Henry Browne
Sand county Almanac week 9
One theme I have noticed in our readings is the environmental dualism between science and romanticism. The two are un doubtedly intertwined but the perceptional aspects some time seem conflictive. Leopold is definitely a romanticist and honestly as far as reading goes I think I may prefer that. It’s as if half the authors know everything about nature, but as if their looking in at it from some other sterile place. On the other side those like Leopold are nature. I think some people look at towns and cities as being “the real world” and anything non humane as a nice place for a picnic or something, while others realize “the wild” is the real world and that we’ve just created impermanent constructs to surround ourselves in. Perhaps Leopold can not explain what's happening on a cellular level but he definitely understands nature. A bear doesn’t have a clue about the carbon cycle or photosynthesis but I guarantee it understands nature on a level I never could. One thing I took from this book is you don’t need to know why nature is how it is, as long as you abide by it (unfortunately most people don’t). For instance when Leopold talks about the failure of the farm built on top of a marsh. Why don’t we work with nature instead of trying to create our own? Nature has taken care of us for as long as weave existed. When we try to manipulate something so elemental as the ground itself it could start a chain reaction we cant comprehend. Why not do things in places that are naturally conducive to them? It seems like that would be in everyone’s best interest. Why are we re building New Orleans its all going to be flooded again eventually? Humans are on a big ego trip, maybe it stems from the Christian idea that were made in gods image to govern the earth or maybe that idea came from are ego trip
I don’t mean to talk down on science. To the contrary science is incredibly important because most people no longer understand there place in nature like our ancestors may have. Science explains nature to those of us who don’t end up in a situation were they recognize themselves as nature (which is most of us). Heck even as I am writing about being part of nature I know I can’t truly comprehend it.