Pristine Wilderness is a Myth?

As people are celebrating Lenin's birthday, which is also Earth Day, they are advocating for the ethical treatment of animals, taking care of the environment, and other decent things. Keep an eye on the radicals who hijack noble efforts for their own ends.

There is talk of "pristine wilderness." What does that really mean? Uncorrupted by civilization, some might say. Others would say that it means untouched by humans. When evolutionary thinking is added to the mix, things get...truly bizarre.

Amazon Rainforest, Flickr / Ivan Mlinaric (CC BY 2.0)

There are people who think that humans taint everything, and the world would be better off if there was no technology, medical science, society, or anything else. Humans have influenced pretty much everything, even areas that are considered pristine, for millennia. Strangely, these extremists are inconsistent with their evolutionary ideas: Since we all allegedly evolved from a common ancestor and evolved to the top of the heap.

The idea that nothing is pristine and everything has been touched by humans is in an article. It also had some ideas about Darwinian Natural Selection that would make both Lenin and the Bearded Buddha sad, such as attributing devolution to onward-and-upward evolution. Obviously, the truth of how humans were created separately from animals, and plants from animals, and so forth is not mentioned. The Genesis Mandate puts us in charge of the environment as stewards. That means were are to use it to survive and thrive, but also to take care of it.

This one will require some careful thinking. An environmental writer argues that “the myth of ‘wilderness’ harms both nature and humanity.” What does she mean? And what are the implications for environmental policy?

Writing in New Scientist (1 Dec 2021), Emma Marris wrote one of the most provocative essays CEH has seen in awhile from an environmentalist and evolutionist. The subtitle says,

Humans have affected every aspect of life on Earth – from hunting prehistoric beasts to changing the climate – and the illusion that pristine nature still exists undermines our efforts to make a better world, says environmental writer Emma Marris.

As readers let that sink in, they must be wondering, ‘But aren’t wilderness areas good? Don’t people need areas away from strip malls and car exhaust to escape the cities and contemplate the beauty of nature?’ Of course; that’s not the issue. The myth is the assumption that remote areas are untouched by human presence, as if they are pristine and holy temples where Homo sapiens should keep out. It’s too late, Marris argues.

To read the rest of the article and sort things out, head on over to "Wilderness Is a Harmful Myth."