Before I say anything about cyberspace, I must say I love the new template.
This issue of "virtual place" has interesting implications for environmentalism. If there is no geographic "here," only the "there" into which we each post our ephemeral, what need do we have for, say, the Amazon rainforest?
Wasn't it Reagan's EPA director who said something to the effect of "if you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all"? Well, if you've seen a redwood online, what need is there for the actual tree...or for California, for that matter? Surely cyberspace already has enough photos, narratives, etc to satisfy our yearnings for mountain sunsets, white sand beaches, etc. Who needs Nature (whatever that is) when we have Cyberspace & its depiction of nature?
Writers & scholars interested in the intersection between literature & environment (and there is, of course, an academic association for these types) should take the blogosphere seriously. Given all the bloggers talking about (and posting pictures of) their individual environs, we're in the process of creating an alternate world that at times competes with the "real" one. (Why visit Keene, NH when you can see & read about it on my blog?)
All comments are subject to approval before they are published, so they will not appear immediately. Comments should be civil, relevant, and substantive. Anonymous comments are not allowed and will be unceremoniously deleted. For more on my comments policy, please see this entry on my other blog.
Before I say anything about cyberspace, I must say I love the new template.
ReplyDeleteThis issue of "virtual place" has interesting implications for environmentalism. If there is no geographic "here," only the "there" into which we each post our ephemeral, what need do we have for, say, the Amazon rainforest?
Wasn't it Reagan's EPA director who said something to the effect of "if you've seen one redwood, you've seen them all"? Well, if you've seen a redwood online, what need is there for the actual tree...or for California, for that matter? Surely cyberspace already has enough photos, narratives, etc to satisfy our yearnings for mountain sunsets, white sand beaches, etc. Who needs Nature (whatever that is) when we have Cyberspace & its depiction of nature?
Writers & scholars interested in the intersection between literature & environment (and there is, of course, an academic association for these types) should take the blogosphere seriously. Given all the bloggers talking about (and posting pictures of) their individual environs, we're in the process of creating an alternate world that at times competes with the "real" one. (Why visit Keene, NH when you can see & read about it on my blog?)