PHIL 1180 Chapter Notes - Chapter 47: William Cronon
5 May 2016
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Document Summary
Preserving wilderness is a fundamental tenet of the environmental movement: wilderness is the last place where civilization has not fully infected the earth, however, wilderness is not quite what it seems. Wilderness is a human creation a product of civilization. The feeling that, when in the wilderness, you are a part of something larger than yourself, is an entirely cultural invention: americans have a long-standing tradition of protecting and experiencing wilderness. Wilderness emerged as a landscape of choice for elite tourists as a place of recreation. Came to embody the frontier myth the wild freedom of america"s past and an attractive alternative to the ugliness of civilization. In the process, wilderness reflected the civilization people came to escape, as celebrating wilderness is an activity of well-to-do city folks. The movement for national parks and wilderness areas came directly after the indian wars, where the natural inhabitants of the area were forced out.
