Mankind and Creation

At first glance, the language of Psalm 8:4-6 seems a simple and straightforward articulation of a moral sense of the human existence, posing a question about a possible linkage between mankind and the Creator's engagement with it.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou has made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet (Psalm 8:4-6).

The assertion of a human-divine linkage is hardly all that is captured by this passage, for it also brings in the idea of humanity's place in the cosmos. The text is asking what is so special about humanity, then apparently proceeds to supply an answer: Human beings are less exalted than angels, which are spirits, and more exalted than the rest of the things that God created, since they have dominion over them. That is an allu

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technology and man-made chemistry, which definitely reflect human dominion, are ignoring the claims of nature on the ecosystem of the planet. Man has the power to disrupt, even destroy this system. These sprays, dusts, and aerosols are now applied almost universally to farms, gardens, forests, and homes--nonse-lective chemicals that have the power to kill every insect, the "good" and the "bad," to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams, to coat the leaves with a deadly film, and to linger on in soil--all this though the intended target may be only a few weeds or insects (Carson 18). The concept of getting rid of a few pests--again, a reflection of human dominion--has been carried to irrational extremes in Carson's view. Carson's text was very influential. Again and again, Silent Spring returns to the theme that "in nature nothing exists alone" (55), and Carson argues that human beings are unique among all creatures in their ability to control the chemistry of life and appreciate the consequences of their control. In a now classic discussion of DDT, Carson shows that its long-term effects have been underestimated or ignored. Since 1962, some legal theorists have used it to build arguments in favor preservi
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 4141
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)

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