This post is due by Tuesday, September 24 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Chapter 5.
ReplyDelete1. Although some technological inventions harm nature in the end, there are a lot of things we can do now that potentially help our environment. Windmills, for example, allow us to harvest wind to get power more efficiently. If we developed more technology like this, we would not be in the situation we are now.
2. Sometimes it’s harder than others to control the way everyone treats the environment depending on that particular region’s social management. Monarchies, for example, have a harder time coordinating the production of resources or implementing some sort of agricultural policy because it would face resistance.
3. Population growth causes the need for more food and, suddenly, the country has to start to find ways to get that food. When they are in that kind of panic, they do whatever they can and end up destroying the environment in the process.
Chapter 6.
1. European takers are really the reason why a lot of things are the way they are today. Regions used to have very different biospheres until the Europeans started to travel and bring with them new technologies and livestock and really broadened the cultures of many different countries and islands. They even dominated other cultures’ economies with their own.
2. When Europeans brought new things to different lands, it wasn’t all good. The ecosystems had to change because there were new animals and plant species living there that weren’t native to the environment. This caused an imbalance.
3. By implementing Europe’s economy on other cultures, this also caused an imbalance. They were implementing different productions in places where they weren’t native and because they planted new trees, for example, all in one place, they were soon taken out, and then that economy suffered.
Question:
What would the world look like today if Europeans hadn’t taken over and had such an influence on other societies?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. In Mediaeval Europe, Taker civilization grew and prospered. This is evident especially in the Mediterranean area, with Florence as a European power. Its currency, wealth and prosperity was evident in the entirety of Europe, however, this all came at a cost. With the enormous expansion of population at the time, it lead to economic disaster and decimated the once forested European landscape. The population also swiftly declined with the introduction of the Bubonic Plague in the 1300s.
2. In the Polynesian area of the Pacific, Taker civilization invaded and conquered a ridiculous amount of islands, most of which were isolated from each other. The Polynesian Takers expanded their grasp around the Pacific, bringing with them plants and animals not native to the islands they explored. They made use of the ecosystem and manipulated it with methods such as slash and burn agriculture and replaced what wasn’t useful. This resulted in the extinction of a lot of the indigenous species. However, this extensive manipulation of the land eventually would lead a large portion of the Takers to disaster and death.
3. While Takers in Europe and Asia had a large track history of destroying the ecosystem, there was a group of Takers in South America who proved to be considerable masters of their environment, almost at the level of Leavers. The Inca were a conservative civilization that had an incredible social structure that supported its entire people. There were no poor, and even those who were orphans, widowed, etc. were taken care of collectively. The Sapa Inca managed the environment and placed many restrictions to prevent the people from destroying the environment. This is a wonderful example of a people living in harmony with nature as a Taker civilization. However, it did only last about a century due to Spanish invasion.
Chapter 6
1. Taker civilization for 10,000 years has tried to subdue nature and show its dominant power of it. A perfect example of this being exercised in a more extreme fashion can be seen in the Netherlands. This part of the Earth is below sea level and was actually reclaimed from the sea by the intensive efforts of Takers. Through the use of technological advances and centuries of experience, the Netherlands is showing to the world the power the Takers have over the environment and perhaps even the impact we Takers can have on it.
2. Takers can be defined as an invasive subspecies of man, with leavers being those who live in harmony with nature. As an invasive subspecies, we Takers use our empiricism as a justification to invade foreign lands for the benefit of the mother country This has not only deteriorated the countries invaded, but also the motherland as is seen in Britain today. Less than 10% of Britain is still forested and the pollution in London and other major cities is enough to change the color of famous structures such as Buckingham palace which were built with light colored stone.
3. Before the Galápagos Islands were visited by Darwin, they had little to no experience with man. The volcanic islands flourished with biodiversity and Darwin noticed that while many species were similar, they each had a special “mutation” or “modification” and this would vary amongst the islands. However, as man, especially Takers started to invade the islands, the invasive species they brought such as weeds, goats and rats began to negatively affect the ecosystem. While today the site is heralded as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is protected, you can still see the effects of Takers.
Question: If the Europeans had not brought their invasive species to the New World, how different would their impact have been on the environment, especially regarding disease, land alteration and the extinction of native species?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. The middle ages saw the rise of Taker education. Their educational systems concentrated on studying the works of the past. This allowed the attitudes towards nature and the role of humans to be persevered and carried on through each new generation. If the philosophers and church decided that the world was created for man, then they would spread the knowledge to the future generations. They had the power to do so because they are the majority. Any differing beliefs that a minority had wouldn’t usually be able to make them widespread. This is effectively what Ishmael is trying to get at with the existence of Mother Culture, who has led us and will continue to lead us to the belief that the Earth was created for man to rule because no other viewpoints are taught.
2. Many important technological innovations were designed in the middle ages. Most of these innovations were tools used for economics, such as farming, sailing, mining, etc. All these new tools contributed to speeding up the damage done to the environment because now more food could be processed and exported to other civilizations for money and better mining methods meant that more wood was necessary for the smelters and mines. This speed up the decline of the forests and weakened soil even more.
3. Disease played a very important role in helping the Takers conquer Leaver civilizations. For example, the Spanish conquest of the Inca was aided by the diseases which they brought with them. These diseases were responsible for deaths of millions of Inca, thus weakening the civilization enormously. The Europeans were not able to avoid disease either. Overpopulation and a lack of sanitation in their larger cities brought many diseases upon them. These diseases helped keep the population in check; however they were eventually able to overcome them and continue population growth.
