dichotomies

Humans create dichotomies to make sense of the world around them. It is our way of simplifying complex entities that bleed together and intersect in surprising (and sometimes inexplicable ways). It is easy to create a distinction between natural and artificial. But then what are artificial products bred out of nature? Are human beings natural? Are man-made products, like a house, natural? Are beaver dams natural? Nothing in our world falls nicely and neatly into one of two categories.

This sort of mindset can quickly become very dangerous, for it elevates one group over another. We’ve seen this detrimental mindset dictate our own human history--man vs. woman, black vs. white, gay vs. straight, etc. Haraway explored the human vs. animal dichotomy and highlighted ways in which it can lead to harmful actions. I really like what tajiboye pointed out: “major "blows" to the importance of humanity have given us even more reason to create a separation between "us" and "them"”. I feel that as humans become more and more aware of our small role within the complex systems of the world, we desperately aim to assert our importance; our significance.