it. The individualized perception of environment is as essential as the bigger notion of what the environment consists of. For instance, the Bronx , NY is an environment I grew up in. Franklin and Marshall college is an environment I am currently a part of. Whether we chose to acknowledge it or not, we share environmental spaces with a combination of both humanity and nature ( grassland, trees, insects, etc..). Due to the fact that both nature and humanity share space in an environment, there should be a level of consciousness on how ones actions hampers the existence of another organism. This consciousness is something we, as humans in the environment, are becoming more numb to as time passes. Once we begin to acknowledge that the environment consists of living things that are not just human, we will finds ways to have humanity and nature coexist comfortably in all environments .
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
- Keyla J. Ynoa
Grade: A
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The environment is, at its core, the context in which a person, animal, or plant exists. It is important to note that the word “context” does not refer only to the landscape and climate, but also to the social, political, and economic states around us. While the environment does include landscape and climate, they are only two ideas under the larger umbrella of interconnected factors which form the environment. Every aspect under the umbrella of environment has the potential to affect the others. Take, for example, the general public’s illiteracy of science as described in Unscientific America. This illiteracy is a social concept, but its existence also affects politics, climate, and economics. Its political ramifications are often aligned with scientific legislation being decided upon based on collective belief, rather than what is the currently best supported theory. This, in turn, can have an effect on the physical environment around us, as well as on the economy. Often, legislation is pushed around by lobbyists from various large corporations, such as gas and oil companies, who want the legislation ruling in their favor. Thus, while the outcome of this legislation is partially based on collective misconceptions, it also is affected by the economic interests of other third parties. As a result of a resource gathering company pushing a legislation in their favor, they will likely continue to abuse Earth’s resources to their benefit, thereby affecting the landscape and climate. This chain of events is important to note in order to see just how interconnected all of these environmental aspects are. These surrounding factors make up the context of our existence, and just as our environment changes us, we also alter it.
ReplyDeleteChauncey Dewey
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The environment can mean different things to different people. Whereas I think of the environment in a similar sense to Peat's and Cronon's reference to the "wilderness," the untouched and unharmed aspects of the earth. This terminology separates the environment by human interference. Those areas occupied and effected by human presence changes that environment to reflect the needs and conditions of the modern human life. While nature and wilderness is often stripped away or diminished, there is a different type of environment established. With time the harm inflicted by mankind grows and becomes a larger, and harmful part, of the environment.
ReplyDeleteThe environment is the natural elements that surround any living organism. The environment on Earth is composed of plant life, oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, valleys and a wide variety of soil. There are more factors that influence change on the environment. Different types of precipitation can affect the environment. Rain plays a role in the water cycle, which is essential for the growth of plant life. The environment has evolved to deal with natural disturbances on Earth. Humans influence change into the environment as well. Clearing massive amounts of forest and building cities is hurting the environment. The amount of pollution humans release into the atmosphere is causing major problems. An environment is composed of multiple factors and on Earth humans have done the most damage to it. This means humans have the power to make policies that will help preserve and rebuild the environment.
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ReplyDeleteThe environment is a very broad term that can be interpreted in many ways. I believe the environment is the nature all around us, whether it is a national park, a place untouched by humans, or the tree outside my window. Cronon explains that many people believe "wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth". Cronon does not agree with this romanticized idea of the wilderness and that the wilderness is not pristine or untouched. Like Cronon, I believe that wilderness is much more complicated than that. Humans have affected the entire planet, and it is almost impossible discuss the environment without touching on the impact humans have had it.
DeleteGrade: A
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The environment is everything that encompasses around us-- the living and nonliving things that subside within every aspect of every turn. Nature feeding, nurturing, exhausting, and threatening, it's an entity where growing development and depletion occurs due to human progress and nature's own flaws. The environment can be divided into two perspectives: nature in of itself and the human-dwelling sector. This portrays how the environment can either be domesticated or undomesticated where cultural imperialism dominates with human hubris which only threatens the environment. However, when I talk about the nature perspective of the environment, Cronon calls it The Wilderness, nature is seen as this pure virgin domain that is not manipulated unlike the environment as a whole. Cronon describes the Wilderness as a state of mind and wonder because technically the wilderness is a region that is untouched by man. Many writers and philosophers romanticize the idea of the wilderness because it is like one’s stream of consciousness: a stream that never ends. And so the nature within the wilderness is abundant and limitless in which nature overproduces, has increased profligacy, and has a rich diverse culture-- uninhabited and uncultivated. Wilderness within the environment becomes the preserved condition of the environment. But remembering, “human ingenuity and human creativity is limitless” which can be dangerous and beneficial all at the same time.
ReplyDeleteCronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
Grade: A
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The Oxford English Dictionary defines the environment as the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. This rudimentary definition attempts to grapple just how extensive the definition of environment is. In the technical sense, environment encompasses all living things that we can make physical contact with. But I believe that environment also covers that which you can’t touch. The word “conditions” in this definition really strikes a chord with me. If I were asked to define the word environment as a student here at Franklin and Marshall, my answer would cover more of the conditional, such as the social life here on campus and the temperament of the students here, rather than talking about the physical environment of Lancaster. In other words, as a government and business double major, my personal definition of environment varies greatly as compared to an environmental science major. While my definition would encompass the conditional aspects of my environment, the environmental studies student would describe their physical surroundings. The best part is that neither of our definitions are wrong, just limited. I am excited to see how my definition of environment will transform as I acquire knowledge about my surroundings as supposed to my conditions.
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In its most literal sense, the environment is everything around us. It is the immediate space that we live and interact in, as well as the greater world that we inhabit. It can concern the social, political, or economic context in which one resides, but more often than not, “the environment” refers to our natural surroundings. According to William Cronon, the environment carries with it a connotation of wilderness. In its purest and most sacred form, the environment exists without any form of human civilization. In fact, Cronon goes as far as to suggest that the environment is the opposite of unnatural civilization, thereby placing the responsibility of protecting the environment on humans.
ReplyDeleteHowever, due to human activities, the environment is being threatened by forces such as global warming. Chemicals and gases that human use have damaged the ozone layer and poisoned our water and soil. It is from this rising environmental crisis that the ideology of environmentalism has emerged. The main doctrine of environmentalists is that we, as a society, must “return to nature.” This is to be accomplished though advocating for a greater respect for the nature and the improvement of environmental protection policy.
The environment is everything in our surroundings that is natural to the Earth. This includes our air, waterways, forests, grasslands, wildlife, etc. Many people use the words “environment” and “wilderness” interchangeably, as though they represent the same thing. The wilderness, however, is much more removed from civilization- or the “human disease” as Cronon put it. Things such as National Parks create the illusion of being in the wilderness, despite the human manipulations and alterations that are keystone in establishing the overall feelings and sensations that parkgoers experience. This “ wilderness” as we know it, Cronon believes, is merely a place of refuge for the privileged. The wilderness is a seemingly magical escape from all the troubles of modern human life, while the environment is the part of nature that is very readily incorporated into daily human interactions. The air we breath, the water we drink, the trees that absorb the carbon we release into the atmosphere- these are all components of our environment. The environment includes all of the resources that are so heavily integrated into the human existence. It is this dependence on the environment that Cronon declares needs to be reevaluated, for he feels it is unsustainable and harmful to the natural systems of the Earth.
ReplyDeleteCronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
-Marissa Maze
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The environment is any naturally occurring place that is inhabited by a living organism. Examples of naturally occurring places include oceans, lakes, rivers, mountains, deserts and much more. Plants, animals, and microorganisms are the main inhabitants. However, humans live in environments but manmade structures are not environments. The organisms living in the environment, including humans, can have both positive and negative effects on their living space. The environment provides the basic necessities for survival including, food, water, and air. It is important to understand how to properly utilize all the benefits of the environment you live in.
ReplyDelete-Joe Granahan
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ReplyDeleteThe environment is an extremely broad term that includes many things. In Cronon’s article, "The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature” he writes about how environmentalists place too much emphasis on wilderness. Although Cronon notes that the environment mainly has to do with nature, I believe that in modern times the term “environment” now includes much more than just wilderness, it includes modern technology. To me, the environment is a shared space that is inhabited by humans, other living creatures, and societal inventions.