Chapter 6
1. The industrial revolution transformed agriculture and the economies of Taker civilizations. Rather than producing raw materials, the mightier powers imported these materials and turned them into products, some of which were used by them and others were imported back to the countries from which they came or were sent around the world. Instead of directly affecting the local ecosystems but removing trees or excessively farming, these practices changed the ecosystems from the countries where the goods were being imported from since the damage was done there. This free market economy is motived purely out of self-interest, however it benefits the Taker society as a whole. Industrialization helped increase human control over the environment because it allowed them to manipulate the ecosystems by using dams, sluices, and other such technological advances.
2. The trade between Taker civilizations further increased the spread of animals, plants, and diseases to other countries. The ecosystems of these other countries were overrun by the invasive plants and animals that now ate the food of the native animals and took over the area.
3. The industrial revolution made people more conscious about the environment which was being damaged by industrialization. London, for example, began to notice darkened buildings and smog over the city. They also ran into problems with their water supply after dumping wastes into the rivers. This prompted them to examine options that could be used to reduce the pollution that started with the industrial revolution. The Netherlands and Galapagos Islands began to create parks and protected areas of the environment in order to preserve the ecosystems which had been getting damaged.
Question: Since the human population cannot continue to increase at an exponential rate forever, what will happen to us and our environment when our way of life becomes unsustainable?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. Like many other places we’ve read about, Florence and Europe destroyed their environment in an attempt to make their community better. The destruction of land from sheep and deforestation made their economy thrive, for a time, in the expense of nature.
2. Overpopulation is a main reason many societies fail or has problems. The Polynesians exploited their land until there was not enough to go around. There taker ways produced more tension between tribes and there ability to farm only hurt the environment on land and in the water they lived near.
3. Although the Inca had strong Taker views on nature, they are the first place I’ve read about that emphasized protecting nature and respecting animals. The Inca believed that creatures on Earth belonged to them but there were rules that prohibited people to hunt or cut trees during certain times in respect to nature and to preserve it.
Chapter 6
1. People are finally beginning to realize their impact on the environment and some of the reasons there is downfall. Food surplus leads to higher populations but when all land is deforested there is famine, followed by times of hardship, wars, death, etc.
2. We begin to see that disease is another way societies were broken down. Europeans coming to North America brought with them many illnesses that killed off a majority of the natives, especially in Mexico.
3. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution made places grow in forms of technology, economy, and military. This wave created new problems for the environment such as the pollution of air and water. Once again humans are responsible for the declining health of nature.
When will over population truly come to affect our food sources?
Chapter Five
ReplyDelete1. “In the fourteenth century, nature sent bill collectors in the shape of resource scarcities, famine, and perhaps the Black Death itself.” What's to be said; we reap what we sow? Such an extensive population growth was sure to make a negative impact one way or another; for every action there is at least one repercussion. I must choose to believe that the citizens of Europe truly had no idea what environmental impacts would occur with their advancing technology and thus an increase in population; for if they had, they surely would not have been making ethical decisions with the extensive destruction they bestowed upon nature.
2. It is absolutely fascinating to actually stop and give thought to how lands came to inhibit their unique animals and plant life. In reading about the Polynesians, I was highly interested in their settlement, the ways in which they became combative amongst their own people living on the neighboring islands. Time and time again, it happens that there becomes a scarcity of resources and then humans turn on their own kind. It blows my mind that instead of working together to come up with a solution to alleviate problems as a whole, the answer seems to be combat. Also disturbing is the manner in which attempts to control population were undergone; I regret to have any solutions for such a matter, but how freakishly eery it is to read about innocent babies born to parents of different social rankings being killed and furthermore cannibalism to achieve the strength of brave warriors is just preposterous and disgusting.
3. The Incas had it going on; takers - they may have been, but with an undeniable leaver quality. Even though it was their belief that their managed kingdom was for human benefit and not in consideration that they should live in harmony with Earth and all living creatures, these people behaved more like those following some such religions from chapter four. I must however say that I am not a fan of their belief in sacrificing children.
Chapter Six
ReplyDelete1. The conquest of the Aztecs by the Spanish was quite an invasion, as seems to be a recurring theme throughout Hughes text; when takers take, they do so with audacity, as if there is nothing that is off limits. The Spaniards seemed to have acknowledged the resemblance of Tenochtitlan to their own homeland, so why would they not learn to work alongside the Aztecs rather than enslaving them? The Spaniards felt as though the land belonged to them and made it so by bringing along their own herds, crops, and disease and wiping out the natives.
2. The age of industrialization had a horrific effect on the environment and all populations, human or otherwise. The effects spread from England as far as India and Africa via the trade of cotton, tea, and other materials. Due to such trading in place, England had a lasting impression in Africa and further impacted their environment by killing off the native animal species for sport. The Europeans had gone as far as to include the Africans in their hunts at first, then pull away the weaponry in which they supplied them to hunt with. Similar hunts took place in India in which the hunts were considered to be a privilege for the Europeans; I was unaware that trade would allow such an impact on an ally.
