Leiss’s Critique Towards Human Idea Of The Mastery Of Nature

The20th century, especially after the Second World War, human beings create morewealth than the past with the rapid development of science and technology, economicintegration and globalization. Human beings have great material civilization at the sametime, the globe appeared serious ecological environment crisis, even disaster under theblind and unrestrained access to natural resources. Therefore people have to rethink therelationship between human and nature. In this matter, western thinkers put forwardmany outstanding views, particularly ecological Marxism, such as William Leiss and soon.Leiss’s critique towards human idea of the mastery of nature is the outcome torethink serious ecological environment problems, the historical background includerising global ecological crisis, USSR and Eastern Europe socialist countries causedecological imbalance in practice, as well as the emergence and flourish of ecologicalconservation movement, the source of theory include Marx’ dialectics thoughts abouthuman and nature, as well as Frankfort School’ ecological criticism theory. Leiss’scritique towards human idea of the mastery of nature include mainly two aspects, on theone hand is as the concept of control nature of ideology. Leiss had discussed thehistorical evolution of the mastery of nature, pointed out that this idea has become a kindof ideology in the capitalist society, deeply criticized two popular ideologies in society,namely “natural liberation” and “harmony with nature”. On the other hand is science andtechnology rational criticism about the way of the mastery of nature. Leiss pointed outthat the internal contradictions about the mastery of nature fully show in the applicationof science and technology, the control of nature and the control of human haveaggravated by unreasonable application of science and technology. So Leiss advocatedthe development of ethical and moral, the liberation of science and technology from theirrational motivation, the recognition towards human idea of the mastery of nature.Leiss’s critique towards human idea of the mastery of nature has importantsignificance, to reflect ecological problems under the industrialization and build aharmonious socialism. But Leiss’s critique towards human idea of the mastery of naturehas obvious limitations as well, he think that the root of ecological crisis due to human idea of the mastery of nature, and he don’t realize the real root of ecological crisis. Sopeople need distinguish and identify to Leiss’s idea of the mastery of nature by Marxism.