The machine or the garden: Semiotics and the American yard

Around 10,000 BC, rapid global warming led to the development of agriculture, sedentary life, and the long distance transport of goods, services, and knowledge – the precursors of contemporary civilization. Concurrent with these events arose the utilitarian philosophy that the natural world should b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Semiotica 2015-10, Vol.2015 (207), p.369-393
Main Author: Hirschman, Elizabeth C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ecology
environmental history
Ideology
nature
Philosophy
romanticism
Semiotics
utilitarianism
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Summary:Around 10,000 BC, rapid global warming led to the development of agriculture, sedentary life, and the long distance transport of goods, services, and knowledge – the precursors of contemporary civilization. Concurrent with these events arose the utilitarian philosophy that the natural world should be exploited for material advancement and that parcels of land could be privately owned and developed. This practice continues to the present day through individual ownership of houses and their surrounding yards. Interviews with American homeowners can provide semiotic insights into how the land under their direct ownership is viewed. Findings lead along a complex trail of images suggesting that the relationship between humans and nature is deeply conflicted. Tracing this relationship back in time through various philosophical positions regarding nature suggests that humans may not be ideologically committed to environmental preservation.
ISSN:0037-1998
1613-3692
DOI:10.1515/sem-2015-0045