Self-Destruction

When it is said that Silent Spring is "a courageous revelation of the forces that modern man has brought into being in his ruthless war on life, a protest on behalf of the unity of all nature, a protest on behalf of life", it is an accurate description. Rachel Carson makes a compelling argument in her literary work, reprimanding humans for destroying their own world. She points out the countless ways life on earth is being devastated through life's own doing. In the article "Toxic Contamination: A Growing World Threat", the author mentions that thousands of new chemicals reach the market every year, most of which are not tested for safety or effects. Carson points out that humans, in attempting to destroy insects and other "annoying" life forms, are destroying more of nature with the chemicals they use. Another point is brought up in the article on Toxic Chemicals. "Often there is little scientific evidence of widespread ill health or ecosystem damage caused by manufactured chemicals, apart from special cases... 'No evidence' does not necessarily mean "no effects": damages due to toxic chemicals may be evident, often in an irreversible way, after long exposure time at low dosage" (Toxic Chemicals). Humans are not aware of their damaging effects on the earth, and often will never know. How can they be expected to stop when they are unaware and uneducated on the situation, a matter Carson among others are trying to fix. Humanity's war on life continues still today, because as the world advances and grows, new environmental problems arise. As one chemical or machine is created to solve a problem, more are created. Rachel Carson says that people need to not just eliminate a problem (such as pests), but understand nature, life and animal populations as a whole before anything can be done.

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