3. The Galapagos Islands are extremely interesting and I have
enjoyed watching programs about the beautiful islands and Darwin's contributions to the study of ecology. I would love to visit one day, but would not be able to do so without feeling like an intruder. It amazes me that after all the efforts to keep the islands preserved, tourism is allowed and posing threats of carrying in potentially invasive species. I realize, as Hughes explains, that some of the tourism proceeds go towards the marine sanctuary, but I would imagine that will all the interest in the islands, there would be enough financial supports going toward the sanctuary that it would be able to float without the revenues from tourism. By prohibiting tourism and only allowing scientists and other researchers to visit and explore, there would be less of threat posed to the islands and their natural biota.
I think John Hughes posed an interesting question in chapter three: which island history will the global trajectory turn out to resemble most?
Chapter 5:
ReplyDelete1. The Middles Ages were a preparatory stage for fast-occurring modern changes to take place. New discoveries were made in technology, exploration, education, government, and agriculture. By the end of the Middle Ages, humankind had reached almost every corner of the earth, with exception to Antarctica and various oceanic islands. This was a time during which Takers expanded rapidly with agriculture to support their population growth.
2. For many human civilizations, such as the Polynesians, competition between groups drastically intensified due to an increasing population and the resultant overuse of the land and resources. Ecological niches quickly became filled, leading to intergroup conflicts over sections of land. In the case of the Polynesians, groups organized themselves together with chiefs in order to compete with others who may threaten their ability to obtain food or other necessary resources. Their need to take from the land became intertwined with the need to take from other humans.
3. The pressure of overpopulation that has caused environmental degradation to islands is a phenomenon that is occurring on a much more global scale concerning Earth as a planet. Hughes points out that with the worldwide expansion of industrial technology and the market economy, Earth has become an island, subjected to destruction just like the actual islands have been subjected to. The same pattern of resource exploitation, depletion of biota, and intergroup conflict seen on islands is occurring on a global scale, putting our planet on a similar trajectory path.
Chapter 6:
1. The Industrial Revolution and the devastating impact this era had on the environment were shaped by the newfound ability to harness the power of fossil fuels such as coal. The production process these new applications allowed for in using sources of power brought about an exponential increase in the exploitation of resources, simultaneously bringing about the beginning of the end for traditional farming methods in Western Europe and North America. Greater numbers of people turned to factory work, leaving fewer people to produce food for the ever-expanding population.
2. The exponential increase in human population that began during the eighteenth century, and continues on in present day, was achieved by the ability to use a bigger and bigger percentage of the energy cycles of the biosphere in food production for humans. With the discovery of new fertilizers, it became possible to grow mass amounts of staple crops such as potatoes and maize, leading to the tendency to homogenize ecosystems and drive native species into extinction. As Ishmael points out, it was during this phase in human history when the Takers perfected the skill of totalitarian agriculture.
3. As Britain became more and more industrialized, the country began to rely heavily on receiving raw materials from ecosystems abroad. With so much land devoted to factories, houses, roads and railways, there was a decrease in Britain’s ability to produce enough food for its own population. This reliance on foreign ecosystems made the exploitation of resources located in distant parts of the globe possible. Being able to count on other ecosystems for their raw materials allowed the people of Britain to focus on further industrialization, as well as on exploration overseas and the conquering of new lands. These new settlers in turn took to removing forests, killing vast numbers of animals, and establishing plantations of products that they could then trade, circling back to fuel the Industrial Revolution.
If both the Agricultural Revolution and Industrial Revolution have brought about such mass destruction of our planet, influenced largely by the human desire for power, how do we ensure revolutions to come do not follow such a detrimental impact on our environment? On some level, does our culture even believe it is possible for humans to change our practices of destroying Earth?
Chapter 5:
ReplyDelete1. Before the human race or “takers” started altering the space that was around them to fit their needs, Earth used to be that of many thriving ecosystems. The people before them, the “leavers”, had learned to live amongst the forests, co-exist in a way with their surrounding ecosystems.
2. The Middle Ages were a time when the relationship between the human race and the environment varied greatly in different parts of the world. According to the Greeks, the inhabited Earth was supposed to unite through travel and communication, and not what it is today.
3. Advances in technology has allowed for the control of nature throughout the years. Along with the control of nature, it has also enables the management of the environment during the Middle Ages.
Chapter 6:
1. European travelers or takers modified the ecosystems they settled in during an early modern period. They did this by introducing animals and plants, extracting resources, deforesting the area, establishing plantations, and killing off the indigenous people that resided there before them.
2. The “Age of Discovery” was known as the time the European explorers sailed across the oceans to different continents, and immediately modified the ecosystem they came across. As soon as they dropped anchor, they started having an effect on the land. They would tend to leave domestic animals that they knew would be able to fend for themselves, such as goats and pigs.
3. The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of the end for traditional farming techniques. They gained additional consequences on the environment due to the increase number of workers in the industrial world that needed to fed and clothed.
Question: If we didn't have those specific technological advances, where would the environment be today?
Chapter 5:
ReplyDelete1. The second paragraph of chapter 5 talks about the Middle Ages "constituted a period in which the relationship of human societies to nature varied greatly in parts of the world distant from one another" (85). It went on to say that ecosystems were stressed by mankind and then were left to flourish. This made me think about the Taker Thunder Bolt and how we rise and then fall and how the environment suffers from it.
2. Medieval agronomic writers were "predominately concerned with estate management, not sustainability" (93) sadly we are doing the same thing today. However we have become better versed on how to manipulate the environment to its maximum yield causing even more damage to it.
