The Wilderness Ethic and the Social Construction of Nature

Date of Award

2005

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Brain, David

Keywords

Environmentalism, Social Constructionism, Ethics

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

Certain environmental historians have begun to describe ways in which concepts of nature, as wilderness, can be counter-productive to environmentalism. In ways the concept of nature as wilderness, as pristine only if untouched by human hands, may rest upon problematic human/nonhuman dualisms. The central paradox is that wilderness as such embodies a dualistic vision in which the human is entirely outside of the natural, and wilderness becomes the standard against which to measure human culture (Cronon 1996: 80). Wilderness comes to represent the natural, un-fallen antithesis of an unnatural civilization that has lost its soul. Yet, if we believe that nature, to be natural, must be pristine and untouched by humanity, then our presence in nature represents its fall. If wilderness is set forth as the standard by which we judge civilization, we accept a dualism setting humanity and nature as antipodes. This leaves little hope of discovering what a sustainable, valid human place in nature might be. In this thesis I attempt to show that this ideal nature, or wilderness, is very much a human construction, i.e. a social construction, and in essence a counter productive, self-contradiction. I also attempt to offer possible solutions towards a more pragmatic environmentalism.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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