人类应该怎样敬畏自然?

How Should Humans Have and Show Reverence for Nature?

面对环境变化、瘟疫流行等挑战,有学者倡导“敬畏自然”以缓解压力。然而,常见理解下的“敬畏自然”并不是一个好的行动策略。“自然”包括表观自然和自然规律两个部分。对表观自然,无需敬畏,文明的发展就是要改变它,人定胜天是人类的追求。对自然规律,敬畏并不能触发它的积极反馈,也不能提供有效的事前提醒;同时,人无从改变自然规律,人胜不了天。人与自然关系的实质是,恰当利用自然,以满足人类当下的、局部的利益和长远的、更大范围的利益。利益上的人类中心主义是正确的,力量对比上的人类中心主义则是错误的。由于人类知识和能力的局限性,在辨认和协调利益方面总是顾此失彼。因此,我们应该更新对“敬畏自然”的理解:敬畏自然,重要的不是赋予它一种人格,而是认识自然,尊重自然,顺应自然,以人与自然的生命共同体为基础,准确地辨识出人类的各种利益,考虑周全,行动审慎。

Some scholars advocate“reverence for nature”to cope with the challenges from environmental degradation,outbreak of plague and other issues.According to the common understanding of“reverence for nature”,however,it is not a good strategy.“Nature”has two parts,nature as appearances and natural laws.For the nature as appearances,there is no need to have and show reverence,because it must be modified to satisfy human’s demands in the course of civilization,in which sense conquering nature is human’s destiny.As for natural laws,reverence for them cannot trigger their positive feedback,nor can it provide effective reminders in advance.Natural laws keep being natural laws whatever we do,in which sense we are doomed to fail to conquer them.The key to the relationship between man and nature is to make appropriate use of nature,so as to meet both the current,local interests of mankind and the long-term,broader interests.Anthropocentrism in interests is correct,while that in power is wrong.Due to the limitations of human knowledge and abilities,misidentification and unbalance of these interests happen all the time.Therefore,we should renew the understanding of reverence for nature.What is vital for humans,is not to give nature a personality,but to get enough knowledge of nature,to conform to nature,and based on the life community of man and nature,accurately identify various interests of mankind,and think thrice before taking actions.