The Mediterranean World and Nature from Prehistory to Today - How Did We Reach the Age of Crisis?

The Mediterranean World and Nature from Prehistory to Today - How Did We Reach the Age of Crisis? Book Description Soil was the cultural foundation of the early Mediterranean peoples; They acknowledged that they were connected to and close to the land, and they grasped nature through the rural world rendered in various ways. This image of nature they had permeated every aspect of life, from trade to social life, from religious rituals to agricultural activities. For thousands of years, there was no sharp distinction between humanity and the land that hosted it. There was widespread agreement that a largely harmonious relationship with nature existed. Traditional agriculture in the ancient Mediterranean was not contrary to the fundamental features of natural ecosystems. It was rich, complex, self-regulating, and flexible. This relationship ended in the late 18th century, when nature began to be perceived as the wild countryside uninvolved by man. At the turn of the century, the human world, the agricultural realm, and the wilderness were a single uninterrupted area with no internal boundaries. But by the end of the century, important writers of the age had created a sharp division within this continuity and separated the agricultural world from the world of nature. This sudden and striking change in sensitivity turned ecological understanding upside down and led to very important consequences that we are still struggling with. James HS McGregor argues that at the root of the environmental crisis the world is facing today is Western society's principle of "First Nature", the harmonious relationship between human societies and the natural world. He claims that his abandonment lies behind him. This fundamental work not only offers us a new approach to environmental responsibility, but also tells us that we need to regain the old understanding of our place in nature. We must abandon our position as an opponent and adversary to nature, and return to the identity of cultivating with the proven techniques of the past in the biological world to which we belong from birth. Many things were lost, the land and the environment suffered great damage, and traditional knowledge died along with its carriers. But there is still much that can be salvaged, reworked and rethought. (From the Promotional Bulletin)