Interpreting ideas about nature as ideas about society

1. Introduction
The book progressively develops a framework for interpreting biology in its social context, starting with the broad-brush themes of this chapter:

• What is said or written, instead of being taken literally, can be interpreted so as to expose what is only implicit.
• In the spirit of critical thinking, consider the contrast between, on one hand, "When I hear people say, 'Nature tells us..' I hear them telling me their views about the way they want people/society to do things" and, on the other hand, "I still think it is important to know what is natural and what is unnatural. Otherwise anything is acceptable."
• Interpretation of ideas of nature (following Williams 1980): They are often invoked to justify aspects of the social order, usually aspects becoming problematic at that particular historical juncture, or proposed alternatives to the social order. So, when we hear people debating what nature is or what is natural, we can ask ourselves what it is about society that is being debated.

1b. Mini-lecture
Interpreting a series of images from history, in order to introduce the framework of Williams (1980).

2. Reading
Raymond Williams (1926-89) was an English-Welsh writer about culture, literature, language, and politics, as well as a novelist. His essay, "Ideas of nature," gives us a sense of the changing meanings given to the term “nature,” the coexistence of contradictory meanings at any one time, and how these meanings reflect ideas about the social order being defended or promoted. There is a cycle: society is projected into nature and then propositions about society are read back out of this “nature.” Ideas of nature are often invoked to explain aspects of the social order, usually aspects becoming problematic at that particular historical juncture. So, when we hear people debating what nature is/what is natural, we can ask ourselves what it is about society that is being debated. In other words, we should try to expose what is only implicit, what is not literally stated.

Williams's essay is somewhat dense, so employ two reading strategies:

• Use a timeline to make notes as you go, with 2 narrow columns and a wider one for what is happening generally in society; the period or century; and the different ideas of nature aligned with the periods.
• After reading each section, write down the thesis or theme(s) and quotations that strike you as important or as puzzling.

Opening pages of Williams (1980; full essay available through password-protected page.)

3. Activities

• In small groups, students compare and contrast their timelines, important and puzzling themes, then choose one to bring into whole-group discussion.
• On their own, students continue the three-person discussion below. Then, in small groups again, students compare and contrast the "trialogues" and choose one contrast or conflict to bring into whole-group discussion.
• Students visit a natural history museum, conducting a "scavenger hunt" for exhibits that illustrate Williams's account and for exhibits that contradict or complicate his account.

Nature, a three-person conversation Partovo ("Humans are a Part Of nature"): Humans are living organisms. As such they are part of nature. Therefore, everything they do is natural. Separato ("Humans have become Separate from nature"): People have lost touch with nature and that is why our environment and our society are in trouble. Interpreto ("Interpret Socially views about nature and what is natural"): When I hear people draw lessons from nature, I hear them really telling me something about their views on society. Separato: You'll have to explain this interpretation to me, because, without a sense of what is natural and what is unnatural, anything is acceptable. Interpreto: But Partovo has a sense of what is natural that tells him everything is acceptable. Separato: Is that right? Partovo: Yes. Separato: So you mean mad cow disease, polio, AIDS, and so on are acceptable? Partovo: Um, yes. We could look at them as forms of population control for the human species. Separato: So you wouldn't invest in research for AIDS treatments? Partovo: No. And I don't think the government should either. AIDS affects mostly gays and IV drug users. Their practices do not meet widely held community standards and so they don't deserve society's help. Separato: I think you are out of date about who gets AIDS. But, putting that aside, I thought you said anything humans do is natural and thus acceptable. Partovo: Well, not everything. Separato: So, what is and what is not? ... (continued by reader)

4. Synthesis and extensions

• It is very easy to slip from interpreting "nature" (ideas about nature) back into discussion about un-interpreted nature as the actual material or living world, pointing to the importance of the latter as, for example, a source of ideas for new products (Venton 2011). This schema helps to keep nature and "nature" distinct and distinguishes between nature/"nature" as untouched by human activity vs. including human activity.
• Time line for Williams (1980)
• Extended trialogue (http://www.faculty.umb.edu/peter_taylor/naturetrialogue.html)
• There are many dualisms in our thinking in which a natural or universal characteristic is in opposition or tension with one that is cultural, artificial, or particular. The impact of such dualisms draws in part from the assumption that natural is the way things are supposed to be: Set of Nature-Culture dualisms.

5. Connections and resources

• Berger, J. (1980). "Why Look at Animals?". Pp. 1-26 in About Looking. New York: Pantheon Books
  annotation TBA
• Worster, D. (1977). "Science in Arcadia & The empire of reason". Pp. 2-55 in Nature's Economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  annotation TBA

5b. Add to this blog post to make contributions to the revision of the chapter above or to an annotated collection of readings and other resources related to the chapter.

5c. Adaptation of themes from the chapter to students' own projects of engaging others in learning or critical thinking about biology in its social context. Suggestions:
i. Locate a series of images related to your project and guide others in interpreting what is implicit.
ii. Identify texts related to your project in which nature or natural is used to support ideas about what is right or what is the way things should be or what is hard to overcome even if one wanted to.
iii. Get you audience involved in extending your own multi-person conversation that explores different views on a topic. Make sure you build in the idea that what is literally said is open to interpretation in terms of what is implied. Aim to expose and explore the tensions or contradictions in what people say.
iv. Brainstorm with instructor.