When Nye makes this statement, he means that the limits that exist for our world are not absolute, rather he claims that they are based on when they're made. (for there is a direct correlation between the epoch in which these limits are stated, because they depend on how much we consume during that time period).

Different eras have ushered in different mental sets about everything around us, but they have all included a place for our planet. The Earth, and Nature have had many roles throughout the centuries, and these roles have depended on what the civilization's culture and objectives were. That is were the idea of limits sets in. If the world was man's tool, it was viewed as limitless, because it was in their interest to have it that way. But if it was regarded as a living thing with a hihger purpose than to provide for mankind, it was viewed as having limits and thresholds just as any other living, breathing thing.

However, despite the fact that societies have adapted their view of the world so as to best fit their universal scheme, there is such a thing as a scientific fact, and an absolute truth about the world. Nye claims that the world does not have limits, but it does. it isn't a magically endless source of wealth, nor is it an unmutable system. We are capable of, and already have, disturbed the balance that all living things have enjoyed for millions of years. This isn't a matter of perspective. It doesn't depend on your political views. This is an absolute and scientific fact.

Nye says that "it's limits are our own". It is true that within these limits we can change our lifestyes and adapt our needs and desires to vary WHEN these limits are reached, but that they will be reached is beyond question.

It can be viewed as a mathematical equation. However the Left-hand side is modified(us), the right-hand side varies accordingly(time left before the limit are reached) but inevitably, the result will be produced.

Social construction about the world have merely been attempts to avoid guilt for the society's actions. They have been campaigns of misinfrmation to selfishly pursue the society;s goals, or to justify their beliefs. This is the case of the colonists, who needed to believe the new land they had arrived at was one of plenty, and theirs for the taking, as well as the church, who's view of the world, despite changing multiple times, was always used for power over the people(flat world, geocentric universe).

Even now, when our knowledge has proven the existence of such limits, there are still groups of people determined to deny this ultimate truth and keep on instauring their personal views in order to keep benefitting themselves (oil and coal campanies lobbyists)

Through trial and error we have modified our social views on the world and nature, and we will eventually come closer and closer to the ultimate truth. The only question that remains now is the question of when this will occur.

E portfolio Lani Rush Paper 3

How Many People Can the Earth Hold?
Just last year, many news stories covered the birth of the six billionth person. This story lead to much speculation on the limits of the Earth’s population and the rate of growth of the total population. Many cited improvements in natal care and increased longevity s precursors to overpopulation. In “Ecological Crisis or Sustainable Abundance,” Nye addresses the issue of “carrying capacity” and how it relates to modern technology. His final conclusion that carry capacity is not a specific number, but rather an effect of cultural choices, results from analysis of technological advancement and environmental repercussions. I believe that culture and nature are intertwined, especially as highlighted in the difference between living in the Midwest and the Northeast.
Nye’s essay begins with the progession of technology that changed civilization. Nye traces the evolution of agricultural technologies of the United States from its origins in New England to the farms of California and Arizona. The progression from family, subsistence farming to industrialized farming to “irrigated agribusiness” has increased both mechanization and productivity in agriculture. This increased productivity provides for increased food supplies and general wealth, contributing to population expansion. The increased industralization of the land also caused a cultural shift. While humanity was seen as stewards of the land in family farming, the land became “a source of raw materials to be exploited for human development” by the early 1900’s.
Nye then shifts focus from the technologic progress in the United States to a European view of the after effects of mechanization on natural resources. Europeans began mechanization earlier, thus encountered the environmental effects of “deforestation, fuel shortages, air and water pollution…almost 700 years previous to the United States.” The Europeans then proceeded to export damaging agricultural techniques to their colonies. Although productivity and material goods had increased from the pre-colonial era, was the increased abundance worth the environmental sacrifice?
It is true, the average quality of life increases with every generation, but what of the happiness of each successive generation? There is no true account of intergenerational contentment, and Nye acknowledges that thinkers have realized “that people can easily become slaves to what they own.” This indicates a rejection of the modern cultural value that material possesions are the yardstick by which one measure’s one’s happiness. The idea that possesions are enslaving also seems to contradict the technological progression of the 19th and 20th centuries, but it is possible to find a common ground. Modern technology accounts for the ease of living which we in the developed world are fortune to experiene while providing surplus to those in underdeveloped locales. While some harmful farming techniques reach their peak in certain areas, they are being abandoned in another. This is a result of a cultural choice.
One personal experience I have had of cultural choices hsaping the environment comes from my move from the Midwest to the Northeast. The Northeast supports far more people in a smaller amount of space than does the Midwest and that can be linked to the differing cultures of each region. People in the Northeast mostly bike or use public transit to commute, live in smaller spaces usch as apartments and more modest houses, and tend to be more vegetarian. People in the Midwest tend to use cars as the preferred mode of transport, eat meat at many meals, and live in large houses with yards. These few differences contribute to the population density difference between the two regions and this is a microscale example of how culture shapes our environment. Truly, “Nature’s limits are our culture’s.”

The Future

critrical theory: a short primer

This video outlines some of the basic terms and names connected to critical theory. As you read Ecological Revolutions, note the influence of Max Horkheimer on Merchant's view of Bacon, Descartes, and the purported connection between capitalism, imperialism, and western science.

Pocahontas: Colors of the Wind

A song from Disney's Pocahontas that portrays native Americans as a race more connected to the land and nature.

did you know?

This video is similar to the one played for engineers at the beginning of the school year. It shows how quickly technology is evolving, and how we are the ones changing it.

It seems that it will soon overpower us, and yet we are allowing it to do so, we are basically creating and improving what is controlling us.

This video shows a technological determinism, yet it shows the positive side, and speaks favorably of it. In fact, it asks what should "we" do in the face of these changes, not how should we make these changes suit us...

the "Crying Indian" ad

As you begin to read Carolyn Merchant's book Ecological Revolutions this week, please consider the claims she makes about Native American culture in her opening chapters in relation to our broader historical assumptions about the relationship between indigenous cultures and the environment. In addition to the above advertisement, what other cultural artifacts (such as novels, poems, and films) have presented the idea that Native American peoples are inherently "closer to nature"?