Sunday, January 23, 2011

Blog #4

In part two, of nature, value, and ethics, Kohak starts by explaining ways in which our perceiving of nature affects our conceiving of it.  He starts off by stating three possible ideas of how humans relate to nature.  The hunter-gatherer perspective, just simply states that they accept what nature has to offer them without manipulating it any way.   The shepherds and ploughmen perspective deals with giving nature what it needs with respect, and then nature in turn gives them return. Lastly, the craftsman and the trader perspective is where nature is seen as a gift,  not a partner.  Everyone all over the would has their own perceptions on the way they view nature.  This shows that our way of perceiving nature affects our way of conceiving it based upon these ways humans relate to nature.

Then there was a shift to consumerism- where the only thing that matter is profit. This shift leads to a new human perception on the way of life.  I somewhat agree with what Kohak is stating here.  What he is basically saying is that nobody recognizes the value of the non-human being anymore.  The only thing that matters is the individual.  A quote that stood out to me was "I, I alone matter."  The world today is full of individuals who only care about themselves and themselves alone.  We forget to realize the beauty of nature and all that is had to offer us.

The part on ethics of the fear of the Lord, was also very appealing.  A line that really caught my attention was "Only a fundamental change in attitude which places respect for God and for God's creation at the centre of human interest will enable us to overcome the problems stemming from human greed and self-centeredness."  This quote sums up everything that is stated above.  Humans are not the only living beings in the world and we are all God's creations.  There is a point where humans should not act natually, but humanly.

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