New Visions of Nature (eBook)

Acknowledgements 5
Contents 6
Contributors 8
List of Figures 15
List of Tables 17
Part I Introduction 18
1 Nature in Motion 19
1.1 The New Visions of Nature Program 19
1.2 New Visions of Nature: Complexity and Authenticity 22
1.2.1 Science and Nature: Beyond Reductionism 22
1.2.2 Science and Society: Post-Normal Science 23
1.2.3 Society and Nature: Reflexive Modernity 24
1.2.4 New Visions of Nature: Basic Questions 25
1.2.5 Authenticity? 27
1.3 Layout of this Volume 29
1.3.1 Part II: Public Visions of Nature 29
1.3.2 Part III: The Genomics View of Nature 30
1.3.3 Part IV: Philosophy of Landscape and Place 32
References 33
Part II Public Visions of Nature 35
2 Technological Nature And the Problem When Good Enough Becomes Good 36
2.1 Introduction 36
2.2 Technological Nature 37
2.2.1 Technological Views: The Real-Time Plasma Display Window Studies 37
2.2.1.1 The Field Study 37
2.2.1.2 The Experimental Study 39
2.2.2 Technological Animals: The Robotic Dog Studies 40
2.2.2.1 The AIBO Discussion Forum Study 41
2.2.2.2 The AIBO Developmental Study 44
2.2.3 Technological Humans: The Robovie Study 45
2.3 The Authenticity of Technological Nature? 47
2.3.1 An I--Thou Relationship with Technological Humans? 48
2.3.2 An I--Thou Relationship with Technological Animals and Plants? 49
2.4 The Problem When Good Enough Becomes Good 50
2.5 Conclusion 52
References 54
3 They Could Have Used a Robot: Technology, Nature Experience and Human Flourishing 56
3.1 A Realistic Focus 56
3.2 Authentic Relationships 57
3.3 Nature Experience and Human Well-Being 58
3.4 Technologys Double-Edged Sword 59
3.5 Conclusion 61
References 61
4 The Authenticity of Nature: An Exploration of Lay Peoples Interpretations in the Netherlands 62
4.1 Introduction 62
4.2 Approach and Method 64
4.3 Results 70
4.3.1 Images of Relationship 71
4.3.2 Responses to the Example Series 72
4.3.2.1 The Example Series of Physical Interventions in Nature 72
4.3.2.2 The Example Series of Genetic Interventions in Nature 74
4.3.3 Images of Nature and Technology 76
4.3.3.1 Balances of Nature 76
4.3.3.2 Images of Technology 76
4.3.4 Ethics 78
4.3.5 Dimensions of Authenticity 79
4.4 Reflection 80
References 81
5 The Hierarchical and Unconscious Mind: Reflections on the Authenticity of Nature 82
5.1 Introduction 82
5.2 The Hierarchy of the Human Mind 82
5.3 The Unconscious Mind 85
5.4 Conclusion 87
References 87
6 The Trouble with Plovers 89
6.1 Introduction 89
6.2 The Snowy Plover 90
6.3 Habitat and the Endangered Species Act 91
6.4 Conflicts Over Plover Management 95
6.5 Values and Meanings 99
6.6 Conclusion 101
References 102
7 About Snowy Plovers, Lapwings and Wolves: How to Include Contrasting Visions of Ecologists and Laymen in Decision-Making 104
7.1 Introduction 104
7.2 The Story of the Snowy Plover 105
7.3 Human/Nature Relationships 105
7.4 The Stories of the Lapwing and the Wolf 108
7.5 Concluding Remarks 110
References 111
Part III The Genomics View of Nature 113
8 Detachment, Genomics and the Nature of Being Human 114
8.1 Introduction 114
8.2 Aristotles Nature and Immanent Teleology 115
8.3 The Problem Space of Modern Biology 116
8.4 Nature Explores Greater Levels of Detachment 117
8.5 Comparative Genomics and Detachment 121
8.6 Detachment, Materiality and Final Cause 122
8.7 Sociality, Culture and Compensation 123
8.8 From Philosophical Anthropology to a New Vision of Nature 125
References 126
9 The Detached Animal On the Technical Nature of Being Human 127
9.1 Introduction 127
9.2 The Principle of Detachment 127
9.3 Detachment and Finality 128
9.4 Metabolism, Freedom and Finality 129
9.5 Is It Matter that Matters? Detachment and Form 130
9.6 The Most Detached Animal 132
9.7 Detachment and Isolation 133
9.8 Becoming Detached: Anthropotechnologies and the Evolution of Man 134
9.9 The Burden of Detachment and the Danger of Technology 136
References 137
10 Metagenomic Metaphors: New Images of the Human from Translational Genomic Research 138
