Relationship between civilization and nature essays example

Introduction

Nature is a matter that is close to human beings’ hearts. This is essentially why there are emerging issues such as Global warming that trend globally. When God created the universe, it was perfect, according to the Bible. The Bible records that human beings valued nature to a great extent. After the curse, however, they had to toil and make a lot of sacrifices; including endangering the environment. There have been a lot of environmental challenges since the beginning and this is essentially why great philosophers such as Karl Marx made constant reference to nature and how human actions had negatively affected the environment. Ideologies, according to Karl Marx, are those ideas that discourage revolutionary behaviour. Analysis of evidenceLeopold is a professor who played a great role in the struggle for wilderness conservation and also the embrace of more accommodating environmental ethics. He lay particular emphasis on ecology and biodiversity and later went on to found wildlife management. He was against the ethic for human dominance and instead advocated for an ecological ethic (Kolbert 188). He encouraged the national forests in America to embrace his theory as he felt that would mark a new beginning in as far as conservation was concerned. Leopold’s role was instrumental in advocating for a civilized treatment of nature. As such, he greatly assisted in the fight against most of the environmental challenged that faced society. Additionally, his legacy lives on, this is mostly due to his foundation and also the fact that most of his work was documented (Black and Gary 62).
Baruch Spinoza is another philosopher whose thoughts and works regarding nature left a mark on the society. Despite the fact that it took his death to learn more on his work, he was a highly rational individual. Spinoza argued that God and nature were two names that represented the same reality. The existence of all things was dictated by nature. He also asserted that nature caused the various effects that took place. From his point of view also, nothing else can affect God. This is, however, a matter of great contention given nature is affected by many factors yet Baruch asserted that they are one with God (Riggs 38). How Easter Island serve as an analogical example of our futureEaster Island is an island in Chile and is famous for its monumental statues that were created by the Rapa Nui people. Nonetheless, many activities that have reduced its earlier glory to the ground have been undertaken. These include deforestation, overpopulation and the Polynesian rat. Naturally, this led to the extinction of natural resources that they had previously been greatly endowed with. Through the Peruvian slave raiding and also European sailors, various diseases were transferred to populate and this caused a lot of deaths that resulted into the reduction of the population of the island to a great extent (Black and Gary 18). Most of the population was destroyed by a series of events that took place in the 1860s. These reduced the population by almost half. Numerous abductions had become the order of the day, diseases became widespread among other factors. All these combined made it impossible for the population to thrive. Before deforestation began, theirs was a precarious ecosystem (Riggs 9). The Easter IslandThe many events that took place to that young island are representative of what would happen if society fails to guard their ecosystem. Environmental challenges are mostly facilitated by human actions where they do not put into consideration what the future will be like. The Easter Island has been used to define the differences that come with making the right decisions (or wrong decisions). Activities such as deforestation almost decimated the island with most of them dying from various factors. According to Diamond, the construction of the Moai contributed greatly towards the elevation of environmental degradation. The extreme deforestation was also seen to offset imbalance within the ecosystem (Riggs 49). The Mayan EmpireThe Mayan story also comes up where matters on the environment are being discussed. The Maya Empire reached the peak of its influence and power around the sixth century A. D. They excelled in almost all fronts namely: agriculture, hieroglyph writing, mathematics, calendar-making and pottery. They essentially left behind symbolic artwork and impressive architecture. By A. D. 900, most of the cities within the Maya were abandoned. This has caused a lot of speculations from scholars on what really caused the decline. The Maya was strategically located in the sense that they were almost immune from attacks. As such, they were better placed to develop themselves. One of the theories that seek to explain the decline of the Maya was that they had exhausted the environment to the point where it could no longer support a large population. Generally, overuse of the land and overpopulation, drought and warfare have been suggested as possible causes of the unexpected and mysterious decline of the Empire (Nash 31). The Khmer EmpireThe Khmer empire is also another example of an ancient civilization that did not make it to modernity “ in one piece.” This is a modern day Cambodia and it was principally one of the greatest Empire in South East Asia. The empire was known for its splendour and dynamics. Its geography was amazing and they were greatly endowed with resources. As such, the inhabitants had a good time as long as they were within their territory. After some time, they empire had deteriorated to a large extent. This was attributed to activities such as deforestation that upset the system. Moreover, the environment could no longer sustain a large population. Survival for the fittest then became the slogan until when optimality was achieved. They did not to react to the environmental challenges they were facing and that was essentially why they failed to survive as an Empire (Diamond 189). AnalysisAncient civilizations such as the Mayans and the Easter Island epitomize the modern ideology in a great way. The modern society has the choice to learn from mistakes of the old or wait and experience a wipe off. Deforestation has become an issue to contend with yet its fatal effects have been all over. History has been said to repeat itself; it would be interesting to see a country literary wiped away from the face of the earth. Additionally, a lot of war has been experienced between (and among) nations. The main factor that led to the “ disappearance” of most ancient Empires was continued war. Amazingly, countries still engage in war even after experiencing first-hand the ramifications of the same (Nash 12). Industrialized and industrializing nations have taken up very wanting habits. The globe is facing a lot of ecological challenges that have caused Global warming. As it is, earthquakes, floods and other disasters have become the order of the day. This has in turn led to the deaths of a lot of people. Most countries also have to put up with the effects of overpopulation. This is where the environment can no longer hold the population. As such, there is a lot of struggle for resources which eventually causes drought, to mention the least (Kolbert 187). Diamond had predicted the evolution of continents; in different ways. He had said that what will determine the sustainability of any country is the activities the individuals will undertake. By saying this, he was principally asserting that human actions affect the environment directly. This in turn implies that negative actions will have negative effects; the converse holds. He based his thoughts on facts; he made constant reference to ancient Empires that faded with time based on human actions. As it is, his predictions seem to have come to pass since many changes are taking place the world over (Diamond 26). In conclusion, there are many mistakes being made. People, the world over, have completely ignored the environment. More trees are being cut down yet none is being planted, chemicals are being drained into water bodies, smoke from oil companies is being released into the atmosphere. All these narrow down to the fact that the universe is not headed to the right direction. Changes need to be made and it would be helpful to make reference to past events. With Global warming getting out of hand, it is of extreme necessity to make amends while the chance is still there. Small actions like planting a few trees would make a great difference

Works Cited

Black, Brian, and Gary J. Weisel. Global warming. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood, 2010. Print.
Diamond, Jared M.. How societies choose to fail or survive. Place of publication not identified: Penguin, 2006. Print.
Kolbert, Elizabeth. Ice Memory. New York: Henry Holt and Co, 2014. Print.
Nash, June C. Mayan visions: the quest for autonomy in an age of globalization. New York: Routledge, 2001. Print.
Riggs, Kate. Easter Island. Mankato, Minn.: Creative Education, 2009. Print.