...Man and Nature Have you ever stopped to think about the relationship between yourself and Mother Nature? For most people chances are slim to none, in fact many may not even consider the fact that there might even be any kind of relationship between nature and themselves. As far as anyone might be concerned in today’s society, nature could just mean their backyard, or neighborhood park. In reality there is much more to you and I and this wilderness we refer to as nature. In this paper I argue that there exists a higher connection between man and nature that serves to unify all living things. Today, man and nature are commonly referred to in opposition of one another. Man destroys nature in order to expand and urbanize while nature destroys all man creates over time. People tend to see nature as some uncontrollable wild factor full of danger and chaos. Many think like Thomas Hobbes who would say that the very state of nature is chaotic; that if man were without society he would be inherently evil selfish with only self interest in mind and life would be lonely, difficult and short. However, if taken from a Rousseauian stand point, nature and man share an interest for self-preservation giving them a natural sense of compassion and the state of nature is calm and peaceful. I would have to say that the Rousseauian perspective makes more sense and ties into reality better than Hobbes’s state of nature. The main reason being that all nature moves towards a state of homeostasis...
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...Nature as a Teacher Teacher is a person who gives us knowledge. But a teacher need not always be a person, just like: NATURE acts a perfect teacher to us. The trees, the skies, the stars, the oceans & the animals, all teach us something in some way. The knowledge given by nature is just like any lesson given by a teacher. But the lessons give us an idea about the morals & mechanism of life. Nature being a teacher & a mother to us teaches us these various paths through both her beauty & fury. Mother Nature’s widespread beauty has different horizons through which she manages to give us basic values of life just like a teacher & a mother. Whenever the seasons change from the withering leaves in autumn, chilling & lifeless winter, colourful flowers blooming in spring to the bright sun shining in summer, she teaches us how we all will have varied phrases of life and how these changes are inevitable. Also by the constant change of day & night, she tells us that we should not lose hope during the dark times because happier times are bound to come back as nothing in life stays forever. Also after every gloomy rain shower, there will be a rainbow to show us the forthcoming sunny days. She teaches us that after every bad experience, a ray of hope will appear to beautify things. The ever flowing rivers and oceans teach us how life keeps on going regardless of the various obstacles which can be overcome with strength & courage of heart. The way little creature...
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...between people and nature. Interpretation can be seen as a process of narrowing this divide by building “bridges”, across unfamiliar territory, to places of deeper care and understanding. The definition of interpretation is: A mental representation of the meaning or significance of something. The interpreter is one who develops the meaning of a place and the living things, its processes and human interactions. Interpretation happens in many ways, from guided tours to brochures, signboards, slideshows, live performances and many others. Without hands-on experience, it is impossible for someone to acquire a deeper understanding of the natural world. Interpretation delivers multiple perspectives in a culturally compassionate way. The main function of an interpretation center is to promote a creative learning atmosphere, seeking to reveal to the visitors the significance of cultural or historical heritage of the surrounding environment. The main objective is nature education. This is achieved by hosting tours of the land/sea-scape, informative classes and hands on interaction with the environment, in an effort to create awareness and promote biodiversity, conservation and ecotourism. Usually located within a protected open space, these “nature” centers often have trails through their property. Some centers are located within a state or city park, and some contain facilities where various plants are cultivated for exhibition. Their properties can be characterized as nature preserves and...