3. By the end of the Middle Ages, humankind had occupied almost every land mass on the Earth (excluding Antarctica) and overpopulation was already becoming a threat, especially in individual cultures. It almost always resulted in a food shortage and the people suffering.
Chapter 6:
1. Most colonists believed "that humans could not damage nature or, if they could, it was justifiable in terms of economic growth" (119). European travelers degraded the environment in many ways, they caused deforestation, and introduced invasive species. This was unhealthy not only for the environment but also for the indigenous people whole livd there previous to them.
2. The "Golden Age" of the Dutch was probably named as such because of it's manipulation of water ways and the drying out of fields. It was a time when large water ways and hydraulic infrastructure was installed. Larger and larger lakes were drained by using "empolderment" which is when a lake was encircled by a dike and then a drainage canal on the outside of that.
3. There was a large transformation in the biosphere during the early modern times. A main factor in that was the ever growing human population. Dams were made and lakes were drained, new species were introduced to different ecosystems and forests began to be cut.
Question: Overpopulation has been a leading factor in our negative affects on the environment for thousands of years- How can we actively reduce or population without making everyone angry?
chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. The middle ages is when people started living in a way that was destructive to the environment. The change didn't happen slowly. Quickly people picked up on ways of living that started to effect the natural land immediately
2 Environmental changes caused by humans took place at different rates around the inhabited world. This is because the living habits of people in different places was not the same. Some people learned to make inventions earlier than other places.
3 there was massive deforestation in Florence Italy and the surrounding areas in the middle ages. one indication of how bad the deforestation was is the fact that they created a series of measures to preserve the woodlands.
Chapter 6
1 During the middle ages the industrial revolution officially transformed agriculture, marking the beginning of the end for traditional methods of farming in in western Europe.
2 from the beginnings of European exploration, colonization,and trade in the fifteenth century , the organisms they carried with them cause a major impact on the world. Mexico is a good example because their ecosystems were altered and reduced the abundance of native species.
3 As decades went by more farmland was lost to factories, railroads,roads, houses and facilities like these created the need for landfills, incinerators and disposal of urban waste.
Question: Do you think that controlled population is what initially lead to the beginning of the destruction of the environment?
*abridged because i accidentally hit backspace and navigated away from the page!
ReplyDeleteChapter 5
1. European cultures such as florence used their agricultural improvements to flourish and grow. This population growth was met with a slew of environmental problems. Problems such as deforestation and depletion of grasslands.
2. "The life of the land is sustained through a proper relationship," Something that the europeans of the 14th century did not follow. The destruction of the ecosystem was met with famine and diseases, most definitely caused by the environments mistreatment.
3. Not all large civilizations are subject to environmental devastation. The Inca empire had conservationist mentalities, such as sustainable agriculture, agroforestry and wildlife conservation. If not for the conquering spaniards, who knows how long their civilization could have lasted.
Chapter 6
1. The discovery of fossil fuels such as coal and oil mad the industrial revolution possible. Allowing the use of technologically advanced agriculture equipment, making farming that much easier. This allowed farmers to pursue other jobs such as factory workers.
2. European exploration had a major impact on a global scale, from colonization to population extinction. Not only did european explorers spread disease but they caused the depletion of wildlife due to deforestation.
3. Takers seem to believe they are entitled to the worlds spoils, be it land or wildlife. Takers are like an invasive species, much like the species that the spaniards introduced to peru. Takers destroy their environments in an attempt to gain power and control over their environment.
question: If the spanish conquistadors didnt ravage the Inca empire with diseases and advanced weaponry, what would modern day peru be like?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. The start of worldwide trade advanced the need for goods. This caused the exponential decline and death of the environment. People weren’t only trying to provide for their city, but the world, which required more resources than they would eventually be able to get.
2. Destruction of the environment included bringing invasive species, and destroying lands in the effort to create new civilizations. This destruction disturbed the cycle of life that was going on in the uninhabited areas. While still in the midst of building civilization people depleted the land’s natural resources as their domestic resources wouldn’t be ready for use for years.
3. The Incas were a Taker society. They hunted for fun, and killed their animals’ predators. They tried to save resources but did so in a way that depleted the land around them. They also rewarded a surplus of food and population.
Chapter 6
1. When oil became of use technology made it possible for humans to deplete resources faster. Humans exploited natural resources by even selling it back to the country it was taken from. This caused humans to replace numerous species with human population and domestic animals and plants.
2. Humans themselves are an invasive species. They destroy everything living in its path, and bring more destruction with them. This includes bacteria and sickness, and cattle that graze upon the land.
3. Water is a major source of the destruction of humans. Many a time you hear a civilization wiped out by a river’s flood. Despite all the technology humans had attempted to control water with storms would flood it and drawn crops, people, and animals, among other things.
If humans knew that using fossil fuels would create pollution would that have stopped us from its extensive use?
Chapter 5:
ReplyDeleteObservation 1: During the Middle Ages the Greeks referred to the inhabited Earth as oikoumene. Civilizations in continental regions were not completely isolated, the degree of contact was a lot less than it would be in later periods.
Observation 2: Important new discoveries occurred in technology, education, exploration, government, and agriculture. The success or failure of these depended on the degree to which they could adapt to their ecosystems.
Observation 3: Northern Europe adopted three-field crop rotation, an efficient system that raised levels of production. New food plants were introduced, and irrigation redirected water to supply agriculture and urban centers.
