Depersonalization of nature from "summary" of The Death of Nature by Carolyn Merchant
The depersonalization of nature represents a pivotal shift in human perception, a transformation in which the natural world is reimagined as a collection of objects devoid of intrinsic value or agency. This conceptual framework, rooted in the rise of modern science and technology, marks a departure from earlier understandings of nature as a living, interconnected whole, imbued with spiritual significance. The process of depersonalization is intimately tied to the emergence of a mechanistic worldview, which posits that the universe operates according to fixed, impersonal laws that can be understood through empirical observation and mathematical analysis. This reductionist approach to nature, championed by figures such as Francis Bacon and René Descartes, paved the way for the exploitation and manipulation of the natural world for human ends. In this new paradigm, nature becomes a resource to be harnessed and controlled, stripped of its inherent value and reduced to its utility for human purposes. The depersonalization of nature not only set...
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