The Politics of Nature

Catalog description

How does our conception of nature shape our political realities and fortunes? While today we are more aware than ever of the pressures posed by limited resources, fragile ecosystems, and rapidly changing climates, the history of political thought reveals a long-standing awareness of the interdependence between nature, the political edifice and the mediating force of technological development. By tracing out a series of core concepts, this course surveys a series of complex dynamics of dependence, control, crisis, and escape, that govern the interplay between man and his environment. The interdependence of the natural world, the artificial world we create, and the political edifice, often appears as a puzzle: how should we approach nature? What power, if any, does it hold over us? What is the role of artifice and technology in producing and mediating society’s most pressing challenges? How ought we reconcile our dependence upon nature with the desire and need to control certain forces of nature? If today we are more aware than ever of our own impact on our environment, a much longer tradition pays testament to the fact that this complex interplay is a two-way street. Man is, and continues to be, shaped in imperceptible ways by the technologies he produces, as these work with and on nature. This course excavates this rich tradition of social and political texts, through four distinct units that trace this relationship up to the contemporary moment. It offers students an opportunity to gain a wider appreciation of the historical contours of these pressing questions, as well as a renewed look at some of the most topical difficulties of today, including social media, climate change and the impact of our built environments.