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ReplyDeleteThe environment is anything and everything that surrounds us. From the more natural side of trees and creatures that we see every day, to the buildings that we live and walk through, all are a part of the environment. When most people think of the environment however, the intoxicating images of pristine peaks and dew laden glades are drawn into the mind. This directly addresses the issues that Cronan attempts to explain in “The Trouble with Wilderness” He states that classical writers such as Thoreau romanticized the wilderness and as a consequence have turned it into a sort of elaborate retreat for wealthy individuals. As an example, Thoreau once said “We need the tonic of wildness... we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” This idea of being constantly wanting to be in contact with nature invariably effected the actual amount of wilderness that is available. We isolate the areas within set boundaries of National Parks and call the areas inside of it a true “wilderness experience” despite never being more than a few miles from a well-worn trail, or set campsite. Instead, Cronan suggests that we should realize that we as humans have affected the ideas of our environment, and instead of viewing it solely as a natural place, recognize the effects that human interaction had on creating the artificialness of our wilderness.
ReplyDeleteThoreau, Henry David, and J. Lyndon Shanley. Walden. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1971. Print.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
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ReplyDeleteThe term "environment" is used to describe the physical world around us. It is something commonly referred as the subject of pollution and human degradation. Human beings, too often, forget our dependence on our environment andhow said degradation can lead to our demise. Everything from the air we breath to the very laptop I am typing on right now is a product of our environment. Our environment is our source for all the man made things we cherish from our cellphones to our homes. We constantly take from this environment without thinking about its repercussions. The typical pictures that we see in our minds of wild forests and mountain ranges when we think of the environment is a large part, but the artificial products we have made all once came from the same place.
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The environment is all that is around us, both seen and unseen. We, as humans, are best described as harmful towards the environment. In regards to Cronon's article, "The Trouble with Wilderness," he portrays the wilderness as the only natural and untouched land that civilization has yet to inhabit and modernize to suit our presence. He presents it in this sense by stating, "the wilderness is the preservation of the world." Through this quote, Cronon introduces the wilderness as a refuge that is how all of the environment should be. Man-made entities have harmed nature and have overcome majority of the world, creating an almost irreversible spread of pollution and waste into the environment. Although the wilderness is his main focus throughout the article, he makes it apparent that even though the natural habitats seem to be wasteful lands due to pollution, they are still part of the environment. Furthermore, the environment is not only the nature we see around us, but also the climate and the growth of animals, plants, etc. The environment is meant to be shared, the only way to protect it's true beauty is approached best by with respect and a declaration of utilizing the aspects of nature properly so that environmentalists, like Cronon, view more than the wilderness as the only pure environment.
ReplyDeleteThoreau, Henry David, and J. Lyndon Shanley. Walden. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1971. Print.
Cronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995, pp 69-90.
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The first thing that comes to mind when I think of environment is how beautiful it is. Not only the National Geographic pictures, but also the simple everyday surroundings such as the layout of my dorm room are all part of the environment. Humans have become very proficient at using the environment to their own advantage even it means that more will be destroyed than produced. Personally, it hurts how much we abuse our environment for our own greed and not thinking about the future because the environment which is everything around us has shaped us into who we are today, the good and the bad.
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The environment is wherever one is. It is an extremely broad term and can be used in many different contexts. There is the environment such as one in a classroom, the setting and atmosphere of the room. There is the environment on a campus, the feel it gives for instance. And then there is the natural environment. The type of environment I think of when I think of being isolated in a park, in the woods or in the ocean. The natural environment is what allows us to live and experience the special things that we so greatly take advantage of.
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Environment is often describes as the natural habitat of living organisms. Cronon describes it as the wilderness and all that is “untouched by the disease of humans”. In a certain sense I disagree with both of those definitions. I believe that what humans have done in terms of buildings and construction also becomes the environment. The environment is what provides a sustainable life to its inhabitants. Buildings all advances humans have made are things that help to provide a longer and more physically appealing lifestyle with in our environment, which is why I believe that they should all count toward the environment.
ReplyDeleteCronon, William. “The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature.” In Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, William Cronon, Ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Co, 1995
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