MAN AND NATURE

CARLENE S. GONZALES

MAN & NATURE

“ Nature is man’s body “. – Karl Marx

Two separate divisions :

I. The relation of man with physical nature and the ecological problem.II. Man’s mastery over nature and himself involved in the problem of human development.

MAN AND HIS ENVIRONMENT

- Man is by nature and inclination a destroyer, a consumer of nature’s goods; and that in using and enjoying the fruits of the earth to which he is entitled by Divine Right he naturally though regretfully destroys them in the very process.

Alexander Pope’s line on man

“ Born but to enjoy, and enjoying but to destroy.”

THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

A fundamental law of nature’s processes, particularly the Second law of thermodynamics , called the Law of the Dissipation of Energy.

DESTRUCTION ROOTED IN SELFISHNESS

This selfishness often surfaces as sheer lack of social concern and consciousness on the part of man, but its nucleus is to be found deeper.

MAN’S MASTERY OVER NATURE

Simply:It means knowing yourself, and knowing what it means to know yourself.

MASTERY OVER NATURE OR SLAVERY OF PASSIONS?

Thus it happens that while man is the master of practically all material things in this world, he is often a slave to his own passions. While he has control over nature, he has no control of himself, his inner nature. In this connection, it is wisdom to hearken to Goethe’s words:

It is in self restraint that man

first shows himself the man.

SAMPALOC CHALLENGE

1. It means knowing yourself, and knowing what it means to know yourself.

a)Man’s mastery over natureb)Man and his environmentc) Man and natured)Destruction rooted in selfishness

2. It is in self restraint that man first shows himself the man by?

a)Karl marxb)Alexander popec) Mikhail gorbachevd)Goethe

a)Karl marxb)Mikhail gorbachevc) Alexander poped)Goethe

3. Who wrote that nature is man’s body.

4. In using and enjoying the fruits of the earth to which he is entitled by

a)Slaveryb)Destructionc)Divine rightd)Nature

5. This selfishness often surfaces as sheer lack of social concern and consciousness on the part of man, but its nucleus is to be found deeper.

a)Environment selfishnessb)Entropy selfishnessc) Destruction rooted in selfishnessd)Distruction routed in selfishness