Concern over ecological and environmental problems grows daily, and many
believe we're at a critical tipping point. Scientists, social thinkers,
public officials, and the public recognize that failure to understand
the destructive impact of industrial society and advanced technologies
on the delicate balance of organic life in the global ecosystem will
result in devastating problems for future generations. In The Domination
of Nature William Leiss argues that this global predicament must be
understood in terms of deeply rooted attitudes towards nature. He traces
the origins, development, and social consequences of an idea whose
imprint is everywhere in modern thought: the idea of the domination of
nature. In part 1 Leiss traces the idea of the domination of nature from
the Renaissance to the nineteenth century. Francis Bacon's seminal work
provides the pivotal point for this discussion, and through an original
interpretation of Bacon's thought, Leiss shows how momentous ambiguities
in the idea were incorporated into modern thought. By the beginning of
the twentieth century the concept had become firmly identified with
scientific and technological progress. This fact defines the task of
part 2. Using important contributions by European sociologists and
philosophers, Leiss critically analyzes the role of science and
technology in the modern world. In the concluding chapter he puts the
idea of mastery over nature into historical perspective and explores a
new approach, based on the possibilities of the liberation of
nature.Originally published in 1972, The Domination of Nature was part
of the first wave of widespread interest in environmental issues. In a
new preface Leiss explores the concept of eco-dominion and the moral
obligations of human citizens of the twenty-first century.
