Impact of the Scientific Revolution on Nature

Vandana Shiva's Perspective on Resources

• Vandana Shiva, an Indian scholar, activist, and author, advocates for food sovereignty and critiques anti-globalization.
• She has written over 20 books.
• Shiva is often called the "Gandhi of grain" for her activism, particularly associated with opposing genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
• She argues that in nature's economy, the currency is life, not money.

Impact of Revolutions on Natural Resources

• The industrial and scientific revolutions have led to the desecralization of nature.
• Natural resources were transformed from gifts to inputs in commodity production.
• This change, characterized by a lack of respect for nature's limits, has resulted in a loss of reciprocity and the destruction of the commons.

The Concept of "Inputs"

• The industrial revolution viewed resources as materials available for economic exploitation.
• The capacity for regeneration and the attitude of reciprocity towards nature were lost.

Human Inventiveness and Industry

• Technological advancements and human industrialization have impacted nature's value.

Destruction of the Commons

• The destruction of the commons, a process central to the industrialization process, was vital for creating natural resources for industry.
• Included in this process are the clearing of trees, draining of marshes, and enclosing of land for specific economic purposes.
• Such actions often displaced communities who depended on those shared resources.

Loss to Landless Peasants

• Landless peasants and smaller peasants lose common rights that were crucial to their livelihoods.
• Cottagers, laborers, and industrial workers also face resource deprivation leading to dependence on wages.

Forest Struggles

• Forest struggles arose in response to forest laws introduced in 1878 and 1927.
• Forest Satyagrahas and other movements, involving women and Penans, took place.

Exploiting Nature Through Two Phases

• Nature's wealth was exploited when plentiful and accessible.
• This exploitation led to degradation and scarcity, resulting in uncontrolled destruction of nature when resources became scarce.

Scientific Revolution and Technological Fixes

• The scientific revolution fostered the view that technology could substitute nature's resources, leading nature to be disregarded.
• This was further supported by the belief that technological solutions could solve problems of scarcity.

Biotechnology and Its Implications

• Biotechnology offered substitutes for limited land and produce.
• This included synthetic fibers, chemical fertilizers, genetic resources, and animal cloning, as well as GMOs.

Francis Bacon and the Modern Approach to Nature

• Francis Bacon, a key figure in the development of modern science, viewed nature as something to be conquered.
• Nature's transformation into "inert, dead, and manipulable matter" suited capitalist exploitation.

Post-War Recovery and Capital/Technology

• Post-war recovery in the North was characterized by an expansion of capital investment in the Third World.
• Aid and technology transfer became crucial for planned development.
• A technological fix to scarcity was the focus.

Money and Investment

• Money and investment have replaced the life process of nature in economic thinking.
• The focus is on substituting resources and maintaining consumption levels.

Robert Solow and the Theology of the Market

• Robert Solow emphasized the ease of substituting factors for natural resources.
• He argued that scarcity is an event rather than a catastrophe.

Desacralization of Nature and Limits

• The industrial and scientific revolutions have led to a violation of nature's limits, preventing nature's resurgence and regeneration.

Real Scarcity

• Violation of nature's limits and inability to regenerate result in real scarcity.

Sustainable Development

• The concept of sustainable development arose from the realization that the development process had led to the transformation of renewable resources into non-renewable resources due to ecological disruption.
• The concept is based on sustaining nature but often is used to continue the supply of raw materials for industry.

Conclusion on Viewing Nature

• Nature should not be just viewed as a resource to be exploited, but as something fundamental to life.
• Viewing nature in this way has caused unprecedented and concerning man-made ignorance and the threat to life on Earth.

Conclusion on Limits of Growth

• Limitless growth and consumption are ecologically damaging and create issues of class, culture, and gender inequality.
• Sustaining nature isn't supported by respecting nature’s limits but ensuring the continued supply of raw materials for industry.

Explore the consequences of the scientific revolution on natural resources and the perception of technology. This quiz covers topics such as the dual phases of exploitation, forest rights movements, and criticisms of post-revolution views on nature. Test your knowledge on key figures like Francis Bacon and Vandana Shiva and their contributions to environmental discourse.