A Radical Notion of Wilderness

University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 3-5-2003 Dwellness: A Radical Notion of Wilderness Martin J. Wortman University of South Florida Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons Scholar Commons Citation Wortman, Martin J., "Dwellness: A Radical Notion of Wilderness" (2003). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1509 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Dwellness: A Radical Notion of Wilderness by Martin J. Wortman A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Willis H. Truitt, Ph.D. James A. Bell Roy C. Weatherford Peter A. French Date of Approval: March 5, 2003 Keywords: environment, environmentalism, environmental ethics, philosophy, wilderness © Copyright 2003, Martin J. Wortman Dedication For my wife Jill and my daughter Riva – and for the world she will inherit. Acknowledgements I wish to thank the faculty, staff, and students of the University of South Florida Department of Philosophy. My time there has been truly rewarding, enriching, and inspiring. I also extend special thanks to the department’s graduate program assistant, Darlene Corcoran, for her patience and hard work that enabled me to complete my dissertation and defense. I would also note the contributions of various educators who I have learned from throughout my life. I am grateful to all of you. Table of Contents Abstract iii Introduction 1 Chapter One: Dominion and Domination 9 Judeo-Christian Dominion 10 Subdue the Earth 14 Lockean Dominion 22 Chapter Two: What is Wrong with Wilderness? 35 The Received View of Wilderness 37 Satan’s Home and God’s Temple 48 The Sublime 53 The Frontier 58 Pernicious Ethnocentrism 64 The Wilderness Paradox 74 Chapter Three: The Cash Value of Wilderness 81 The Other 82 Wildness (not Wilderness) Value 87 Wilderness and Radical Ecology 92 Chapter Four: Heidegger’s Perspective 104 The Being of Dasein 110 I Find Myself in a World 116 “The Worldliness of the World” 120 Care and Concern 126 Chapter Five: Dwellness 131 Enframing 145 Chapter Six: Is Nuclear Waste Natural? 158 The Natural 159 Degrees of Artificiality 165 Using Nature 168 i Conclusion: In the Future 171 References 175 About the Author End Page ii Dwellness: A Radical Notion of Wilderness Martin J. Wortman ABSTRACT The contemporary concept of wilderness, which is central to environmental theory and activism, is both a help and a hindrance to government policy and to popular environmental beliefs. The Judeo-Christian religious tradition and Locke’s property theory provides much of the western cultural and historical basis of humans’ environmental attitudes that basically engender exploitation. I argue that a more precise interpretation of Genesis and of Locke reveals that both sources actually promote environmental stewardship while decrying ecological abuse. Next I analyze the history and shortcomings of various wilderness concepts. These shortcomings are all forms of an exclusionist mentality and result in some harmful theoretical and practical applications. Some of these applications include the separation of humans from nature, and the propensity of governments and the public to allow ecological degradation in non- wilderness areas. Yet there are beneficial aspects to wilderness that contribute to a deeper understanding of human nature and our place in the world. Wilderness helps us to remember our wild and primal aspects that provide a connection with nature. In light of the perils and power of wilderness I offer a new, radical, inclusive, and expansive notion of wilderness that I name “dwellness.” Dwellness is a normative ethical position where all areas upon the earth ought to be viewed by people in the same way as wilderness areas iii are currently viewed, but with some modifications. Unlike wilderness, dwellness includes humans within nature and also contains the idea of sustainable living practices. To support dwellness I turn to Martin Heidegger. By identifying the world as a place where we dwell and in which we belong, we come to a more profound understanding of Being, or existence, in general and of our own particular modes of being. By learning to look at the world in this new, yet old, way we may then understand how important and central is the world, a mode of Being, to the existence and maintenance of our Being. Finally, I answer some possible objections to dwellness. These objections revolve around problems of industrial pollution (waste), which, under dwellness, would have to be considered natural. iv Introduction When someone utters the word ‘wilderness’ listeners typically envision a pristine forested area that is relatively free of human activity except for the occasional hiker or camper. Others who hear ‘wilderness’ may also imagine a prairie, an ocean, an arctic tundra, or perhaps a desert. What these listeners typically do not envision is a city, a suburb, or a farm. Why is there such a distinction between what is and what is not wilderness? One of the most important philosophical activities is to investigate assumptions and to question them. This work attempts, in part, to ferret out the assumptions that underlie the idea of wilderness and to show that the idea of wilderness is flawed. But this investigation will also show that the idea has merit. The idea of wilderness is in error because it excludes humans from nature. Many environmentalists desire this exclusion in hopes to preserve natural ecosystems from the ravages of human industry. While such a move is often well meaning and wise, it sets up various theoretical problems about how humans think of their world and their place in it. The exclusionist attitude is thus a paradox: by excluding humans, ecosystems may be saved from human destruction while at the same time humans feel that they are not part of nature. If people feel that they are not part of nature then it is virtually impossible for them to consider ideas such as preservation, saving whales, or living in harmony with nature. This exclusion leads to a host of other negative consequences that manifest in practical and theoretical ways. In an 1 attempt to solve this dilemma I then proffer a new idea whose basis is wilderness. My new idea, which I call ‘dwellness’, is inclusive rather than exclusive and forces one to reconsider where we draw boundaries within the world and within our minds. Chapter One is a brief historical review of what I consider to be two important components of modern environmental thinking for the western world: the Judeo-Christian religious tradition and the private property theory of John Locke. Many environmentalists typically blame these two views for leading to negative effects upon peoples’ thoughts about the natural world. From the Judeo-Christian view comes the idea that nature is evil and must be conquered. From John Locke comes the idea of a right to private property. Under this right one may purchase a parcel of the earth and do with it as one may please, even if that activity is environmentally destructive. I argue that these two views (the Judeo-Christian and the Lockean), in their original interpretations, actually promote positive and healthy human activity towards the environment. Later interpreters of the Torah and of Locke twisted the original intentions of these two perspectives to suit various political, economic, and social aims, many of which have led to current environmental problems. Both the Judeo-Christian tradition and Locke may actually be used as champions of environmental welfare and such an interpretation actually comes closer to the true and original intent of both Locke and the writer(s) of the Torah. This first chapter is not so much a genealogy as it is a starting point to correct thinking about wilderness. Just as Locke and the Torah are negatively and incorrectly interpreted by various environmentalists, so too is wilderness positively and yet incorrectly interpreted on many counts. 2 In Chapter Two I trace some of the more recent philosophical underpinnings for wilderness and show many of its negative consequences. By excluding humans from nature, proponents of wilderness, often unwittingly, encourage people to think of non- wilderness areas as not deserving of the same special consideration accorded to wilderness areas. Thus one may fall into a trap where it is justifiable to dump pesticides onto farming soil but the same action cannot be done at Yosemite, even if the wood borer insect ravishes thousand of acres of trees within the park. Wilderness attitudes also lead to the forced removal of indigenous peoples from officially designated wilderness areas. While preventing people from ravaging nature is indeed noble, removing the indigenous peoples is suspect because the areas from which they are removed are their traditional homelands where they have lived for hundreds if not thousands of years. Further, indigenous peoples typically live in such a way that their activities do not negatively impact the natural ecosystem upon which they depend for survival. Given this fact, removal of indigenous peoples is hardly justifiable. Another negative consequence of wilderness is what one author calls a “snap-shot” mentality. Governments set aside wilderness areas to be preserved and untouched by humans in an attempt to freeze the land in time. This creation of a museum piece, or a snapshot photo image of a wilderness area, ignores reality. Over time, all things change in some manner by whatever means, be it human or nonhuman activity.

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