ABSTRACT
In fact, the border between nature and culture is far from sharply drawn. Moreover, it never has been. Though prevailing notions of just what should be included in the category nature have changed over time, there has always been some contention over its definition. In particular, the place of human beings vis-à-vis nature has posed a particularly intriguing dilemma, addressed throughout the ages by a variety of theological, literary, scientific, and philosophical perspectives. Do human beings exist outside of nature, not subject to the natural laws that affect other living beings? Do human beings have a right, perhaps even a mandate, to utilize and modify nature for our survival and pleasure? Was the natural world in fact created by God (or the gods) for humans, or is nature itself a god (or goddess)? Are human beings simply another element in nature, subject to the same laws and impulses as non-human beings? What right do humans have to consume non-human beings, utilize them for work, or dominate them for companionship? Is there any proof that humans possess superior intelligence, sensitivity, or durability when compared to non-human beings? Are the actions of human beings in fact destroying the earth’s life support systems – water, soil, atmosphere, animal and plant life – with which we humans are so intimately intertwined; and if so, does it not behoove us to recognize that nature and culture are, at some level, inseparable?
