>'In pursuing conquest, C20th humans elminated the constraints that once
>guided human relations with the rest of Creation and in so doing destroyed
>much of the natural world. IN pursuing conquest, C20th hmans also
>eliminated the rules that once guided human relations between people.
>Conquest generated barbarism on an unprecedented scale.'
>
>William J. Lines False Economy: Australia in the C20, p.312
I am sorry, but I cannot let this quote pass in silence. There is ample
evidence that no such constraints ever systematically guided human
interaction with the natural world: ecological destruction is no special
mark of the C20 humans. The best documented cases are, of course the most
recent ones: human destruction of the megafauna (some of which is not all
that mega) in New Zealand, the Pacific Island, and Madagascar. But I think
the circumstanical brief for similar effects in the Americas and Australia
are compelling, though in the nature of the case absolute proof is not an
option for those cases. Nor is the pre-twentieth century record of
human/human interaction glowing. Why on earth would we expect it to be? So
let us not romanticise these other cultures. It's no more appropriate than
the earlier habit of demonising them.
Kim
Dr Kim Sterelny
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and
Philosophy, RSSS, Australian National University
Just to point out the obvious, the law is a constraint upon criminal
activity, but that does not imply that criminal activity does not take
place. Lines is not suggesting that no ecological destruction took place in
the past, merely that it was subject to constraints of various kinds; his
thesis is that in modernity ecological destruction is argued for as a good
in itself.
'Conquest' is a very nicely chosen word, since it implies a fully
thought-out, well-organised campaign, not just incidental destruction.
And so on and so forth.
John Leonard
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
John Leonard (Dr),
PO Box 243,
Woden, ACT 2606,
Australia
http://www.spirit.net.au/~jleonard
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