e-portfolio for Branden Kim (Hyunsoo Kim)

Branden Kim's choice for Best Paragraph:

As I watch the earth rise from the Lunar Sands Casino, various scenarios of the future storm my mind. They differ greatly; one shows cities in ruins under a perpetually gray sky caused by a nuclear winter, while another depicts humans existing with one another and nature in perfect harmony. While these two visions are on opposite ends of the prophetic spectrum, they are both possible outcomes for the human race. I agree with both Nye and Carson in that there is not one single, definite future; there are far too many choices that lie ahead to accurately prophesize what the next fifty years will bring. However, regardless of whether the world of 2064 will lay in ruins or prosperity, it will be technology that leads us to our fate. Technology has always been a part of being human; nature gave us no other way to survive. We do not have sharp claws or teeth to hunt prey; we are not particularly powerful or fast; we do not have fur to keep us warm or a thick hide to protect us from predators; but what we do have, and what has been the only thing that has kept our species alive and dominant for tens of thousands of years, sits between our ears. We have sharpened spears to hunt prey; we have worked as a team to overcome our individual weakness; we have sewn furs together into clothing so we do not freeze during the winter. Our ability to create objects to solve the issues of survival is our greatest, and possibly our only gift. Therefore, it really is impossible to envision a future society of humans in the absence of technology. Even if we exaggerate Merchant’s wishes of returning to the ways of our primitive ancestors, science would still be present; bows and arrows and teepees were still considered modern technology at one point. As Robert Frost would agree, we stand where two roads diverge; both end in drastically different places, however it is science and technology that will bring us to the either destination.

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“Ultimately, the world’s carrying capacity is not a scientific fact but a social

construction.”

In recent history, the topic of overpopulation gained attention. Overpopulation, as many believed, will bring crisis such as starvation and spreading of diseases throughout the world. There would not be enough source of food for everyone and whether or not the person may live or die depends on the concept of the survival of the fittest. However, as Nye states, “Ultimately, the world’s carrying capacity is not a scientific fact but a social construction,” he asserts that the world’s ultimate capacity of people animals, plants, and the whole population in general depends on the way our society is constructed and not on any previously set scientific values. Like Nye, I concur with the idea that social construction affects the world’s carrying capacity economically and culturally.

David E. Nye uses Daniel Defoe’s classic “Robinson Cruesoe” (1719) as an
example to solidify his view on the ecological crisis. Robinson Cruesoe is a seaman who was stranded on a deserted island off the coast of South America for over 26 years. In a location with zero human population other than Cruesoe himself, he managed to build fortified shleters, catch fish, tame goats, weave baskets, make pottery, and even farm. His means of survival depended upon using his knowledge to obtain the necessities from his surroundings. Nye makes a point that Cruesoe did not become superior because he had metal tools and weapons. He also brings up that Cruesoe did not build tables, chairs, or any of the furniture although he had the knowledge to due to the reason that those items were not necessary for the means of survival. It is not the science itself but together with social construction that will affect the world’s carrying capacity.

It can be clearly stated from our common sense of knowledge that total
population had risen dramatically throughout the last century. As the number of people increased throughout the last century, the advancements in technology had also been taking place, which led to the changes in the ways people lived and utilized the nature around us. “Landscapes are part of the infrastructure of existence, and they are inseparable from the technologies that people have used to shape land and to shape their vision,” stated Nye. (Nye, 89) In this quote, Nye is trying to state that technologies and landscapes go together. The more changes in landscapes, there are usually more technological advancements. For example, Japan’s increasing population has become a concern for the Japanese government. For this reason, the Japanese has been building high-rises, but the problem with this was that Japan is frequently hit with earthquakes. Therefore they utilized the technology of high-rises being able to withstand earthquakes in order to maximize the space for their overpopulation. Japan’s population has reached to about 128 million by 2009. If the number 128 million occurred at the time around 200 years ago, without a doubt there will be catastrophic events such as mass starvation and deaths caused by diseases which results from unsanitary conditions. Nonetheless,technology and the ways of our social construction has changed the ill-fate.

People once thought that the world population would never stop increasing
until food would run out for people to suffer from starvation. They believed that all of our natural resources are going to be used up so there would not be any substitues for our necessary energy. It turned out to be false however, since technologies have changed people’s social conditions and lives. People started having lesser number of babies because the average life expectancy sore up due to better medicine and surplus of food. It was not the matter of survival anymore but the matter of commodity. I agree with Nye’s idea that social construction affects the world’s carrying capacity since the world has become more liberal than religious from the past and this also took account in producing less children in the family.

Many of certain natural resources are running out, but our societies are working to produce different ways of energy efficient technologies. We always have alternative plans when things start to go in a negative way. Technology is reasonable for this, and as long as our societies are ready to adapt to new changes and prepare for the better future,our world’s population seems bearable. I agree with Nye that there is no set limit to the world’s carrying capacity.