Haley Conroy - Ecology of Eden Presentation ch 3 & 4

For my presentation today I presented my findings and overall analysis on chapters 3 and from the Ecology of Eden book by Evan Eisenberg. In my own personal opinion I would say this book is an overall exploration of humankind's place in nature, both the real and the imagined. The Ecology of Eden can act as a balancing act so to speak and in order for an individual to to stand in relation to wilderness, the individual must stand in a right relation to civilization first. I decided to incorporate the cosmic web metaphor into my discussion since we have discussed in the past few weeks and it depicts that humans have a complex relationship with ecosystems.This relationship can be examined of course from many different viewpoints as seen on this web. It is important to acknowledge that this relationship has taken much time to evolve. Dr. Redick used the phrase, “cultural elaboration” to explain this complexity I just mentioned of the relationship between humans & their corresponding ecosystem. From a religious perspective, these elaborations may be understood to be implicated in the alteration or creation of worlds. The main similarity between the cosmic web and the ecology of eden is that Eisenberg’s central argument is that our relationship with nature cannot help but be complicated. I also thought it would be imporrtant to emphasize a quote by Aristotle that says, “worms are the intestines of the earth” (Eisenberg, 24). Aristotle is attempting to explain how worms are very important soil organisms that aid in the decomposition of plant litter and in the recycling of nutrients. An additional quote from Eisenberg that stood out to me states, "many of the species we have trampled underfoot did jobs that we have not been able to take over."Eisenberg depicts that over time society has taken advantage of our abundance natural resources and we as humans cannot replace nature. Another factor of these chapters that I appreciated was the ways in which, not only am I learning about this complex relationship with nature, but also some important and interesting facts about nature I had not known prior to this course. This following quote by Eisenberg can act as an example, "a major case in point is that of the soil of the community. These species recycled organic matter, retained moisture, fixed nitrogen, and made nutrients available to the roots of the plants. They were allies we ought to have recruited, and treated with kid gloves. Instead, we treated them like dirt.” Eisenberg is exploring how speaking of “the soil community” may sound odd, but the fact is that the dirt is alive; An acre of good top soil may house eleven tons of insects, worms, nematodes, fungi, and microbes, each with a major role in the great passion play of death and resurrection. Even without counting roots, there is often more living biomass below the surface than above it. This is the clasp of the food chain, and without this diversity, it is broken. I believe that the first half of the book was very informative by giving a full overview of the idea of Eden throughout history. Eisenberg encourages deep thinking, understanding, and reevaluation of ourselves and our relationship with Nature and encompassing religious attitudes. Eisenberg also aims to explore our troubled relationship with the pristine, asking why our every attempt to return to it, preserve it, revere it, takes us ever further away from Eden. So far from what I have read, I can say that this is a well written book that is thought provoking and quite depressing as the realization hits just how dysfunctional our relationship with nature has become.