Citation:
Reinventing Nature? Response to Postmodern Deconstructionism, Michael E. Soule & Gary Lease (eds), (Washington DC: Island Press, 1995), 173pp.
Reinventing Nature? Response to Postmodern Deconstructionism is a philosophical response to postmodern deconstructionism which questions the concepts of nature and wilderness in a way that potentially threatens their existence. The collection of nine freestanding essays each addresses a separate criticism of postmodern deconstructionism.
Reinventing Nature? Response to Postmodern Deconstructionism is required reading for PHIL 5140 as taught by Professor Dale Jamieson. This work will be of interest to those are concerned with human conceptions of nature and the threat of postmodern deconstructionism to nature itself. The first of the essays, each by a different author, is entitled, "Nature under Fire" and is concerned with the philosophical assault on the boundary between humans and nature. While the assertion that nature requires protection from human activities begs the question of the boundary, deconstructing concepts of nature and asserting nature to be no more than these human constructions leaves nature vulnerable to destruction.
The second essay addresses asserted results of the deconstruction of nature. The author asserts that such modern constructions as theme parks, malls with simulated tropical jungles and other virtual simulations which are easier to control than nature itself are symptomatic of the larger dangers of deconstruction. The third essay addresses the natural-artificial distinction, which the author asserts to be a false distinction. He proposes that rather than the polar positions of natural and artificial, a continuum concept be adopted which positions objects along a continuum ranging from reality to hyper-reality. The closer to reality an object is judged to be the more genuine, serious and the more commanding itspresence is considered to be. The author asserts that "... even if nature (reality) is to some extent a human invention, it still can be eloquent and inspiring and still can invigorate the notion of excellence."
The fourth essay is an attempt to locate common ground. The author poses the compromise solution of adopting a "constrained" program of deconstruction using the concepts of inter-activity and positionality. This, would, the author asserts, create a common ground between the strong deconstructionists and the traditional objectivist. This position would allow the consideration of marginal points of view, including those of non-human animals. The fifth essay advises that the adoption of a paradigm of disorder and disturbance, such as has been embraced by ecologists, not be adopted by historians. Rather, it is suggested that a paradigm which focuses on the inter-dependence of the social and the biological be adopted. Such a position would allow and even value change, but would not embrace chaos.
The sixth essay examines the difficulty in defining ?original, untrammeled nature'. It acknowledges the extensive and often intensive land management practiced by pre-Columbian Native Americans. The author asserts that pervasive and historical impact of human activity be acknowledged and incorporated into our concepts of nature. The seventh essay is focused upon the author's assertions that: "The scholarly depiction of Western (Judeo-Christian) perspectives as oppressive and exploitative, and Eastern views as unitary, respectful, and harmonious, may not be relevant or even accurate." The author undertakes a careful comparison between Japanese and American behaviour toward the environment.
The concern of the eighth essay is best stated by the author. "Management for biodiversity in national parks is incompatible with management for wildness because it requires heroic and intrusive interventions, depriving visitors of the subjective experience of wildness." The author examines the difficulty of the juggling act called ?multiple-use'. The final chapter addresses the "social siege of nature". The author examines the use of deconstructionism as a tool to justify greater exploitation of nature and the possibility that its employment, through "a focus on power inequities, bias, and the myths that maintain them - may help balance the harm to living nature by the politics of deconstruction."
Reinventing Nature? Response to Postmodern Deconstructionism is a careful examination of the consequences of the postmodern deconstructionist approach to human relationships with the natural world. The authors are drawn from multiple disciplines which gives a breadth to the work.