In the Renaissance of fifteenth and sixteenth century Europe, nature was conceptualized as a living organism. Like humans, it had a body, soul, and spirit. The body was the earth mother, the planets the soul, and the fixed stars the spirit. Beyond that was God. In the seventeenth century, the metaphor changed to that of a machine made of dead particles controlled according to the laws of momentum and energy. Nature could be predicted and controlled, ultimately leading to the pollution and depletion of resources. However, through conservation and restoration, much of the damage could be undone. I believe that through a new ethic of partnership with nature, we can take, but also give back to the earth. Such an ethic would allow human lives and nature’s life to continue in an ongoing dynamic relationship.

In the Renaissance of fifteenth and sixteenth century Europe, nature was conceptualized as a living organism. Like humans, it had a body, soul, and spirit. The body was the earth mother, the planets the soul, and the fixed stars the spirit. Beyond that was God. In the seventeenth century, the metaphor changed to that of a machine made of dead particles controlled according to the laws of momentum and energy. Nature could be predicted and controlled, ultimately leading to the pollution and depletion of resources. However, through conservation and restoration, much of the damage could be undone. I believe that through a new ethic of partnership with nature, we can take, but also give back to the earth. Such an ethic would allow human lives and nature’s life to continue in an ongoing dynamic relationship.