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...Hallee Callizo English 101/Dahlman Final Essay 2 13 March 2015 In John McPhee’s, The Control of Nature he talks about how no matter what you think should happen nature will continue doing things in its own way. In the chapters“Cooling the Lava” and “Los Angeles against the Mountains” the situations and catastrophes that have caused harm to these places demonstrate that Mother Nature has its own way of life and people cannot simply stop what is happening. With McPhee telling his readers that people who try to change or stop nature need to realize that this attempt is futile, because humans cannot control nature. They cannot stop the volcanoes from erupting lava or can we stop the boulders from falling down the mountain. In the book/monograph/treatise, in the chapter “Cooling the Lava” Thorbjorn, who is a native from Iceland has this idea that he will stop the lava from flooding by cooling. With his logic of cooling the lava, the water would reduce the heat in order to create a wall of cooled lava that would dam the flow. “The lava should be cooled not so much by the edge as by the acre, and that called not only for more pumps but also for the development of material and personnel up on top of the advancing flow”(McPhee 98). With this being said, it should be obvious that humans cannot be the ones to stop Mother Nature. The destruction the lava has made is a big mess we face. It is destroying the homes of many people, but that is only affecting the people who live there...
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...Christine V. McLelland GSA Distinguished Earth Science Educator in Residence Reviewers and Contributors: Gary B. Lewis Director, Education and Outreach, Geological Society of America Contributing GSA Education Committee members: Rob Van der Voo University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. Keith A. Sverdrup University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis. Mary M. Riestenberg College of Mount Saint Joseph, Cincinnati, Ohio Virginia L. Peterson Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Mich. Wendi J.W. Williams University of Arkansas, Little Rock, Ark. Sandra Rutherford Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Mich. Larissa Grawe DeSantis University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla. Aida Awad Des Plaines, Ill. Stephen R. Mattox Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Mich. Steve Boyer Tacoma, Wash. Jo Laird University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H. Cover image: A basalt dike cuts through rocks of Permain age on Wasp Head, NSW Australia. Photo by Gary B. Lewis. Table of Contents What is Science? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Scientific Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Observation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Hypothesis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Experiment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Evaluation . . . ....
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...The concept of “nature” has an abounding quantity of meanings and, even though none of them has to be taken as characteristic of Romanticism, its importance cannot be denied. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, nature is “all the animals, plants, rocks, etc. in the world and all the features, forces, and processes that happen or exist independently of people, such as the weather, the sea, mountains, the production of young animals or plants, and growth”. However, Marcel Isnard stated in Nature (1992) that “nature also means the principle or power that animates or even creates the objects of nature, and we speak of the laws of nature, sometimes spelt Nature.” (p. 185). Marcel continues with the idea that the interest of the Romantics in...
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...Preserve the Nature Imagine a world without nature – without trees, oceans, mountains, flowers, waterfalls, forest and everything that will be missing. What a horrible thought, right? It is the same thing as imagining yourself in a lifeless world. How can one go on with their life without nature? I doubt anyone can survive. Humans are merely one of the many organisms that will not survive without nature. This is why it is important to not be selfish and preserve our nature for the future generations. That favorite flower of yours is a part of nature. Nature is the natural, physical, or material world or universe. It is the world around us, except for human-made phenomena. Wildlife, weather, and simple things like rocks are all part of it. There is no denying that Mother Earth has serious problems. The most obvious is pollution. The air, water, and land are all polluted. Global warming caused by excessive greenhouse emission is evident. People abuse natural resources that they are being depleted in such a fast rate. Other tribulations the nature faces are crisis of waste disposal, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion among others. It is saddening that nature experiences these tragedies yet, it seemed only some people show concern. “Nature is not a place to visit. It is a home.” This was quoted from Gary Synder himself, a poet laureate of Deep Ecology. I will picture home here as a structure where one lives. Of course we clean and take...
