ABSTRACT
Perceptions of nature form the framework of our lives. Shared beliefs about it are the deep structure of society. Since the dawn of civilization people have embraced the axiom that their social institutions must be in harmony with the earth. They have viewed nature as the objective reservoir of value, and have turned to this protean and fungible source to shape and justify their law, economy, art, religion, educational system, and family mores. Views of nature form the bedrock assumptions of politics in particular. The millennia-long tradition of natural law expressed this insight. So did Enlightenment theories which were based on fictional stories about the "state of nature." The reason, members of the cohort believed, was that society was ignoring or flouting the laws of nature. And although this insight was often tacit or unspoken, it sustained their sense of righteousness as they fought to save the earth.