Chapter 6:
Observation 1: Inventions that did the most to shape the modern age were those that allowed the application of new sources of power to the production process, especially fossil fuels.
Observation 2: During the 18th century, the human population of the Earth began a substantial increase that has continued to the present day. This was done by turning the energy cycles of the biosphere into food production for humans.
Observation 3: As larger and deeper lakes presented a challenge, the search for more efficient pumps to drain them fasted led to some technological improvements. One of these was the Archimedean screw pump, which raised water 4-5 m, much higher than the previously used scoop-wheels.
Question: How can we prevent overpopulation from happening in a way that is ethical?
Mitch Pini
ReplyDeleteChapter 5
1. If the bubonic plague had that much of a lasting effect on the population of Europe between 1200 and 1500, and the pattern has continued with smallpox, yellow fever, typhoid, cholera, influenza, and the real actual plague, does this mean we’ll eventually be taken by disease or virus or will the construct of contagions always and forever remain the same? Looking at each outbreak, pandemic, and epidemic in terms of numbers, a disease or viral infection can only spread so far before it eventually runs out of hosts. The lifestyle of infectious bacteria is an interesting one, and that’s not saying anything of viruses, which for all intents and purposes aren’t even considered “alive.”
2. Actual population growth can be considered a disease in its own way, again looking at it in just numbers. Every so often our civilization encounters issues with overpopulation in terms of food, living space, and illness; there have been spikes in procreation with the WW2 baby boomers, currently a greater portion of Africa is dealing with malnourishment, and even still we deal with outbreaks of disease, like the swine flu strain that floated around in 2009-10.
Here’s a hilarious video of a particular Japanese subway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svAn-x3_llk
3. My only beef (pun much intended) with the English royals is how much was wasted on them. 20,000 squirrels for one robe. Sometimes I hope that aliens are actually harvesting us for something we don’t even realize we have but could probably really benefit from.
Chapter 6
1. Wait, what? In the seventeenth century the barometer, thermometer, and pendulum clock were invented. I don’t generally think about when things were invented so I found this fairly interesting. Makes you wonder when other little things we take for granted were invented, like spiral-bound notebooks(patented 1935, Frank Amato, Spiral Binding Co., Inc. The More You Knooooooow)
2. The evolution of the pig is not something to be overlooked, this is also true for many other species, but largely the pig because of our predisposition to the idea that the pig is a lazy animal when it is in fact quite intuitive. Have you ever thought of a pig as a menace? Perhaps a coyote? The pet-predators of many a neighborhood, my own included. Well, I don’t want to imagine wild boars trudging around in the forests back home. Wild boars in our own age can grow to become several feet tall and their girth is usually just as impressive. To fell a boar one must shoot it and then pursue the fleeing animal until it bleeds out and dies, otherwise you take the chance of getting gored and bleeding out yourself or dying of infection. Aggressive animals, boars; an evolutionary reminder that anything can adapt to survive.
3. I love how phrases like “steam-powered” are acceptable cop-outs for explaining a process of its complexity, just like electrical conversion, or nuclear fission. Can someone please just explain to me how hydroelectric turbines turn the belt of a coil on the other end which then does some magical process by which all of a sudden electrical currents can be tapped and then prompt the actuation of the receiving device? I am curious. When does the magic happen? How does this translate over to “steam power?” Apparently it all has to do with pressurized pumps which are fed from boilers through a series of vacuums and tanks. Someone should explain all this stuff to me in depth someday at, like, a school or something instead of wikipedia.
Q: Are we merely operating under the illusion that we can control natural patterns like deforestation or are we actually messing with a system more complex than we could possibly understand?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1.Due to its rapid growth and rise to the center of power in medieval Europe, Florence required vast amounts of resources. This in turn led to the destruction of forests from deforestation for lumber as well as the import of wool from England. Because there was such a demand for wool throughout Europe, England upped the population of its sheep flocks and as a result the sheep devoured the English highlands which resulted in erosion of the land.
2.With the rise of great European powers also came innovations in technology such as improved farming mechanisms as well as advances in metallurgy and watercraft. Although these did drastically improve the standard of living, it also sped the process of environmental destruction as well.
3.Disease played a multitude of roles both good and bad depending on whether you’re a taker or a leaver. If you were a taker you would have seen disease as a monstrosity that wiped out a third of your population very much like that of the Bubonic plague. However you’d also say it helped in defeating the savage natives of Central America like that of the Spanish Conquistadores victory over the Incas. Now turn that around to the leavers and you see it a whole new perspective. The Mongols spread the disease of the Black Death to the invasive and ever growing population of the takers. Though for the Incas it was that of the apocalypse when the strange white men with shiny armor and terrible disease brought with them wipe you and your peoples out.
Chapter 6
1.The Industrial Revolution in the eyes of a taker would be seen as period of immense change and growth as a species. With the use of fossil fuels like coal, brought in a wave of increased standard of living which once again resulted in the exploitation/destruction of the environment and would lead to pollution, war over resources, and famine and disease throughout the taker society. For the Leavers it would be a world forever changed as their lands they once called home were taken away from them and “claimed” by countries of greater power.
2.With increase in trade as well the ease in which Taker society could now trade with one another brought with it many issues. Such issues being the introduction of foreign species of animals to ecosystems that could not rapidly adapt to their presence, along with further extortion of resources to the point where habitats were wiped off the face of the earth.
