Inventing Nature: Humboldt, Darwin, Thoreau, and Leopold

Douglas White, Professor (retired), Albion College. email:  dwhite@albion.edu, phone: 517-629-6905.

Mondays.  10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. January 30, February 6, 13, 20.  In Person.  Ludington.  Class size 35.

We will examine the idea that our holistic conception of nature is rooted in the writings of four naturalists: Alexander von Humboldt (1769 – 1859), Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882), Henry David Thoreau (1817 – 1862), and Aldo Leopold (1887 – 1948). Today, humans are widely accepted as part and product of an interconnected, dynamic, and wondrous ecological system. This viewpoint drives research, education, recreation, and environmentalism. It was not always so. Each class will focus on the biography, writings, and contributions of one naturalist. Electronic writing excerpts will be provided for discussion. We’ll also see evidence that later authors were inspired by their predecessors. Ultimately, we’ll examine how the social construct of “the balance of nature” is a popular but scientifically unjustified myth.