Biodiversity and the Natural World

"Both [cultural and ecological diversity] have been threatened by the globalization and industrial culture based on reductionist knowledge, mechanistic technologies and the commodification of resources" (Shiva, 38). In the beginning of Shiva's passage, this line really stood out to me. Technology and industry is something that my generation is VERY dependent on, and continually tries to make advancements. Yes, I admit I'm an advocate for better technologies, but when you put the industry into an agricultural perspective, it is easy to be perceived differently. I do feel that there is a separation of beliefs from culture to religion; for instance, some religions are thought of to coexist with nature and to be in continuous harmony, while culturally, others look at agriculture and animals as a source of income and survival (Shiva, 40). I look at it as a source of survival, but I do not necessarily agree with all of the chemicals being injected into our foods as a way of enhancement.

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Along this, Shiva mentions that people of the Western World consider themselves higher on the biodiversity pyramid than any other organism, or microbe, which I do not agree with or see true. As we learned in class, the pyramid may fall into a peak, but that it usually based on population, and each level of the pyramid is dependent and depended on; we can't function without the right amount of everything above and below. I liked how Shiva put it that "microorganisms create the planet's living environment which supports life" (Shiva,43) and that we are in "co-operation, not competition" (Shiva, 44) .

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I also feel that I take an arithmetical approach with Shiva on analyzing biodiversity. With this, I enjoyed the statistics that Shiva included in this passage as it gives better examples and portrays his argument well. Similarly, Shiva also mentions Rachel Carson's piece,  Silent Spring, and having read a portion of this, I found it easier to understand Shiva's standpoint on nature. However, I was confused on Shiva's take on gene therapy and why it's a problem for society, as well as the problem with only offering three main types of apples (Shiva, 42 and 48). (being an avid apple eater I want to know if I should be expanding my horizons or be cautious of what I enjoy!)