 |
NOBODY’S GARDEN: THOREAU AND NATURE Environmentalism is at a crossroads. It is being attacked from the political right as a liberal agenda to ruin our economy and ultimately destroy civilization in the name of creatures like the snail darter and furbish lousewort. At the same time, some environmentalists are reacting by taking an equally extreme position: preservation of nature must be done at the expense of human beings. In America, it is common to trace the origin of modern environmentalism to Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, who are regarded as the movement's emotional and spiritual fathers. Based on a book currently being written by Dr. Daniel B. Botkin, Nobody’s Garden: Thoreau and Nature, The Center for the Study of the Environment with Spofford Films, Inc., is developing a film that will re-examine Thoreau's complex ideas and personality; Through this reexamination we hope to help modern culture find a resolution to the current conflict between pro and anti-environmentalists and a way to help solve environmental issues. "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World" Henry David Thoreau's ideas and beliefs are very different from their stereotyped representation. He is generally viewed as the originator of a simple idea: that there is a pure, static nature separate from people, and this pure nature has to be preserved outside of human activities. In fact, Thoreau valued civilization. His famous statement "In wildness is the preservation of the world" usually is taken to mean that we should put nature above and separate from people, and to justify the preservation of nature at the cost of civilization. On the contrary; a few sentences later Thoreau explains that "from the forest and wilderness come the tonics and barks which brace mankind"- in other words, Thoreau meant that wildness was necessary to preserve civilization. This theme is repeated in his mature writing. Ironically, the extreme anti-environmental and the pro-environmental points of view share a common world view. Both are based on the belief in a separation of people from nature. This idea is deeply embedded in western civilization, extending back to the Greek and Roman conception of nature as perfect, static, and if changed by human actions - these actions have only negative effects. In contrast, throughout most of the history of people on the Earth before the rise of western civilization - people saw themselves as part of nature, not separate from it. Thoreau's Ideas Can Benefit the Ecology Of Today Thoreau was a complex person with ideas that were sometimes contradictory and that changed with his experiences. He was an intellectual who loved Homer, Virgil and Chaucer, and believed deeply in the importance of the arts and culture. He kept abreast of the science of his time, and believed in science and progress. He did not see a conflict between the practice of science and the appreciation of nature. He believed that a person could find the spirit of nature in his own backyard. He ultimately came to believe that, although the wilderness was important for people, - as a way to refresh oneself - poets (i.e. creative individuals) did best in a settled landscape between the city and the wilderness. This combination of an appreciation of science, culture, and individual responsibility, is quite different from the stereotype of Thoreau. From the perspective of modern environmental science, and our understanding of the dynamics of nature, Thoreau can be seen as a man whose ideas are quite helpful in pointing out a path to follow if we are to save humanity, civilization, and nature. Thoreau's ideas and beliefs fit in with the scientific knowledge of today and can benefit us in our endeavor to live in harmony with nature.
|
||
| CSE: Home // Who Is? // Approach // Membership // Services // Map | |||
Copyright © 1997-2006 The
Center for the Study of the Environment |
Note:
With funding from the Maine Humanities Council and the New Hampshire
Humanities Council, time was spent: on location this summer and fall
filming segments of the documentary. CSE staff and volunteers are seeking
funding ($20,000) to complete the script and edit current footage to
a 15 minute preview of the film. The completed script and video preview
would be used to seek funding for the production of the film. 
