Reconceptualizing Nature, from Extant to Extinct: A Discourse on Material Ecocriticism

Abstract

The paper studies the evolution of human race in parallel with the devolution of environment. From the pre-medieval times to the present day, plethora of changes have been observed in humans and in nature. While one has doubled, the other continues to be savaged. The paper asks questions such as What does conservation mean? Does economy surpass nature? What kind of future are we passing down? The paper is also a discourse on the thoughts of ecologists, environmentalists, and ecocritics such as Rachel Carson, Thomas Berry, Cheryll Glotfelty, James Lovelock, Aldo Leopold, David Suzuki, Vandana Shiva, and Bernard Campbell. It examines the disparity between ‘habitat’ and ‘being’. ‘Habitat’ in this case is the nature as a whole and ‘being’ is us. The paper studies the factors that have led to the depredation of nature: ecological footprint, loss of biodiversity, consumption, hyperconsumption, economy over nature, urbanization, climate change and globalization. Through the multitude of events in the past and present it is evident that nature has to battle against two major forces: technology and humankind. There has always been a rift in the balance between coexistence of nature and us, which calls for the existence of a harmonious relationship as we have always been part of nature.

Received: 11 February 2022 / Accepted: 22 April 2022 / Published: 5 May 2022