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...Human Nature Nature in itself is like its own author it creates symbols naturally and can also set moods. Robert Frost’s After Apple Picking is about how it is human nature to take a break. Frost’s Mending Wall is about how it is normal for us humans to be guarded. These poems are similar in that they both use symbols and nature to reveal the speaker’s feelings of regret and security however; they are different in that their overall messages are not the same. Frost’s feelings of regret and security are conveyed through symbols and nature in both of these poems. In After Apple Picking Frost talks about his regrets as apples such as the “barrel that [he] didn’t fill” (After Apple Picking 3) which means that he didn’t finish doing something. He also said that that there were “apples [he] didn’t pick up” (5) which were opportunities not taken advantage of. When frost says he is “done with apple-picking (6) it shows that he is done with working or what he is doing because his regrets keep coming back to him. A way that nature shows his feelings are how this poem takes place at the end of apple picking which is end of fall beginning of winter. In winter animals hibernate and take long rests which frost is contemplating or if he is “just [feeling] some human sleep” (42) coming on. This means that he wants his feelings of regret to go away but wondering if it is humanly normal to do so. In Mending Wall the wall itself symbolizes security. When Frost says that he and his neighbor...
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...The nature versus nurture issue of sport is very controversial. When we come to talk about great athletes we tend to ask ourselves a question that has been around every since sports have started- are great athletes born or made? From my experiences, and other professional athlete’s experiences, I can tell you that they are made. I believe that you can achieve anything life if you want it bad enough, and are willing to do everything you can to achieve it. For instance, NBA great Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers is an un-athletic, skinny person who overcame leg deformities as a child that prevented him from walking. He had to wear leg braces for several years until his leg problems were corrected enough for him to start walking again. Eventually, Miller went on to play in the NBA for 13 seasons, while setting the record for most 3-point shots made (Beyond the Glory: Reggie Miller 2004). Therefore, in my opinion, Miller was not a “born” athlete. I feel that he worked hard to develop his skill, and make it into the NBA. On the other hand, many people believe that genetics make up good athletes. They believe that people are born with the ability to become a great athlete. For instance, people believe that Reggie Miller was born with genes that would make him a good basketball player since he was born with potential to grow tall. Miller is now 6’6, and almost every great basketball player surpasses the height of 6’4. Therefore, being tall gives you an advantage in basketball,...
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...In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, New York City asked The Nature Conservancy to prepare a conceptual study on how a mix of natural and built defenses could be implemented in a dense urban area. Now, the results of that study, Integrating Natural Infrastructure into Urban Coastal Resilience, are in. What is the Integrating Natural Infrastructure into Urban Coastal Resilience Case Study all about? The Nature Conservancy prepared the report by request from the New York City Special Initiative for Rebuilding to evaluate the role of nature and natural infrastructure in protecting coastal communities in New York City from some of the impacts of climate change. The community of Howard Beach, Queens, an area that was hard hit during Hurricane Sandy, was selected as a representative neighborhood for conceptually addressing the use of natural systems as part of a resilience strategy in the face of a changing climate and future storm events. Why was Howard Beach picked for the study? Howard Beach is low-lying and very flat, leaving it vulnerable to storm events and flooding. The 10-foot storm surge that flooded Howard Beach during Sandy left it under water and caused significant damage. Given its profile and how badly it was impacted by Hurricane Sandy, Howard Beach was a good model of a vulnerable coastal community that could be applied to other New York City and national communities. Although Howard Beach was used in the analysis, the study methodology is applicable to coastal communities...
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...edition of Nature with a passage from the Neoplatonic philosopher Plotinus. The 1849 second edition included instead a poem by Emerson himself. Both present themes that are developed in the essay. The passage from Plotinus suggests the primacy of spirit and of human understanding over nature. Emerson's poem emphasizes the unity of all manifestations of nature, nature's symbolism, and the perpetual development of all of nature's forms toward the highest expression as embodied in man. Nature is divided into an introduction and eight chapters. In the Introduction, Emerson laments the current tendency to accept the knowledge and traditions of the past instead of experiencing God and nature directly, in the present. He asserts that all our questions about the order of the universe — about the relationships between God, man, and nature — may be answered by our experience of life and by the world around us. Each individual is a manifestation of creation and as such holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe. Nature, too, is both an expression of the divine and a means of understanding it. The goal of science is to provide a theory of nature, but man has not yet attained a truth nbroad enough to comprehend all of nature's forms and phenomena. Emerson identifies nature and spirit as the components of the universe. He defines nature (the "NOT ME") as everything separate from the inner individual — nature, art, other men, our own bodies. In common usage, nature refers to...
