搜索
ManintheRealmofNature人在自然界Humanbeingsliveintherealmofnature.Theyareconstantlysurroundedbyitandinteractwithit.Manisconstantlyawareoftheinfluenceofnatureintheformoftheairhebreathes,thewaterhedrinks,andthefoodheeats.Weareconnectedwithnatureby“bloodties”andwecannotliveoutsidenature.人类生活在大自然的王国里。他们世代被大自然所包围并与之相互影响，人类呼吸的空气。喝下的水和摄入的食物，无一不令人类时刻感知到大自然的影响。我们与大自然血肉相连，离开大自然，我们将无法生存。Manisnotonlyadwellerinnature,healsotransformsit.Humanityconvertsnature’swealthintothemeansofthecultural,historicallifeofsociety.Manhassubduedanddisciplinedelectricityandcompelledittoservetheinterestsofsociety.Notonlyhasmantransferredvariousspeciesofplantsandanimalstodifferentclimaticconditions,hehasalsochangedtheshapeandclimateofhisenvironmentandtransformedplantsandanimals.人类不仅生活在打字人之中，同事也在改变着大自然。人类吧自然资源转变为各种文化，社会历史的财富。人类降伏并控制了电，迫使他为人类社会的利益服务。人类不仅把各种各样的动植物转移到不同的气候环境，也改变了他生活环境的地貌和气候并使动植物因之发生转变。Associetydevelops,mantendstobecomelessdependentonnaturedirectly,whileindirectlyhisdependencegrows.Ourdistantancestorslivedinfearofnature’sdestructiveforces.Veryoftentheywereunabletoobtainthemerestdailynecessities.However,despitetheirimperfecttools,theyworkedtogetherstubbornly,collectively,andwereabletoattainresults.Naturewasalsochangedthroughinteractionwithman.Forestsweredestroyedandtheareaoffarmlandincreased.Naturewithitselementalforceswasregardedassomethinghostiletoman.大自然及其威力被看成是和人类敌对的东西。Theforest,forexample,wassomethingwildandfrighteningandpeopletriedtoforceittoretreat.Thiswasalldoneinthenameofcivilization,whichmeanttheplaceswheremanhadmadehishome,wheretheearthwascultivated,wheretheforesthadbeencutdown.Butastimegoesonmankindbecomesincreasinglyconcernedwiththequestionofwhereandhowtoobtainirreplaceablenaturalresourcesfortheneedsofproduction.Scienceandman’spracticaltransformingactivitieshavemadehumanityawareoftheenormousgeologicalroleplayedbytheindustrialtransformationoftheearth.Atpresentthepreviousdynamicbalancebetweenmanandnatureandbetweennatureandsocietyasawhole,hasshownominoussignsofbreakingdown.Theproblemoftheso-calledreplaceableresourcesofthebiospherehasbecomeparticularlyacute.Itisgettingmoreandmoredifficulttosatisfytheneedsofhumanbeingsandsocietyevenforsuchasubstance,forexample,asfreshwater.Theproblemofeliminatingindustrialwasteisalsobecomingincreasinglycomplex.Moderntechnologyisdistinguishedbyanever-increasingabundanceofproducedandusedsyntheticgoods.Hundredsofthousandsofsyntheticmaterialsarebeingmade.Peopleincreasinglycovertheirbodiesfromheadtofootinnylonandothersynthetic,glitteringfabricsthatareobviouslynotgoodforthem.Youngpeoplemayhardlyfeelthis,andtheypaymoreattentiontoappearancethantohealth.Buttheybecomemoreawareofthisharmfulinfluenceastheygrowolder.Astimegoeson,thesyntheticoutputofproductionturnsintowaste,andthensubstancesthatintheiroriginalformwerenotverytoxicaretransformedinthecycleofnaturalprocessesintoaggressiveagents.Todaybothnaturalscientistsandphilosophersareaskingthemselvesthequestion:Isman’sdestructionofthebiosphereinevitable?Theman-naturerelation—thecrisisoftheecologicalsituation—isaglobalproblem.ItssolutionliesinrationalandwiseorganizationofbothproductionitselfandcareforMotherNature,notjustbyindividuals,enterprisesorcountries,butbyallhumanity.Oneofthewaystodealwiththecrisissituationinthe“man-nature”systemistousesuchresourcesassolarenergy,thepowerofwinds,therichesoftheseasandoceansandother,asyetunknownnaturalforcesoftheuniverse.Buttoreturntoourtheme,thebittertruthisthatthosehumanactionswhichviolatethelawsofnature,theharmonyofthebiosphere,threatentobringdisasterandthisdisastermayturnouttobeuniversal.HowaptthenarethewordsofancientOrientalwisdom:liveclosertonature,myfriends,anditseternallawswillprotectyou!TechnologyandHappinessInthe20thcentury,Americans,Europeans,andEastAsiansenjoyedmaterialandtechnologicaladvancesthatwereunimaginableinpreviouseras.IntheUnitedStates,forinstance,grossdomesticproductpercapitatripledfrom1950to2000.Lifeexpectancysoared.TheboominproductivityafterWorldWarIImadegoodsbetterandcheaperatthesametime.Thingsthatwereonceluxuries,suchasjettravelandlong-distancephonecalls,becamenecessities.AndeventhoughAmericansseemedtoworkextraordinarilyhard,theirpursuitofentertainmentturnedmediaandleisureintomultibillion-dollarindustries.Bymoststandards,then,youwouldhavetosaythatAmericansarebetteroffnowthantheywereinthemiddleofthelastcentury.Oddly,though,ifyouaskAmericanshowhappytheyare,you’llfindthattheyarenohappierthantheywerein1946(whichiswhenformalsurveysofhappinessstarted).Infact,thepercentageofpeoplewhosaytheyare“veryhappy”hasfallenslightlysincetheearly1970s—eventhoughtheincomeofpeoplebornin1940has,onaverage,increasedby116percentoverthecourseoftheirworkinglives.Youcanfindsimilardataformostdevelopedcountries.TherelationshipbetweenhappinessandtechnologyhasbeenaneternalsubjectforsocialcriticsandphilosopherssincetheadventoftheIndustrialRevolution.Butit’sbeenleftlargelyunexaminedbyeconomistsandsocialscientists.Thetrulygroundbreakingworkontherelationshipbetweenprosperityandwell-beingwasdonebytheeconomistRichardEasterlin,whoin1974