Patrick Jones                                                               Approximately 150 Words
pwj2@geneseo.edu
INTD 105-19: Science Writing

The Fallacy of Wilderness

In William Cronon’s essay, “The Trouble with Wilderness”, he addresses the major problem modern environmentalists face in defining the wilderness as natural. Cronon argues that over the past 250 years, the connotation of wilderness has changed from being uncertain and fearful to “a symbol of God’s presence on earth.” , making wilderness a manipulation of civilization. The monopolization of this definition and it’s use as a way to escape reality has created a problem for environmentalists by setting a high standard for what counts as natural that “…the landscape that for better or worse we call home.” does not meet. This fallacy we created for wilderness has caused modern environmentalists to protect the aspects of nature that provide a spectacle at the expense of the trees in our own backyards.
When looking at the parking curb behind Milne Library, I saw a clear dualism between wilderness and civilization. In his essay, Cronon believes that this view of separation between the worlds only divides us more, leaving ourselves “…little hope of discovering what and ethical, sustainable, honorable human place in nature might actually look like.”