Anne Frank's Tree. Nature's Confrontation with Technology, Domination, and the Holocaust

In this highly original interdisciplinary work, well-known environmental philosopher Eric Katz explores technology's role in dominating both nature and humanity. He argues that technology dominates, and hence destroys, the natural world; it dominates, and hence destroys, critical aspects of human life and society. Technology causes an estrangement from nature, and thus a loss of meaning in human life. As a result, humans lose the power to make moral and social choices; they lose the power to control their lives. Katz's argument innovatively connects two distinct areas of thought: the fundamental goal of the Holocaust, including Nazi environmental policy, to heal the degenerate elements of society; and the plan to heal degraded natural systems that informs the contemporary environmental policy of 'ecological restoration'. In both arenas of 'healing', Katz argues that technological forces drive action, while domination emerges as the prevailing ideology. Rather than an abstract, or theoretical, examination of the concepts of 'domination' and 'autonomy,' the book undertakes a robust pragmatic investigation into the ways in which these themes 'cash-out' in specific real-life or historical situations. The analysis of environmental problems dealing with the degradation of natural systems is generally seen as distinct from the analysis of human historical problems such as war, imperialism, and genocide. But on the level of practical or physical reality, it can be seen that science and technology play a significant and crucial role in this connection; moreover, on the conceptual level, the ideology of domination and control is the connecting theme. Katz's examination of several case studies or historical examples demonstrates the pervasive power of the idea of domination expressed through the development and use of science and technology.