3.With this new boom in industry came the somewhat fall of the traditional was of agriculture as factories replaced farms and new machines replaced animals drawn or manual labored tools. Dams, roads, railroads, and new cities would also forever change the face of the planet forever.
Question: Is it even remotely possible to undo or make the right the destruction we’ve dealt over the past 10,000 plus years?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. During the Middle Ages the way that money was made and power was gained was by trading with other areas of the world. This forced the production of crops and lumber to increase not only for the cities that the people lived in but also to trade with others. The destruction of the lands grew due to the over use of it.
2. Deforestation during the Middle Ages was common, due to the demand for wool and for energy. Acres of land were cleared for the sheep which was a designated wasteland. But forests were cleared to make energy to make more products to trade, which just added to the continuation of over using the land.
3. The Black Death was a terrible time in human history, but there is a silver lining. Due to the decrease in population the environment had a chance to replenish itself from all the destruction done to it during the huge movement to the cities and population growth.
Chapter 6
1. The Industrial Revolution was made possible by the use of fossil fuels. The exploration on different ways to use fossil fuels was also happening at this time, like using the fossil fuels in fertilizers to produce more food.
2. The exploration of the world not only introduced people to different areas, but all the things they brought with them like food that was brought over on the ship, the sea life that sticks to the ship, and even animals. The invasive species take over an ecosystem and destroy it causing a huge disturbance in the balance of life.
3. The introduction of coal and gas to the world left a harder impact on the world, especially in London, than what was intended. The pollution went into the air and when it rained the landscapes would grow dark and dirty. Even though the beautiful landscapes of England were being destroyed by urbanization, the destruction continued just so England could make a profit.
Question:
Looking back on history we see that all of the power sources that humans have used in the past have ultimately led to the down fall of a civilization. I wonder if mankind will ever be able to agree on a new power source, not because of laziness, but because of fear that it won't last?
Chapter 5:
ReplyDelete1. The people of the middle ages lived within their ecosystem. However destruction of the planet, although not huge, played a part in their ability to flourish.
2. The middle ages brought people of different cultures together. Humans spread all throughout the Earth and population as a result was pretty static.
3. Trading was a big part of survival during the middle ages. Some cities, like Florence, based their ecosystem off of goods that were normally traded.
Chapter 6:
1. The industrial revolution began in the UK and Western Europe. The industrial revolution started to impact the way humans live by improving everyday tasks, but also leaving behind a footprint.
2. Explorers of the time helped shape the biosphere by introducing new goods and animals to other cultures. The Explorers also began to introduce disease to each other which played its role in shaping the biosphere
3. The age of exploration set the ground work for everything we have today. The whole mashing of cultures that resulted through trading and traveling played a huge role in shaping the world.
Question: Does everything good always come with a price? (example: industrial revolution comes around and improves peoples daily lives, but it kills the environment. Another example would be traveling and trading helps open people up to new cultures and expirences, but diseases comes along with it.)
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete“One important factor that helps to determine the pattern of human effects on the environment is the degree of social management that is possible” (87). During the Middle Ages, monarchies were very popular and caused much decentralization within an empire. Goods were not easily coordinated throughout each area, so it was hard to function fluently throughout the community. It makes me wonder whether the ability to control the production flow changes the affect a group of people has on the environment. The Incas were not a monarchy and were able to create a prospering system of living while taking into account the environment. The U.S. is not a monarchy either, but it seems as though we, the takers, have lost our appreciation for the environment and only want to benefit our own lives.
“There are three major regions: the dry, almost rainless hot coastal lowlands, the cold mountainous belt with its valleys and plateaus, and the steamy rainforest” (105) after reading through the section about the Incas, it has made me wish that I could have lived in their community. They had so many different geographical areas that so much different productions could be conducted. It seemed like their community flourished as they took advantage of the environment around them, but also gave back to ensure that it could prosper as well. If the Spaniards had not come, I believe it would have prospered as a community for much longer, had it continued with the many beneficial values they held.
“Laziness was detested as perhaps the worst fault” (107). This one line really stuck with me as I was reading. I believe that laziness has truly taken over the takers of the world. With the amounts of technology that are increasing and faster and simpler ways to do daily tasks, people are becoming much more lazy, which is negatively affecting our environment. An example would be recycling and cleaning in general. There are many places around the world that are just mountains of trash piled up because people are too lazy to dispose of it all correctly. There are so many cities that are filthy because people will throw their trash on the ground instead of in a garbage can. If everyone were to live by the Incas lifestyle, the world would be a better place.
Chapter 6
Delete“An Aztec population crash might have occurred in time even if the Spaniards had not arrived” (121). I do not know very much about history, but after reading chapters 5 and 6 it seems as though the Spaniards took over many prospering empires and demolished the flourishing environment they sustained. Obviously the Spaniards aren’t the only ones taking over different areas of the world, but why is it that human, or more specifically, takers, have this urge to rule everything? If the Spaniards had just left the Aztecs and Inca alone, the environment that the two empires control would not have been destroyed and a ineffective government would not be put in place. If it weren’t the takers goal to “take” over everything in their path, people and nature may actually be able to live in harmony.
On page 117 the chapter begins to discuss the Industrial Revolution. Whenever I am learning about history, the Industrial Revolution really strikes me as one of the biggest turning points in world history. It seems like the point in time where takers come in and teach people to stop thinking about what will benefit the community and the environment around them, and begin to think about how they can benefit themselves and create something new and improved. The world would be a completely different place if this time period had never occurred. Even though I typically think that the human race is going downhill from here, I have noticed more and more efforts to support locally and improve the environment than ever before, which gives me hope for the future.
