Berman-The Re-enchantment of the World

I had a couple of problems with this reading. I feel the arguments were presented too vaguely due to the imprecise language. The views expressed are kinda naïve and idealistic about the past, too. Naturally I am suspicious and questioning about it.

Number 1:

"Vex nature, disturb it, alter it, anything-but do not leave it alone. Then, and only then, will you know it. ...to know nature, treat it mechanically; but then your mind must behave mechanically as well." (17-18)

Vex..that's a pretty loaded word, don't you think?. Virtually all elements exist in the world in an impure state. Anyone who's ever done science experiment knows you have to keep your samples free of impurities, or else you won't be able to witness any of the element's qualities with any certainty. No isolation from affecting variables, no consistent results.

You can't expect us to work with alchemy... 

A mystified world is full of wonder, but it's full of fear, too. And having scientific knowledge about the world doesn't mean you lose awe of it or stop respecting it. Science can be enchanted, too. Isn't it better to be in awe of a world you understand better versus having awe in a world you don't?

Plus, people have been looking for and spreading the idea of using rational explanations for the universe since ancient Greece. Natural philosophy became prevalent way before the Industrial Revolution. It's where we get the classical elements of Earth, Fire, Air, Water (and Quintessence) and the four fluids, blood, phlegm, choler and black bile.

Also, a scientific world view isn't always what causes a society to run it's natural resources into the ground. People can be just as short sighted (or greedy, selfish, what have you) without it. Just take a look at Easter Island. The island underwent almost complete deforestation and extinction of indigenous wildlife because they raised up so many statues. (Wood for system for raising statues led to less wood for canoes which led to relying more on animals on the island instead of being able to hunt and fish on the ocean.) People have been exhausting the land even when they've had no exposure to scientific method.

This kills the man. (You'll never see these cute statues the same way again.)

Aaaaaand number 2:

"The view of nature which predominated in the West down to the eve of the Scientific Revolution was that of an enchanted world. Rocks, trees, rivers and clouds were all seen as wondrous, alive and human beings felt at home in this environment. The cosmos, in short, was a place of belonging."(16)

Er...not really? There are so many different religions and ways of thinking throughout the world; and I feel this statement is too vague to accept with certainty. While there are a few major religions that have humanity as part of a natural cycle and there being all sorts of spirits in nature, (eg. Buddhism, Shinto, Hinduism, Native American faiths) there are some faiths both dead and alive that portray humans as being at the mercy of supernatural or divine forces rather than belonging to the cosmos, per say. (eg. some sects of Christianity and other Abrahamic religions) Sometimes, worship was pretty much bribery. (Greek/Roman polytheism, for instance.) I really don't think belonging to the Earth in one faith means the same thing in another.

Since we're talking about the West, take a look at Christianity:

"Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, and let them rule
over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the
earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (Genesis 1:26)

Even in the very beginning of the Bible, humanity is given dominion over the world. No doubt others have used this quote as an excuse to abuse and over-extend natural resources just as much some use it to give themselves a sense of responsibility for the Earth.

Also, people have been complaining about humanity loosing their special connection with the Earth is older than print. During the Mycenaean Age, after the Trojan War, ancient Greeks complained that modern people weren't communicating with the gods and weren't connected to them anymore. Even if it was only three generations into the past, the "Heroic Age" was seen as a better, fantastical time. (Pomeroy et al, 72-73) Mycenaean Age was a time of turmoil; it looks like bad economic and social circumstances lead to a yearning to better days, whether they existed or not.

Diomendes (mortal hero) and Athena (Greek goddess of wisdom) vs Ares (Greek god of war)

Anyway, glad to have this out of my system. Maybe I can move forward now.

Resources after the jump.


Resources

 Berman, M. (1989). The Reenchantment of the World. New York: Bantam Books. Introduction “The Modern Landscape” and Ch. 1 “The Birth of Modern Scientific Consciousness” (1-35).

Biblos.com. (2011) Biblos.com: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages. Retrived from http://bible.cc/genesis/1-26.htm

Pomeroy et al. (2008) Ancient Greece: A Political, Social and Cultural History. New York: Oxford University Press.