Mitchell Bundick - Ecology of Eden Ch. 23

Chapter 23 of Ecology of Eden (Bebop) shifted my perspective on Eden slightly compared to previous chapters. This was mainly caused by the theme of actively listening to nature as opposed to just observing it. With this theme, Eisenberg introduces the abstract concept of "Earth Jazz". Since humans are visual creatures, it can be difficult to "hear" nature at first. Eisenberg argues that nature is not fixed like a landscape, but "unfolds," which gives the jazz analogy. In a jazz ensemble, the music is created by everyone working together and playing off each other. No individual person dominates; instead each player contributes to the constantly changing whole. Furthermore, Eisenberg compares humans to soloists meaning that humans believe they are the most important component of the system. However, it is everything besides the humans that makes the jazz performance (nature) possible in the first place. 

I think the "laying out" analogy was very successful in this chapter. Laying out in jazz refers to one member of the performance stopping while everything else proceeds. Eisenberg suggests that if humans "layed out" with nature, the performance (nature) would still thrive. An example that came to mind with humans laying out is rewilding projects. Projects like these allow nature to recover without the interference of humans. For example, reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone allowed prey populations, vegetation, and riverbanks to adjust and eventually return to "normal". 

While the Earth jazz analogy can seem a little too abstract at first, I think it is successful in providing a new way of thinking about how nature acts as well as its relationship with humans. If humans can aim to "hear" nature instead of just visualize it, our relationship with nature may be strengthened. 

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