[obol] Are humans "natural"

[Dennis P. Vroman]

Here's a birding highlight from yesterday, we found a GREATER WHITE-FRONTED 
GOOSE in the Cave Junction area with a large flock of Canadas, not commonly 
found here.

The remainder is non-bird stuff...stop now if you like.

Dennis (north of Grants Pass)

Good question Lona,

This is my own take on this.  We, meaning all of us humans on the planet, 
are very much part of the natural world, which we depend on for our 
existence.  We interact with other organism on a daily basis in order to 
survive.  But, we tend to go beyond just using what we need to just 
survive - after all, how many Groundhogs as an example (excluding Phil in 
PA) live in lavish mansions with eclectic power, central heating and 
plumbing.  We feel this separates "us" from "them" and we are above nature 
and it's rules.

Don't get me wrong, that's just the way we are thanks to that large 
attachment to our upper spinal column.  We like our "creature comforts." 
Want really separates us from the natural world is our various economic 
systems, with monetary units (Dollars in our case) and political systems. 
Didn't use to be that way, a few eggs for some bread, milk or whatever. 
But, this system didn't pay for a political system, which "protects" its 
citizens from the dangers of the world (mostly from other humans, that don't 
happen to think and behave the way "we" do).  So, we are beyond just basic 
survival these days, we have to have funds to support our protective 
political system with large quantities of missiles, nuclear weapons, so on.

...at any rate, you asked a good question, just what do we call this?



>       On the nonbird hot topic this week on obol (man as part of nature):
> Don't we use the words "nature, native, natural" simply to define what is
> and isn't man-caused?  I don't think the intent is to say people are 
> aliens
> from outer space and therefore everything we do is "unnatural", for lack 
> of
> a better word.  What would be a superior system to describe man-caused
> effects that won't give the illusion man is from another planet?  We need 
> to
> be able to talk about our manipulation of the environment somehow.  Lona
> Pierce, Warren