The Individual and the Natural World

Third Meeting Meeting, April 7, 1997

Lectures

Bill Youngs: How did early, pre-historic societies relate to the natural world? In Wilderness and the American Mind Roderick Nash suggests that primitive men and women regarded nature with fear and loathing -- the wilderness was the place where the sabar-toothed tiger was lying in wait for a tasty morsel of human flesh. But this may be only part of the truth -- for nature was also the source of food, clothing, and shelter. We know that some indigenous peoples (the American Indians are a good example) actually venerated nature.

• Using Encounters with the Archdruid as a reference point, we will consider whether David Brower, "the Archdruid," can find roots for his philosophy in the distant past as well as in modern environmental issue?
• We will also continue out discussion of the "spectrums" of wilderness types and attititudes towards the wilderness.

Jeanne Small: We will introduce readings related to the history of science, and the development of modern scientific thought. Areas include:

• Extending our senses through the discovery of the telescope;
• Training our eyes to see the world in a methodical manner;
• Looking at a campfire for aesthetic appeal and for the inherent chemistry;
• Deciding how to define "natural" vanilla flavoring;
• Using modern molecular technology to understand a flu epidemic in 1918; and
• Using a molecular basis for defining the diversity in the living world.

Media

We will have a work session with the World Wide Web, familiarizing ourselves with our own Web site and exploring some other relevant sites on the Web. And we will continue viewing the film on Yosemite.

Discussion

• What are the important features of the early relationship between individuals and the natural world?
• To what extent did early men and women fear and/or venerate the wilderness?

Assignment for Wednesday

• Carefully read part two of John McPhee, Encounters with the Archdruid -- "An Island."
• Visit the LAEC 330 Web site: www.narhist.ewu.edu/330/330.html.
• Be prepared for a short quiz covering Monday's class and the McPhee reading.