“ The flooding of the rivers was also caused by a remarkable combination of the impact of the Little Ice Age (c. 1400-1800) and human interference with the riverbeds” (130). What the world was like before humans had existed has always been something I wish I knew what it looked like, but who doesn’t wish that? It is amazing to think about all of the impacts the human race has had on the environment, takers and leavers, and how hugely those impacts have affected what the earth looks like and how it functions. It is possible that tropical storms and disease may not have existed before humans and when they were first created, but it is also possible that they were much worse before and our impacts have lessened their severity. It’s topics like this that make me wonder why history is the way it is and why we are here in the first place.
If the Spaniards had not come and destroyed the Incan empire, how much longer would they have continued one? What would the world be like today if more areas took on the Incan mindset and way of life?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. The untamed and unpredictable characteristics of the natural world made takers with reason fearful, because they could not control it, and did not understand most of it. I find this to be interesting, because a healthy environment holds these characteristics, and this is what sparked the human vendetta against the environment. Driven not by hope for creating a better tomorrow, but by the fear that they would be overtaken and destroyed from the very thing that birthed them and allowed them to thrive and flourish- being too far removed from their roots.
2. Kings and Queens made themselves out to be most important, the secular manifestation of divine entities, which allowed them to control the serf masses into farming and working the land. Focus on personal gain/wealth rather than the collective wealth of a healthy world and environment. Easy > morally/ethically right.
3. At this point civilizations began to grow and develop, which removes individuals farther away from the natural world. As the city-state and civilized area expands, it makes it easier for humans to live out there lives exclusively in the civilized/secular world, with little to no interaction with the natural world.
Chapter 6
1. As more and more people were educated and they began to better understand their natural surroundings, instead of allowing for balance to develop, they further exploited the natural world for secular gain.
2. The exponential growth of mankind/taker culture was seen only in a positive manner, and to be honest, before this all my history classes cast technology and innovation in a positive light, but the exponential growth of taker culture mirrors the decline of the natural order and health of the environment.
3. While takers were progressively getting more of a handle on civilized life, things such as disease were still allowing for some form of population control. Nowadays, we have vaccines and cures for most diseases and viruses. We've cheated the natural world and beat its natural mechanisms for population control. Honestly the fact that some of these viruses are mutating to be medicine resistant is okay in my mind. For the well-being of the world and mankind, we need to institute societal restrictions on population.
Question:
How can we ethically handle population control in today's world.
Chapter 5:
ReplyDelete1. Around the world at different times environmental changes took place:
-Expansion of agricultural land
-Growth in population
-Adoption of 3 field-crop rotations, which led to more production
-New food crops
-Irrigation
2. “Deforestation took an uneven toll during the Middle Ages” (88). Deforestation and overgrazing led to soil erosion. China and India lost a lot of forests during this time.
3. The food supply couldn’t keep up with how much the population was increasing. The new land that was in northern Europe was able to be cultivated with new agricultural improvements but it wasn’t taking care of the land. The nutrients in the soil were depleted.
Chapter 6:
1. Europeans started using fossil fuels with their improved technology during the modern age. The Industrial Revolution began in the UK and western Europe. “The Industrial Revolution transformed agriculture” (117).
2. In the early modern times there was a bigger transformation of the biosphere seen. This is because of the increase in population growth and because of the “explosive dispersion of European explorers, traders, conquerors, and colonists” (149).
3. Natural selection is a basis for understanding how ecosystems survive and operation over a period of time. Darwin was really close to coming up with the concept of ecosystems but he couldn’t understand how variations were passed down to different generations.
Question:
Where would we be today without the Europeans?
With such an increase in population in the past and not having enough food supply, what is going to happen if it keeps increasing like it did?
Chapter 5
ReplyDelete1. The vast industrious city of Florence is one of the earliest examples of large scale deforestation. They required so many materials in order to continue producing on a large scale and this is perhaps the beginning of the trend of economic prosperity over environmental sustainability.
2.The plague was detrimental to the population of Europe and the rest of the world. This incident, although awful and terrifying, points out the issues of overpopulation and the environment. When so many died, the environment made a small recovery.
3.The issue of invasive species and their harm is also touched upon. Most people, myself included before I read this chapter, believe the plague to be an act of god or a natural disaster. But as the book points out it was humans who brought the fleas and rats who spread this disease, an important lesson which shows how our environmental actions can often come back to haunt us.
Chapter 6
1. The industrial revolution was always taught to me in my earlier years of middle and high school as one of the great accomplishments of mans ingenuity. However, as the book shows, when it is viewed from and environmental standpoint it is perhaps our most harmful action.
2.Not only did the industrial revolution begin the pollution of our planet with vast amounts of toxins, it also allowed for a much larger production of food, thereby speeding up population growth and yet again adding more to the problem.
3. The last effect of the age of exploration as that taker culture was spread to almost every corner of the world. Takers did what they do best, eliminating the leavers for their own selfish gains and further destroying Earth.
Question: Is the way we live today a European model?
Joshua Popielarczyk
ReplyDeleteChap. 5 and 6
Chapter 5: observation 1
When the chapter begins discussing the variety of relationships in respects to human societies and nature, I wondered why exactly this was. As the chapter progresses, it mentions that geographically these civilizations weren’t isolated, but still in much less contact than later periods. I believe that now that the world is so globally connected, civilizations can use this information to look at what other countries do and don’t do, learning from their mistakes or triumphs.
