Human Nature Critique
Michael E. Castillo
Armstrong
Rhet/Comp II
October 1, 2014
Human Nature Critique
In his article, "Human Nature", investigative historian Mark Dowie argues the fact that people’s ideas of what nature and wilderness completely invalidate the true meaning of what nature really is. His main claim is that the western way of thinking about wilderness and nature as separate from humanity has led to environmental destruction and ethnic cleansing. In the beginning of the article, Dowie introduces the way these different photographers have created a myth of "nature" through their pictures of places that are "absent of humans" to give society a distorted interpretation of what nature is or looks like. He continues his article by involving scientists and anthropologists and uses their understanding of nature and wilderness as another view of the topic at hand. Later in the article, he references a man named William Cronon and an essay he writes pertaining to this topic, and also incorporates a few interviews that help his claim. Throughout the argument, Dowie addresses the audience in an open way. By including testimony, interviews, secondary sources, and a few rhetorical devices, Dowie effectively persuades the audience that nature and wilderness have been misinterpreted by the general population.
To be able to give the reader a better idea of the main claim, Dowie utilizes testimonies as a support for his addressing of his argument. Towards the middle of the article, Dowie introduces a man named William Cronon, an environmental historian, and speaks about the essay Cronon had written about a similar topic, utilizing his ideas as a source to support his claim. Dowie expresses his reasoning of using Cronon's essay as testimony when he introduces Cronon and says that he "has spent much of his intellectual career grappling with these conflicts." In a sense, the use of Cronon's essay as a testimony assist Dowie in advancing his claim across to the audience. Since
Armstrong
Rhet/Comp II
October 1, 2014
Human Nature Critique
In his article, "Human Nature", investigative historian Mark Dowie argues the fact that people’s ideas of what nature and wilderness completely invalidate the true meaning of what nature really is. His main claim is that the western way of thinking about wilderness and nature as separate from humanity has led to environmental destruction and ethnic cleansing. In the beginning of the article, Dowie introduces the way these different photographers have created a myth of "nature" through their pictures of places that are "absent of humans" to give society a distorted interpretation of what nature is or looks like. He continues his article by involving scientists and anthropologists and uses their understanding of nature and wilderness as another view of the topic at hand. Later in the article, he references a man named William Cronon and an essay he writes pertaining to this topic, and also incorporates a few interviews that help his claim. Throughout the argument, Dowie addresses the audience in an open way. By including testimony, interviews, secondary sources, and a few rhetorical devices, Dowie effectively persuades the audience that nature and wilderness have been misinterpreted by the general population.
To be able to give the reader a better idea of the main claim, Dowie utilizes testimonies as a support for his addressing of his argument. Towards the middle of the article, Dowie introduces a man named William Cronon, an environmental historian, and speaks about the essay Cronon had written about a similar topic, utilizing his ideas as a source to support his claim. Dowie expresses his reasoning of using Cronon's essay as testimony when he introduces Cronon and says that he "has spent much of his intellectual career grappling with these conflicts." In a sense, the use of Cronon's essay as a testimony assist Dowie in advancing his claim across to the audience. Since