![]() ![]() Merchant pointed out in her analysis that it was not her intention to advocate that women reassume the role of nurturer (mother earth, provider, etc) as dictated by that historical identity, but rather to examine the values associated with the images of women and nature as they relate to the formulation of our modern world and their implications for our lives today (Merchant: xvii). Prior to the works of the founding ‘fathers’ of modern science, such as Bacon and Descartes, the values and images associated with women and nature were revered however, as the worldview changed toward a more mechanistic and scientific lens, along with scientifically-established hierarchies came a strong belief in the domination and mastery of nature (and, hence, the feminine). She explained how the pre-scientific world not only maintained a sense of chivalry and respect toward nature, but also associated feminine and life-giving characteristics to nature. ![]() ![]() In her 1980 book, The Death of Nature, Carolyn Merchant developed a feminist theory through the lens of the ecology movement. ![]()
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