The Liberation of Humanity and Nature

Abstract

What does the 'liberation' of nature mean? In this essay, I use a pragmatic methodology to (1) reject the idea that we need a metaphysical understanding of the nature of nature before we can speak of nature's liberation, and (2) explain the sense of liberation as being the continuation of human non-interference in natural processes. Two real life policy cases are cited as examples: beach restoration on Fire Island and rock climbing in designated wilderness areas.

Listening to the Birds: A Pragmatic Proposal for Forestry

“…I do not mean to suggest that there is no valuable distinction between humans and non-humans. Nor am I denying that nature has some autonomy 2 and thus should not be dominated (Katz 2002), and I am certainly not denying that the actions of humans have caused the extinction of countless non-human species due in part to the elimination of their historical niches. But I resist the temptation to interpret humanity and nature as strictly independent naturalised categories -like two self-contained, independent and isolated individuals.…”

“…1 This section is based on an interview that is part of broader study I am conducting on the ethics underlying the ʻemulation of natural disturbanceʼ forest management paradigm in Canada. 2 Unlike Katz (2002), I do not believe natureʼs autonomy implies its total isolation and independence from humans: leaving nature alone. When a being or a landscape has been dominated for a long time, its capacity to flourish may not be restored by simply leaving it alone -in fact to do so may cut it off from the very thing it needs to flourish: responsible relationships.…”

Environmental issues: signals in the noise?

“…Anthropologists, to take another case, can plausibly argue that they illuminate various cultural attitudes towards, and practices upon, diverse environments (see Crumley, 2001;Franklin, 2003;Milton, 2002). Philosophers, to cite yet another example, have greatly expanded and deepened arguments within environmental ethics (e.g., Lee, 1999;Katz, 2002;Light and Rolston, 2002;Smith, 2002) and bioethics (O'Neill, 2002). Then, if all this were not enough, there are the economists who, in environmental and ecological economics, have supplied two coherent (if contentious) doctrines designed to tackle a raft of environmental problems (e.g., Beckerman and Pasek, 2001;Boyce and Shelley, 2003;Daily and Ellison, 2002;Dasgupta, 2001;Milani, 2000).…”