Howard Brazee wrote: > It is awfully fun to look at a concept from a different POV. The > whole concept of culture being the opposite of nature is worth > exploring - especially with our newfound appreciation of nature. > Historically nature hasn't been appreciated much - The Grand Canyon > was described as an obstacle. Things that isolated us from nature > were valued. > This depends rather strongly on which historical period you refer to. There is a strong Classical pastoral tradition, and there is an equally strong movement from the 18th century on, especially after Rousseau, that delights in appreciating nature. Heck, you can't even imagine Romanticism without it. Things get so intense that you have people making their living creating "natural" gardens for the well to do (as opposed to the geometric ones of the 17th century). Isn't imitation the sincerest form of flattery? While this reaction isn't the same as the 20th century back-to-the-great-outdoors (or maybe it is, but bear with me), it surely is not a characterization of nature as an obstacle, or a depreciation of it. Snarkhunter