ABSTRACT
From the above definitions, it is easy to see the powerful role that the idea of nature plays in the human imagination, providing us with facts (as object), peace and security (as place) and beliefs (as essence). According to Alexander Wilson (1992, 87): ‘the culture of nature – the ways we think, teach, talk about and construct the natural world – is as important a terrain for struggle as the land itself ’. The distinctive cultural politics (see Chapter 3) of nature are expressed in the ways that the term is used. For example:
Nature as an authority: nature is the object of scientific study and therefore the basis of scientific truth. It is also a source of religious or spiritual truth, to the extent that people argue that nature expresses the will and demonstrates the works of God. For almost all major belief systems, to say that something is ‘natural’ is to say that it is true; that is, it is objective, factual or real. Reflection on nature as a basis for truth encourages us to imitate or project our representations of its best qualities back on to our own actions and creations. We see in nature what is Good; the right, best or proper course of action and what is Beautiful, that which is physically pleasing. Together Goodness, Truth and Beauty are extremely persuasive concepts and lie at the
centre of modern value systems. Nature is consequently a powerful source for justifying arguments about how the world is now or should be in the future.
