"Can Wilderness be Found on the Wilderness Trail" pages 157-161 (Spencer Mottley)

   In the beginning of the article "Can Wilderness be Found on the Wilderness Trail" by Dr Ridick. He

explains how early outdoorsmen like Thoreau saw the western wilderness as a place of renewal,

transformation and freedom, viewing the opportunity to travel west as a type of religious/spiritual

endeavor. With Thoreau even going as far as referring to the West as a holy land. Although this

Exploration has clear benefits for the human psyche, the implications on nature, as seen in the

Westward Expansion Period can be very negative if our journeys into the wilderness are not conducted in

a conucous manner. One way Americans have conserved the landscapes they cherish is through

advocating for and creating national parks and scenic trails. Another way Americans have conserved 

The landscapes they cherish is through passing the Wilderness Act of 1946, the objective of this act is to

create a legal definition for the word wilderness in the United States, which defines the wilderness as a

place where a man is not a resident but is only a visitor. Although this act was created to create a legal

framework for protecting natural landscapes. It doesn't come without some considerations and potential

criticisms, one of which is that the act of even imposing a definition on wilderness is, in a way, taming the

landscape. "Defining wilderness, therefore, erases the very thing we attempt to understand (Dr Ridick)." 

Another consideration regarding the Wilderness Act is the question of whether the wilderness even exists 

Anymore in an era in which we've mapped and explored every corner of the earth? My answer to this

question would be no thinking of wilderness in its pure state. Although, still to this day, natural landscapes 

like natural parks are much wilder/ closer to being wilderness than the landscapes we've cultivated or built

over. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sarah Chapman- Homelessness Countering the Destruction of Home by Kip Redick

Reading Homelessness Countering the Destruction of Home by Kip Redick challenged the way I think about both ecology and spirituality. What struck me most is the idea that “home” is not just a physical structure but an event, a lived relationship. Drawing from Martin Heidegger, Redick describes dwelling as a kind of embodied participation in a community that includes not only humans, but also earth, sky, plants, animals, and even tools. I found myself reflecting on how rarely I actually experience that kind of dwelling. So often, I move through spaces quickly, distracted, or focused on productivity rather than presence. However, as I have continued to take classes with Dr. Redick, I try to be more intentional and aware of nature. The essay made me more aware of how deeply modern technology shapes the way I relate to the world. Through thinkers like Jacques Ellul and Emmanuel Levinas, Redick argues that we have turned the world into “standing reserve”, something to be used efficiently ra...
Read more

Iroquois Creation Story Paper Presentation (Amanda Capper)

 During today's class, one of our classmates shared her essay on the Iroquois creation story. I thought this was actually really interesting, because I had never heard of it before. One thing that struck me as particularly interesting was the main theme of reciprocity and balance. For example, the earth (Gaia) as an independent resource was interesting to me. Through Gaia, other environmental constituents also spring up, such as trees, grasses, dirt, the ocean, the rivers, etc. These features give humanity sustenance, breadth, and life. This is where the reciprocal practices come from. Using these materials and the natural world for our benefit, yes, but there's more to life than just this.  I've always thought that the Native worldview is so much better than our own worldview. I think when we get so involved in ourselves, materialistic and capitalistic culture, we lose sight of what really matters - community and the ecosystem we live in. Its not just about the things we h...
Read more

Kip Redick Introduction

Welcome to the Religion and Ecology blog for 2026. Make sure to start the blog with your name and the subject of the entry (Just as I have done with this post). Blog entries will be considered informal writing assignments and as such will be graded more in relation to content than style. Blog entries will contain questions and answers to questions, as well as reflections which relate to daily classroom discussions, completion of exercises, and reading assignments. Any questions the student has when reading or completing assignments should be written in their blog. Reflections may relate to connections the student makes between discussions in this class and those in other classes, between arguments raised in the readings in this class and those raised in other classes or in informal conversations. Students are encouraged to apply the ideas learned in this class to activities that take place outside of the class. These applications make great reflections. The student s...
Read more