In the
paper “Island Civilizations: A Vision For Human Occupancy of Earth”, Roderick
Frazier Nash gives his view of the world, how it has changed, and how it may
change in the future. He
states that the human race is to blame for the destruction of the “wilderness”
and how important it is in the fourth millennium.
To begin, Nash explains
the concept of “wilderness” and how it began as a ‘state of mind’ and has later
evolved into a way to describe an untouched being or place. This wilderness was soon destroyed by the
growing civilization of the human race.
Without knowledge, the world grew at such a rate, that soon there was
nothing left to sustain the human race. Europeans quickly colonized the land,
by either killing or domesticating the Native American race and “wild” species
that previously inhabited it. Towards the end of the second millennium, popular
thinkers began to realize that the world had lost value in the wilderness and
that the growing civilization should consider control and primitive characteristics.
Due to these thoughts,
theories of preservation and increasing values began to shape cities with conservational
thoughts. The “wilderness” became a recreational and scenic outlet for the
world through national parks and The Wilderness Act of 1964. These theories aimed to aid the wilderness
and benefit the human race with its many things to offer. The preservation efforts were centered on the
environment, not mankind.
Wildlife experts began to
spread these ideas through popular books like ‘A Sand County Almanac’ and
‘Silent Spring’. These essays changed
the way the human race viewed conservation and preservation efforts by
providing a more ethical way of thinking.
This way of thought prompted the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the
Endangered Species Act, giving species other than the humans, basic
rights. For a while, this worked until
populations grew and the values of preservations lowered. People expanded their
living spaces and usage, creating problems in the world that would need to be
faced for years to come.
As Nash considers the
fourth millennium, he anticipates a world that is unable to sustain and keep
life. The human race has been a detriment to the rest of the environment and
has overtaken the wilderness. In contrast, he also sees a world that coexists
with nature in a peaceful and beneficial way.
Another possible future is where mankind adopts the old ways of hunting
and gathering as a way of life. Lastly,
he anticipates a world where civilization and nature mold together into one
world. This theory called “Island Civilization” would require human populations
to live in smaller spaces, with less energy/waste usage, and the loss of
transportation. This idea seems impossible but the human race is the only
possibility for the survival of Earth.
