Carolyn Merchant (1)Besprekingen

Carolyn Merchant's "Reinventing Eden" traces the development of Western conceptions of paradise on Earth - or 'Eden' - from early mythology to the present day. The work looks at different conceptions of paradise through the ages - a golden age from which humanity fell; something that can be restored by science, technology, and capitalism; and the mall as eden to the capitalist mind. The developments include different perspectives such as Indigenous, black, feminist, environmentalist, and religious views, as they pertain to the current climatw crisis. Merchant iterates her partnership thesis and cites Murray Bookchin (if you read more than one of her books, you will see this same theme come up again and again). This book offers very valuable insight into how we got to where we are today, and proposes a solution. A great work for those interested in postcolonialism, socialism, ecology, feminism, and all the ways they intersect.

Radical Ecology discusses various environmental movements, including social ecology and socialist ecology, ecofeminism, bioregionalism, eco spiritual movements, and more. Carolyn Merchant goes through the essential tenants and critiques of each ideology, showcasing their strengths and weaknesses. Merchant builds this into her own concepts of a partnership ethic.
For those who have already read "The Death of Nature" some sections will be a bit repetitive, as Merchant builds on her historical overview in this volume, but overall, it is a fantastic read, highly recommended for anyone looking into theories within the environmental movement.

"The Death of Nature" is one of Carolyn Merchant's most well known works. In this volume she explores the history of scientific philosophy and theory as it evolved through the Renaissance into Early Modern Europe.

Merchant analyses the evolution from an organismic perspective of nature, where the Earth was seen as alive, to a mechanist view of the cosmos, where the earth, and much of the universe, began to be seen as inanimate matter.

Merchant traces this framework change alongside economic changes from the 16th-18th centuries, demonstrating how proto-capitalism and a perspective of inanimate nature fused into a capitalist method that permitted exploitation of an inaminate nature, along with those perceived as lower on the chain of being - women, Indigenous peoples and black people.

This work is a fascinating insight into the history of scientific thought and proto-capitalism, that truly allows the reader to understand the ways that humanity has historically rationalized exploitation and hierarchy.

I do wish the Franciscans were mentioned alongside other late medieval and Renaissance thinkers of an animate world, as Francis of Assisi was a highly notable medieval thinker that saw God in nature, and could have contributed to this historical overview.

Carolyn Merchant takes the reader through the past 400 years of New England's history with an environmental lens, noting three ecological revolutions. More than just analysing the environment, however, Merchant analyzes economic conditions and modes of production, social and cultural relations including science and religion, and women's history, demonstrating how capitalism dispossessed many New Englanders from the land, and how they resisted before capitalism won out.

By weaving these together, Merchant provides the reader with a fascinating account, ending in a philosophical epilogue that highlights the need of environmental action - and offering a philosophical framework and suggestions of how New England can go about it.

The one weakness I can note is that after the initial chapters, and prior to the epilogue, there is not much discussion of the Indigenous peoples in New England and any ongoing dispossession from the land, which would have been beneficial in understanding the continuing environmental impacts of colonization. Further, in the final chapters, when discussing the rise of capitalism and textile mills in the region, the discussion of the French Canadian and Irish immigrants working in these industries is not present.

The inclusion of ethnic others and their own dispossessions and exploitation in a capitalist extractavist economy may have added additional strength to the historic analysis, and contributed to the epilogue as well.

Overall, this book is a fantastic read, and offers critical insight. I would highly recommend it to any student of New England history, environmentalism, feminism, or marxism. It may quickly become one of your favorites as well!

This book remains a classic after over 40 years in print, and rightfully so.

Merchant examines how the Scientific Revolution happened hand-in-hand with the rise of capitalism, the justification of ecological exploitation, and further suppression of women's freedom. Before the Scientific Revolution, nature was seen as an organic whole, and humans were an integral but equal part in this organic system. Science focused on studying the relationships between microcosms and macrocosms and understanding the system as a whole. Nature was portrayed as a goddess who gave bounty in exchange for reverence and harmony.

Then the Scientific Revolution began to focus on laws that can be universally applied, and on breaking things down into small components and understanding those components individually. It also focused on how to exploit nature to get the most out of it in the interests of capitalism. In essence, the Scientific Revolution re-imagined the world as a machine rather than a living organism. A machine has predictable behavior, exists to serve man, and has no life or soul. This shift in thinking completely changed the course of history.

Merchant examines in detail how this shift happened, in both scientific thinking and in literature. It's clear from reading this that the Scientific Revolution was the beginning of rampant capitalism, the current climate crisis, and our difficulty with understanding nature as a whole system instead of as a bunch of discrete parts. It's fascinating to think about how different the world would be if these changes hadn't happened.

This was read for ENG 360A Class taken in 2007.

Readings Environmental Novel English Class required book.

Environment

For a person interested in an overview of environmental history and some examples of typical sources used by the field, this is a reasonably good textbook. The pieces excerpted for the various sections are a good sampling of some of the best and well-known scholars in the field, and the primary sources would promote interesting discussion in a classroom setting. Small introductory sections help explain the significance of each. The organization is clear, and the 15-chapter format lends itself well to teaching this book under the 15-week semester system. An appendix provides helpful definitions of common terms and topics, such as ecofeminism and human ecology.

However, the book has several flaws that discourage me from giving it an entirely positive endorsement. First, it lacks an index, a major problem for a book of this type. Second, both primary and secondary sources appear in excerpted form (missing sections are indicated by ellipses) and lack the footnotes from the originals. Although the sources are fully cited in an appendix, this is frustrating for the reader who was looking for a more "intact" representation of the materials in one place.

What a fascinating and enlightening book. Merchant wonderfully tells the compelling tale of how Western civilization in Europe began seeing the Universe as a dead thing rather than a living being- a pile of resources to be exploited rather than a mother figure to be nourished and nurtured. She looks most pointedly at records from mining charters form the time period in question as well as works previous to that. It seems a definite shift occurred around 1500 concerning our attitude towards Nature and the Earth.

She argues that a more rigid, violent,and paternalistic culture came to dominance at that time, virtually crushing the older more wholistic and maternalistic culture. It allowed us to coldly rationalize our "rape" of what used to be Mother Nature through mining and timber harvesting mainly.

Although Merchant has gone on to argue points and positions much more radical in later years, she has always done so in a rational manner, backed up with solid evidence- she does not simply hollowly bark at ideas she does not like. The Death of Nature is first and foremost a history book. It does end up arguing a more environmental message but only because the evidence leads us that way not because Merchant forces the idea down our throats.

Ökologie, Frauen und neuzeitliche Naturwissenschaft

About the author: quoting from the book's back cover, "Carolyn Merchant is Professor of Environmental history, Philosophy and Ethics in the Department of Conservation and Resource Studies of California, Berkeley. She is the author [of other books on ecology]. About the book: Ynestra King, Lang College, New School of Social Research said of this title, "Carolyn Merchant's work reflects the generosity of spirit necessary for the realization of the broad-based ecology movement she envisions. 'Radical Ecology,' is crucial reading for anyone concerned with the liberation of human beings and the earth and the relationships between these projects." The book has figures, tables and chapter notes and is well indexed.