why do humans consider themselves 'above' nature?

Question

If Humans still eat, sleep, defecate etc, and are still largely influenced by emotions rather than reason (there will always be small exceptions), are we not just thinking/political animals, but still animals nonetheless? Should our motivation for achieving environmental sustainability and security be more based upon realizing our true status within Nature, rather than trying to overcome it?

Answer 1

There are two reasons we feel the need to control nature: 1) Hubris and 2) Self-preservation. First, hubris...we control nature because we can. We're smarter than other animals and can control them. Is it fair that we raise animals only to slaughter and eat them? Probably not. Is it ironic that we're concerned with how they're raised (humane conditions) only to slaughter and eat them? Probably. But isn't part of nature to be able to dominate those things that you can dominate and try to escape those you can't?

That brings up the second point: Self-preservation. Humans do not have many natural weapons to survive in nature among other beasts except for our brains. Our brains are what give us the ability to rise above other animals, and there is a certain sense of self-preservation inherent in needing to control nature. How long would we survive among lions or bears without superior intelligence. The self-preservation goes way beyond controlling other animals though. Self-preservation drives humans to try to control all nature. It's apparent across humankind...in medicine, where we attempt to prolong life, in building seawalls and levees to keep out the water, and even in weather prediction, where 100 years ago a hurricane could come suddenly and wipe out a city unexpectedly.

I guess my point is, our trying to control nature is the natural progression of nature. Humans as a species need to control other animals and nature to both survive and thrive. All species attempt to trhive within nature, and this is just our way of doing it.

Answer 2

I have to agree with you. We should give ecosystems and the many different biological communities the respect they deserve. The problem is our superiority complex. True, not everyone has this and nothing is perfect but we can find common ground to "progress" and keep the Earth's ecosystems protected. We can have respect for other species. We need to look really hard at our history and understand exactly what we are doing. I find it is because of a lack of understanding and respect that we end up in these bad situations.

I also want to point out that ecosystems do have balance. It is a little something called a dynamic equilibrium. All species are kept in check by density-dependent and density-independent factors. All species must be within an ecosystems carrying capacity. If a species overtaxes their food supply they can go hungry and there could be a population crash or they could move on to find new territory and food. Of course, most species are generalists. They feed on different species. This also helps retain balance. As nutrients, biomass and energy pass through an intricate food web. I am simplifying my discussion on ecosystems.

Answer 3

Dinosaurs once ruled the planet but they were not above nature. Lions are said to be the kings of the jungle and they are not above nature.

Humans having come out on top are not above nature.

What is it with people that seem to think that humans have something to apologise for? We have not! We are just living life at the top of the life chain. We may well disappear sometime in the future and be replaced by something else. What ever that would be would not be above nature.

Just as animals eat other animals, locusts devastate crops and denude vegetation, our use of the Earths resources are entirely natural.

Whilst wild animals, birds and insects would blindly carry on consuming until everything has gone we have recognised our leading role in nature. We conserve animal habitats, try to limit pollution and do many things to conserve the biodiversity. In doing so we are the only life form the planet has seen that has done so.

We have nothing to apologise for in relation to pollution and destruction of species in the past. We learned from mistakes and moved on. That is what separates us as thinkers and achievers.

In a sense in acting to conserve we are striving to be above nature and for the best of reasons, but we are, and always will be, part of nature and what we do is natural!!!

Answer 4

Damn right Jeremy, and as such we need to assert our place at the expense of any species that gets in our way, just as nature intended. All organisms try to doiminate all available resources, because of this competition, organisms tend to find a niche in which they have the advantage. This can give the impression of harmony. That impression is false, nature is cruel and unfeeling, it does not value biodiversity only strength. Mix all of the species on Earth together and one set would survive, weeds as plants, ferals as animals. Guess what; the ecological systems on which life depends would go on as if nothing had happened.
Be careful what you wish for! Man does occassionally exhibit something higher.

Answer 5

I remember back about 35 years ago when a biology teacher explained to the class that we are not a part of nature. That if we so much as moved a leaf it was no longer in a natural state. In other words, it has been drummed into us all our lives.

The ignorance of assumining we can control nature is, to me, obvious. We can't control it or any facet of it. We can damage it and ruin our home by being careless, and in the process destroy mankind. However, after we all die off nature will still be here and the creatures in nature will continue to change and evolve. In the long run we are little more than a tiny blip in the string of time and make very little difference in the long run. We cannot destroy earth and we are only likely to destroy ourselves.

Answer 6

Ever since we've learned to plant seeds or use "beasts of burden" for our personal gains we have had the sense of overcoming our environment to sustain living. Perhaps we thought why stop there?

Answer 7

tell it to the religious nuts? you are fighting 2000 years of religious propaganda. There are fundamentalists, but they now pref ere to be called evangelicalism - who only joy in life is to wait for the 'gathering' when they will go to heaven, and leave all us sinners here for the anti Christ. Why would they want to balance the world, they are itching for it to end, and they are not some odd cult, they are currently in power in the USA.

Answer 8

We consider ourselves above nature because we can do $hit that the majority of all other animals can't do like walk and talk.

Answer 9

The orientals consider themselves as part of nature not seperate. It's apparent in oriental art.

Answer 10

Pompousness! We forget that we are, indeed, animals too and a product of Mother Nature.