Emerson and Nature Emerson As Term Paper

In much the same way, environmentalists call forth this shared earth attitude to persuade against water pollution. They advocate against dumping water into oceans, lakes, and streams, suggesting that the corporations who do this do not own the bodies of water or the wildlife that calls the water home. In addition, modern environmentalists ask boat motorists to consider this attitude, as well as visitors to bodies of water who dispose of trash in the water.

Thus, modern environmentalists draw liberally on the shared earth attitude to convince others to take responsible action regarding two of the world's most serious environmental issues. Clearly, this attitude is Emerson's. Emerson stated that, while he can walk by each farm, identifying its owner, he cannot truly say that any one specific person owns the land. Instead, the land is not something that can be transferred simply through deed. Because it is not something that man made -- a concept that Emerson refers to quite frequently in "Nature" -- it is not the right or responsibility of humans to decide who owns it. If nature cannot be owned by specific humans, then, it belongs to all. Thus, humans do not have the right to pollute the land, cause harm to come to the land, or make poor decisions regarding the land.At best, humans are expected to borrow the land for a short amount of time, returning it in the same condition to the next generation.

In sum, the founding attitude that shapes the modern environmentalist movement today -- the shared earth attitude -- can be linked to Emerson directly. This suggests it is not a new idea, which may actually give it more credence to modern environmentalists and those they seek to convince.

Works Cited

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Nature." American Transcendentalism Web. n.d. American

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