The Dialectical Model in Comparative Perspective Essays -- Science Phi

Mankind has not always isolated itself from nature. For the majority of his history, man recognized a need for a dependent and intimate relationship with nature. Nature was his provider and caretaker, a benevolent nurturer intending no harm, a model now known as organic. As the human mind began to increasingly fashion matter to fit its purpose, however, technological innovation began to supplant nature as manà ­s perceived source of sustenance. Thus technology began its ongoing ascent, becoming a means to subdue a primitive nature and raise man above his lowly origins. In short, a new hierarchical model of nature coalesced. Nevertheless, this relatively new paradigm could not entirely displace its predecessor, which evolved into an impotent longing embodied in the pastoral model. Human beings oscillate in their desires for these dominant models of nature, each possessing appeal within appropriate contexts. This underlying struggle suggests their inadequacy as singularly accurate dep ictions of nature, and a third model must replace these outdated modes of thinking. The dominant models serve as guides to this third model; a few modifications of their flaws actually help form its foundation. This model is known as the dialectical model, and consists of a unity of all opposites and entities. While every model of nature seeks to engender a proper appreciation of nature, many are inconsistent on this point; this observation explains why they must generally suppress all others. The dialectical model attempts to remove such a need by discarding the notion of an independent human existence. By analyzing these models through history and contemporary examples, the dialectical model emerges as a resolution of many inconsistencies in previous mo... ...ted. An integrated, cognizant existence within an undivided nature provides the entire basis one needs to evaluate human activities. Proper examination of the whole is born of proper placement of the self. Works Cited Redclift, Michael, and Graham Woodgate, ed. à ¬Sociology and the Environment. Social Theory and the Global Environment. London: Routledge, 1995. Ross, Carolyn, ed. Writing Nature. New York: St. Martinà ­s Press, 1995. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. à ¬Nature.à ® Ross 421-423. Oates, Joyce Carol. à ¬Against Nature.à ® Ross 458-463. Handouts: Bibliographical Information Unavailable Martin, Emily. à ¬Body Narratives, Body Boundaries.à ® Merchant, Carolyn. à ¬Nature as Female.à ® Nash, Roderick. à ¬Wilderness and the American Mind.à ® Representations: Maxim. Feb. 2001. 16 Feb. 2001 16 Feb. 2001 < http://www.particleadventure.org/frameless/chart.html>