HPSC20002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Henry David Thoreau, Walden Pond, Arthur Tansley
24 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
DAY 8: THE INVENTION OF ENVIRONMENTALISM
Notion of Wilderness
• The invention of wilderness
o US Wilderness Act - areas excluding man, yet ironic as native American Indians used to occupy
o Place of wild - used to be place of waste and sin, now sublime
o Original meanings:
• Place of wild animals, forested lands, wild game
• Generally meant forests without people (means our people, not savages - who still lived there)
• Bible - refers to a desert, a tract of solitude and savageness
• Wilderness was something to be avoided
• In 1854, gained meaning as a 'retreat from civilisation' - due to Romantic movement (change in
perspective)
• Wilderness as defined from an Eurocentric perspective
▪ Savages included in the wilderness (example of North American continent)
• Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
o Spent 2 years at Walden Pond - wrote Walden - became the bible for American sensibilities about nature
o Romanticised the wilderness for America
o Wilderness is a spiritual quest
o Advocated for conserving natural resources on public and private land
o Strong philosophical, social and empirical underpinning of his views of wilderness
History of Ecological Ideas
• Ecology is around 150 years old
• Main ideas: relation of organisms, succession of ecotypes, ecological niche (1930s), food chain (1950s), homeostasis
• Economy of nature important concept in the 18th C. - natural order seen as rational
• Economy of nature thus functioning according to rational principles
o Intervention in economy of nature usually do more damage than good
• Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919): German naturalist
o Defined ecology: the whole science of the relation of the organism to the environment including, in the
broad sense, all the conditions of existence
• French and German naturalists began broad-scale studies - understanding environmental conditions of organisms
• Biosphere term coined in 1875
• Eugen Warming (1841-1924): Danish ecologist, first detailed study of the ecology of plants
o Introduced notion of communities of organisms and ecological succession
• Charles Elton (1990-91): British zoologist, animal ecology did not occur until the 1920's
o Introduced notion of ecological niche and food chain
• Arthur Tansley - integration of plant and animal ecology - introduced the term ecosystem (1930's)
Post War Developments
• Influenced by destructive impact of war on the environment: chemicals and nuclear weapons
• Nature is becoming unbalanced - resulting in catastrophic design
• Ecologists claimed over scientists were acting for economic values
• Odum brothers: steady state - equilibrium at climax
o Influential on American legal and political system through Howard
o Fundamentals of Ecology: printed 1953, education ecologists for several generations, homeostasis, steady
state view no longer widely held
History of Environmentalism
• Smog, polluted water and public health - during the 19th. C rising awareness of environment related health issues
o Introduction of sewage systems in cities
o First forms of legislation against pollution (Waste management) - protection of the environment a side effect
• Hygiene movement
• Various Cholera epidemics
• Tuberculosis
o Rising awareness that an unspoilt environment is necessary for human beings
• People began looking for wilderness in Europe 19th C. - alps and Scottish highlands
National Parks
• Yosemite Bill 1864 - State of California entrusted with its protection
o Became a National Park in 1890
• Cattle grazing disputed after that
• Park management taken over by U.S cavalry
• Yellowstone Park Bill in 1872 declared the land as National Park
o Utility of nature, and site for scientific knowledge - mainly for recreation
• National Parks intended as people parks from the beginning
o National park management as visitor management as well as conservationism
Document Summary
The invention of wilderness: us wilderness act - areas excluding man, yet ironic as native american indians used to occupy, place of wild - used to be place of waste and sin, now sublime, original meanings: Place of wild animals, forested lands, wild game. Bible - refers to a desert, a tract of solitude and savageness: generally meant forests without people (means our people, not savages - who still lived there, wilderness was something to be avoided. In 1854, gained meaning as a "retreat from civilisation" - due to romantic movement (change in perspective: wilderness as defined from an eurocentric perspective, henry david thoreau (1817-1862) Savages included in the wilderness (example of north american continent) Spent 2 years at walden pond - wrote walden - became the bible for american sensibilities about nature: romanticised the wilderness for america, wilderness is a spiritual quest, advocated for conserving natural resources on public and private land.
