Riley StricklandProfessor HortalDecember 5, 2014Appalachian State UniversityAbstractPlato, thephilosopherof classical Greece is an extremely prevalent philosopher of naturewhoseideas and ethics continue to be challenged today with theenvironmentalconcern of deforestation. With the clear cutting of forests and wildlife wediminishthe world's natural value and beauty, stripping notonlythe environment of its natural resources but the people living around these areas as well. Communities are effected when trees are clearcut and jungles torn down, the public health is diminished with lack of clean water and air, habitats destroyed, political power becomes corrupt and jobs are no longer available within certain aspects. Plato accentuates on his views of his own culture and how he's seen areas of nature go from being fully thriving to desolate and how that scene affects him. Deforestation is a complicated issue that yields other problems and stems from deeper causes that require shifts in power and a changed view on the natural world in order to make a difference.Keywords: deforestation, Plato, communities, natural world, environment, nature, politics

Plato and deforestationPlato is one of the most influential philosophers of classical Greece, whose teachings and ethics of the world still live on today. Plato was the student of Socrates and established himself as one of his greatest students, throughout the many works of Plato he points out the relationship of man and nature and the balance between the two. Among the many environmental issues in our world today I'm choosing the problem of deforestation and it's ruin of diverse ecosystems that throws the earth off balance. Deforestation is the clearance or cutting down of forests or stands of trees and replacing it with something of non-forest use. Deforestation is the cause of us "losing upwards of 80,000 acres of tropical rainforestdaily" (Scientific American), sending more pollution up into our atmosphere andmanyother societal issues that stem from the root of deforestation. Thisproblemis one Plato was baffled at back in his time of early 300 BC and still would not be accepting of if he were still here today. In the book ofCritiaswrittenby Plato he describes the consequences ofwhatis now from what used to be and how "all the richerand softerparts of the soilhaving fallen away, and the mere skeleton of the land being left" (Plato 4). This describes the aftermath of deforestation and society is turning what was once lush and green into a wasteland of barren dirt and unusable land. A little further on inCritiasthe description of the mountains is mentioned and all it's beauty and use which once was with "the abundance of wood" and the land had "reaped the benefit of the annual rainfall" (4). Through the clearing of foreststheland loses it's ability to soak in all the nutrients it needs, the trees are part of the riparian zone that manages and directs water flow in order to preventflooding and unwanted discharge. The worth of the forests is at it's peak in it's natural element, when Earth is taking it's course and using it for her bestability, in another of Plato's writings,The Republic,Plato states how "the beauty and correctness of each manufactured item, living creature, and action related to nothing but the use for which each is made or naturallyadapted" (Plato 601d). Therain forestsand trees were made and are needed to keep everything in balance, these wonders in nature keep our air breathable, water attainable and ecosystems in check, serving as both homes and breeding grounds for all different types of organisms and species.With the problem of deforestation comes branches of many other issues in society like legal issues with the abuse of human rights, economic problems overobeyloss on cash crops and poverty, environmental issues due to soil erosion and depletion of water resources, public health scares because of the lack of access to cleandrinkingwater and malnutrition, the decline of cultural connection to trees that relates to sociocultural dilemmas and finally the complications within political power and absence of women's rights. All these effects ofdeforestationand deforestation itself are caused by colonialism, globalization, political corruption and policiesfavoringindustry over agriculture. I think culture and mind set is a mainfocus point for all these issues, how you're raised, what people have always known and whattheylearn is what defines them and gives them motive for certain ways of going about things. All places and people have "their own culture, but when you remove that culture from them, then you kill them in a way. You kill them. You kill a very large part of them", Wagari Maathi said this in response to government coming into her community in Africa and taking over (Taking Root). Plato had his ownculture from living in Greece and how he was taught growing up, hedevelopedhis thoughts and mind set from being aroundcertain people and putting his ethics and morals into practice by viewing the worldaroundhim. InCritiasPlato clearly puts blame on humans for thedestructionof the forests and timber, the result is only "food for the bees" (Plato 4) is left from the shrubs and herbs remaining. Even in the times of the early 300 BC Plato saw this destruction as a brutalintrusionof natures rights and was disturbed that human's thought they had such power that allowed them to dominate theenvironment. If people began tocoexistwith nature and not try to bring it under the rule ofmankind we would be much better off, just how with "learning to walk the child learns to cooperate with this oppositional environment, rather than to fight against it" (Sanday, Recco 69). This quote comes from Plato's Laws and is a good example of humanity and it's relationship with the world; we view nature as something that should be tamed and used for our benefit when in reality the earth isn't here to solely satisfy our needs. The unbalance of power is shown also in the effects of human rights abuses, andunjust political powerbecauseone group in power wants to striptheenvironment while others don't feel the same way. Equality and justness ishard earned and requiresperseverancefor "the truest and bestequalityis not easy for just anyone to see" (134). This idea of equality not being easy for everyone or anyone to see has been made prevalent throughout history, from how the Native Americans were treated when the British discovered the New World, to the Civil Rights Movement and the rights of women. We see over and over again when looking back on the past how it takes people ample time to realize the injustice taking place and even more time to make a switch and change the wrongful acts into something progressive and morally right. The world is facing injustice and being wrongfully treated now in the present and needs more voices to stick up on it's behalf, Plato saw this thousands of years ago and people now need to realize it as well.InCritias, Plato shares how the natural world is "not a value-free world" and how he's committed to the "view that there are values in the natural world, or that the values are part of the furniture of the natural world" (Johansen). There are values in the trees of the world that give way to clean drinking water for people, and maintain the health of the world, these should be values we hold to a high standard becausewithoutthese basic needs communitieswillfail. Communities in Africa and parts of South America for example are lacking in environmental diversity, few amounts of trees and wildlife and as a result in order to get clean drinking water women must walk miles every day. Within his teachings Plato, as a student of nature, learns to "attain understanding of the perfection and goodness of the natural world" and how when we interfere with the balance of nature something will be destroyed and lead to furtherimbalancelike we see with deforestation and the effects that stem from it (Johansen). The values and promise forests hold in the communities where they are, are far more important than our need to clear cutfor another corporationfarmingbusiness where they mass produce cattle, chickens and pigs for their meat. Plato's ethics shed light on howpreserving the world we are given and using it without imparting harm to it is essential in continuing theenvironments value.Plato saw the beauty and wholeness of the world when he examined it, he valued it being untouched by human hands and what it was made up. Society needs to see gain this perspective, deforestation will lead to ruin of our world, ecosystems and communities; this travesty will bring about further business and political corruptness, unfair labor, poor health and the further extinction of thousand of species were already losing by the day. As Plato quoted human behavior flows from three main sources: desire, emotion and knowledge and this behavior wont be changed unless we gain a different view and mindset of the world to preserve the environment and work along side nature, not against it.

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Thomas Kjeller Johansen,Plato's Natural Philosophy: A Study of the Timaeus-Critias, Cambridge University Press, 2004, 218pp, ISBN 0521790670