10.1 Introduction: The Context of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) 138
10.2 The Context of the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) 139
10.2.1 Translational Genomic Research 140
10.2.2 'Metagenomic' DNA Sequencing Research 141
10.3 Metagenomic Metaphors 142
10.4 The Human Metagenome as a Sensory-Motor Organ 143
10.5 Discussion: Implications for Genetic Determinism 144
10.6 The Human Body as an Ecosystem 146
10.7 Discussion: Implications for Concepts of Health and Disease 147
10.8 The Human Being as a Super-Organism 149
10.9 Discussion: Implications for Human Identity 150
10.10 Conclusion 152
References 153
11 The Metagenomic World-View: A Comment on Eric T. Juengsts Metagenomic Metaphors 155
11.1 The Nature of Metagenomic Knowledge 155
11.2 Metagenomic Metaphors 156
11.3 The Wider Scope of Metagenomics 160
References 160
12 Genomics Metaphors and Genetic Determinism 162
12.1 The Human Genome Project: From Blueprint to Map 162
12.2 The Map Metaphor 164
12.3 The Blueprint Metaphor and Its Discontents 166
12.4 Craig Venter as a Geographer of Life 168
12.5 Genres of Imagination: Novels as Research Tools 171
12.6 Genomics Novels 173
12.7 Next 175
References 179
13 Maps and the Taxonomic Style 180
13.1 Introduction 180
13.2 Mapping 181
References 183
Part IV Philosophy of Landscape and Place 185
14 Thinking Like a Mountain: Ethics and Place as Travelling Concepts 186
14.1 Placing the Ethics of Place 186
14.2 Aldo Leopold and the Ethics of Place 188
14.3 Places Know 189
14.4 Questions About the Ethics of Place 194
14.5 Olfactory Poems 198
References 200
15 Towards an Epistemology of Place 201
15.1 Introduction 201
15.2 An Epistemology of Place 202
15.3 An Ethics of Place or Pragmatic Ethics? 203
15.4 Moral Allocation Principles in Nature Conservation 204
15.5 Conclusion 206
References 207
16 Developing Nature Along Dutch Rivers: Place or Non-Place 208
16.1 Introduction 208
16.2 Ethics of Place as a Countermovement 208
16.3 Dike Reinforcements Endangering the Landscapeof Memory 210
16.4 Wetlands and the Erosion of Meaning 215
16.5 New Nature and the Loss of Connectedness 216
16.6 Ethics of Place or Defending Your Back Yard? 217
16.7 Putting New Nature in Place 220
16.8 Towards a Palimpsest Landscape? 223
16.9 Non-place in Supermodernity 224
16.10 Are We Strangers on the Land? 227
16.11 New Wilderness as an Effort to Emplace Our Homelessness 228
16.12 Closing Remark 229
References 230
17 Restoring Nature in a Mobile Society 232
17.1 Introduction 232
17.2 Locals and Visitors 232
17.3 Domination and Partnership 234
17.4 The Cultivated and the Wild 235
17.5 Strangers in the Land? 237
17.6 Mobile Nature 237
References 239
18 Between Nativism and Cosmopolitanism: Framing and Reframing in Invasion Biology 240
18.1 Introduction 240
18.2 Bioinvaders: The Next Plague 240
18.3 Conflicts Over Welfare and Words 243
18.4 Nativism Versus Cosmopolitanism 245
18.5 The Continuum from Restoration to Recombination 247
18.5.1 The Impact of Restoration Ecology on Invasion Biology 248
18.5.2 Restoration as a Performing Art 249
18.5.3 Two Roads Within Invasion Biology 250
18.5.4 Engineering the Ecosystem: The Reparation Metaphor 251
18.5.5 Health and Integrity: The Rehabilitation Metaphor 252
18.5.6 The Other End of the Continuum: The Recombination Metaphor 254
18.6 Towards a Multiple Vision on Invasive Species 256
References 257
19 Further Towards a Continuum Between Nativism and Cosmopolitanism 260
19.1 Introduction 260
19.2 Humans and Nature: Unexpected Interactions 260
19.3 Welcoming the Unexpected 262
19.4 Ruins and Restorations 263
19.5 The Dynamics of Nature and Alternative Visions for Non-native Species 264
References 265
Part V Conclusions 267
20 Nature, Technology and the Human Condition 268
20.1 Introduction 268
20.2 Public Visions of Nature 271
20.3 The Genomics View of Nature 273
20.4 Philosophy of Landscape and Place 276
20.5 Concluding Remarks 278
References 279
Index 280