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...Human Nature Harlow, so out of touch with normal human nature himself, shed so much light on the subject. Being an odd boy infused with drama went into so much detail in explaining our human nature using monkeys, an animal that is not human. Answers born from a paradox. Testing on the monkeys to see what their level of love was held to, as it turns out, not much. They could attach emotionally to just about anything, but the lack of connection with something living limited their social level. Monkeys still needed to be taught within their instincts and they need to be comfortable with living connections. Love is a very difficult subject because it is not concrete. To test something you cannot see you have to come at it from every angle to try and build something you metaphorically can see, so with love comes cruelty. To start with his early conceptions that the monkeys needed something soft to bond with was true but they were not socially acceptable, which is understandable. As a baby, it is common to latch onto something that is there, i.e. a blanket but that blanket cannot raise us. Even with something else providing nutrients, a blanket cannot teach up what is acceptable and how to go about living a daily life. I assumed that would be common sense, but...
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...Nature has always been a source of astonishment and fear for mankind. The natural world is deeply rooted in the formation of all societies, religions, and cultures. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne explores the interaction between nature and man. The setting of the Hester Prynne’s tale is in an American Puritan town, in the middle of a forest. It is physically surrounded by nothing but nature, yet the Puritans renounce that part of their lives completely. The natural world serves to contrast the rigid and structured, yet often bizarre behavior of the Puritans. Although nature is often described in peculiar and frightening ways in The Scarlet Letter, the reader realizes that they can find many of its characteristics in themselves....
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... Nurture is what we are molded in as growing up but at the same time Nature is our personality, intelligence, aggression and sexual orientation are also encoded in each individual DNA. Nature can be defined in many ways I personally define it as life in general things that are natural in life plants, animals, and weather even from a baby coming into this world that is nature. Genetics vs. Environment you might hear someone say to you ‘‘you and your mother act so much alike” or “your following in your fathers foot steps”, however parents and guardians do play the key role in shaping a child personality. But, nature does most of the real work. The environment does influence most personality traits while the rest are genetics. Often times I role out of the bed and the weather is dreadful and I crawl right back in cancelling all my daily routines. What will you define that as? I will classify that as nature for the reason that if the weather was beautiful I would have been in a better mood and start my day; because the sun is shinning and at that moment you’re in a much pleasant mood. Page 72 & 73 in the Society textbook by John J. Macionis looks upon the Role of Nature as determining a person is innately gay, or holds any characteristics of that of a criminal. Page 1 of 3 I ssues of nature vs. nurture are still debated in the scientific community. There is no...
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...we can become and our surroundings build the rest. Some psychologists strongly believe that genetics have fairly little to do with people's personalities but rather it is our surroundings, culture, and traditions that shape who we are. According to Saul McLeod, author of "Nature Nurture in psychology from Simply Psychology, "At the other end of the spectrum are the environmentalists – also known as empiricists (not to be confused with the other empirical / scientific approach). Their basic assumption is that at birth the human mind is a tabula rasa (a blank slate) and that this is gradually “filled” as a result of experience." Other people for nurture believe our childhood and experiences are the only thing that determines how well each individual deals with social situations. In the article "Taking the 'vs.' out of nature vs. nurture" the author, Alana Snibbe, states how culture is a big part of nurture and who we are. Culture is humans way of answering life's unanswerable questions and it's this that shapes a lot about how we think and our individual psychology. People who believe in the same things are probably going to think alike and act alike. Obviously, there are some very extreme cases where nature is taken out of the debate all together and nurture is the sole factor to why someone behaves the way they do. Some examples are an abusive parent, being abandoned or neglected and always being in someone's shadow. These situations have a much bigger effect on humans than any...
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