Theodore Steinberg\u2019s Nature Incorporated<\/i> for me helped further enforce the idea that humanity and nature coexist in his discussion of the industrial growth in New England and its interactions with water.\u00a0 Steinberg discusses the relationship between nature and society, both economically and legally, and in doing so shows how humans coexisted with nature by controlling it, but despite this control, the nature could counteract it as humans became dependent on it (ie: water\/typhoid fever).<\/p>\n
Throughout this class we have looked at how nature and humanity have interacted and coexisted, and Steinberg brings in a new perspective.\u00a0 William Cronon discussed in Nature\u2019s Metropolis<\/i> the economic relationship between nature and human urbanization with the railroad system, seeing railroads as natural.\u00a0 Steinberg creates an economic relationship between nature and human urbanization as well, but with a more obvious component of nature (water).\u00a0 He effectively argues how water instigated economic competition and made water a privatized commodity controlled by man.<\/p>\n
At first glance I thought Manish\u2019s connection between War Upon the Land <\/i>and Nature Incorporated <\/i>was a stretch, as in the former there was a clear distinction between nature and humanity while in the latter I read the two as one and the same.\u00a0 However I bought the connection once Manish argued that nature was a setting in Steinberg\u2019s work, not a character, a point I find intelligent that helps explain how humans could try and control nature yet be a part of it.\u00a0 The idea of nature as a setting rather than a separate actor allows humans to exist within it, even if the human element has negative effects on the prior existing environment.<\/p>\n
A lot of this discussion has been centered on human\u2019s \u201cconquering\u201d of nature in Nature Incorporated<\/i>, and I believe that this \u201cconquering\u201d is just indicative of humanity\u2019s greater role within the environment, not human\u2019s overtaking the environment. \u00a0As Emily noted in her post this idea of domination is reinforced with Steinberg\u2019s word choice, yet I interpreted Steinberg\u2019s points as industrialization being another stage of nature\u2019s evolution.\u00a0 Throughout human history people have used elements of nature to survive, whether it be collecting lumber or hunting for sustenance.\u00a0 For me, Steinberg\u2019s discussing of humanity and water convinces me further that urbanization and industrialization is nature and that human\u2019s new usage, dependence, and privatization of water is just a new role water is playing relative to societal evolution, and that the domination is a sign of humanity\u2019s greater role within the environment.<\/p>\n
As Ian wrote in his discussion of the chapter \u201cFouled Water,\u201d industrialization had a clear negative impact on the environment through pollution.\u00a0 The effect on water obviously was a negative one, and Steinberg is critical of this industrialization.\u00a0 I believe that despite the negative effects human had on the New England environment, that doesn\u2019t mean that the humans moving in and industrializing the area means they are not a part of the environment, but instead a dominant part.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Theodore Steinberg\u2019s Nature Incorporated for me helped further enforce the idea that humanity and nature coexist in his discussion of the industrial growth in New England and its interactions with water.\u00a0 Steinberg discusses the relationship between nature and society, both economically and legally, and in doing so shows how humans coexisted with nature by controlling … <\/p>\n