Observation 2:
As the chapter talks about The Florentine empire and their large financial success, it mentions how they profited off the expansion of settling new land. They thrived off lending money for these new projects, as well as supervising their construction. It mentions that their currency “was the preferred and most widely used means of payment both within Europe and beyond”. Everything they profited from was the consumption of land. Therefore one could argue, the more money a country is making, the more of our world they’re destroying.
Observation 3:
The ecosystem described in regards to Polynesia astounded me. The reason for why these species evolved so rapidly and uniquely was simply. There was no humans to change the environment. The natural process of survival of the fittest is invalid for the human race, as self preservation is portrayed above all. However, as we continue to effect our environment, we do the same to all the other animals in this world. Are we creating new generations of both humans and animals not equip to survive earth’s natural habitat?
Chapter 6: observation 1
The simple line “Queen Elizabeth I decided that a new kitting machine might take jobs away from laborers, and denied it a patent” highlighted the change of times and ideals. He we see an ethical decision to deny the patent as it would hurt the general population. Now every company strives to create machine labor more efficient then human labor regardless of the consequences.
Observation 2
When the book begins describing the Aztecs it mentions how their population increased drastically. In response, the Aztecs expanded and deforested the surrounding areas. They did this so create living space for their growing population, however it caused the springs to dry up, depleting the water supply. I find this ironic how the solution to sustain a larger civilization actually created the need to find (and destroy) another area.
Observation 3
The whole industrial revolution baffles me, especially the destruction it caused. On page 133 the book says “December 1879 was a month of polluted fogs, with a mortality rate that rose 220 percent”. I can’t help but see how every major attempt to expand financial means leads to the destruction of the environment. However, in this case, we see a direct effect on the human population. Still, this warning wasn’t enough to deter industrialism. Although I hope to be proved wrong, history has painted a depressing portrait of humans inability to prioritize anything above personal gain in some shape or form. I think the day when humans are directly hurt by their own decisions (be environmental decisions or not) is the day when we will want to change, or yet care enough to do something about it.
Are we creating new generations of both humans and animals not equip to survive earth’s natural habitat? (without the help from modern amenities)
Chapter 5:
ReplyDelete1.) Deforestation is a pandemic, meaning that it it is a worldwide disease caused by the human parasite that infects the forests by cutting them all down. Such as in the cases as Florence and Europe where civilization thrived but at the throat of the environment.
2.) Overpopulation is a major cause of failure in a civilization. The Polynesians used up all of their land until there was nothing left to go around. The Takers ability to farm did nothing but hurt nature, both land and sea and they only made things worse between the tribes.
3.) According to this chapter (and probably science) humans brought the rats that brought the fleas that brought the plague because of how we were effecting the environment. Which should be enough proof that karma is bitch.
Chapter 6:
1:) Fossil fuels, along with almost every other modern human invention, were new sources that allowed our generations to evolve. Both natural and synthetic, it is what brought us to where we are today.
2.) The way most people think today is that technology is what allows us to expand and gain power, which it may be, but it will soon cause our downfall. It happens to reflect the opposite, the decline of environment, and in the end our own sustainability.
3.) As time goes on, not only do we lose parts of nature, we lose what the Takers brought to us (farmland) to the infectious human parasite of factories, automatic transportation, fossil fuels, and even houses and other facilities. All of which create the need for waste disposal and landfills that only add even more to the harm of the environment.
EATE Question:
Honestly, what is wrong with humans?
Chapter Five
ReplyDelete1. During the middle ages all of the available and in Europe was taken up by agriculture, the search for natural resources led Europeans east. At around the same time, The Polynesian cultures were spreading, over population caused them to travel and settle new islands.
2. Increased agriculture led to trade, and trade led to modern banking. Florence was the first Economic power to emerge, rich from trade with Asia, Florence loaned money the king of England, and face economic collapse when he forfeited his debts.
3. Human populations are self-regulatory, this can happen in one of two ways. The first is through catastrophe, the bubonic plague kill so many people in Europe that growth was halted, allowing the forests to recuperate. The second is through self-regulation, realizing that there is a finite supply conserving it. The Inca Empire was regulated through the land division under control of an emperor. Some Polynesian peoples regulated through tradition, taking certain animals only during specific time of the year.
Chapter 6
1. European explorer and settler cause Ecological damage where ever they traveled, stating with the introduction of non-native plants and animals, which began to force out the natural plants and animals. The germs carried by explorers ravaged indigenous populations. The settlers themselves began clearing land for agriculture and enslaving local populations.
2. This exploration was caused in part by the industrial revolution. The use of fossil fuels allowed for modern manufacturing. The search for raw materials was one of the driving motivations for exploration. The industrial revolution resulting in industrial or totalitarian agriculture.
3. The negative effects of the industrial revolution were almost immediately apparent. Coal and gas smoke filled the air. Pollution from industrial process were dumped into rivers and watersheds. The Higher population, and need for factory workers to liv close to the factory, led to some of history’s first slums.
Question
Is population control the answer? Is it ethical to introduce limits to a person’s right to reproduce? Is population control the first step down a slippery slope to eugenics and breeding programs?
Wonderful blogging here, EATE'rs!
ReplyDeleteYour questions are particularly powerful.
Dr. Gorilla