How to Take Environmentalism Back from a Religion

Crichton wrote about a concern for the environment with Environmentalism becoming a religion as opposed to a scientific field. He uses all of the classical principles of argumentation to support his argument about the religion of environmentalism. By using ethos, pathos, and logos, he makes a strong argument. Through his descriptions, he uses some fact and some emotion to give reason why this religion should be disbanded. He shows emotion, or pathos, through his comparison of the Judeo-Christian religion to the Environmentalism Religion, stating:
The reason that I have no wish to debate these convictions is that I know that I cannot. These are not facts that can be argued; these are issues of faith. So it is, sadly, with environmentalism. Increasingly, it seems, facts are not necessary because the tenets of environmentalism are all about belief" (P. 595 para 5-6).
Crichton has an emotional connection to his argument. He feels deeply about the amount of environmentalism becoming fantasy instead of being strictly composed of fact. As a student of anthropology, he learned about what makes up religion, leading to his belief of environmentalism becoming more a religion than a science. (p. 594, para 3) He finds many connections between Christianity and Environmentalism. Crichton relates The Garden of Eden to an Environmentalists idea of a Paradise. When discussing the idea behind the resources for our planet, the writer shows a good deal of frustration in his words:
Okay, so the preachers made a mistake. They got one prediction wrong; they are human. So what? Only it is not just one prediction; it is a whole slew of them. We are running out of oil. We are running out of global resources (p. 597, para 17).
His use of logic, or logos, comes from the facts he uses to explain his argument. He continues with the idea of the Garden of Eden and speaks of the truths about what it would really be like to live in that kind of a Garden. “If you put yourself in nature, if only for a matter of days, you quickly will be disabused of all your romantic fantasies” (Crichton, p. 596, para. 11). The logic of living in a true Garden of Eden is more likely that it would be like living in a jungle. Living there with the bugs, and the infection, without have the full knowledge of the climate a person would surely die. He writes to show the idea of logic is gone missing from environmentalism as it is from any other religion. He wants to show that religion has no basis of fact or logic. Crichton shows his concern for ethos, or credibility, in his credentials. He discusses a time that he trekked through the Karakoram Mountains of northern Pakistan. This experience taught him the importance of acquiring facts, not relying on faith alone. The writer speaks of more facts he can list off, he wants the reader to know he has proof for his ideas.
I can tell you that DDT is not a carcinogen, did not cause birds to die, and never should have been banned. The people who outlawed it knew that it was not toxic and halted its use anyway…Secondhand smoke is not a health hazard to anyone and never was, and the Environmental Protection Agency always has known this. The evidence for global warming is far weaker than its proponents ever would admit. The percentage of U.S. land taken up by urbanization, including cities and roads, is five percent (p. 597, para 19-20)
He is using the knowledge of others to back his argument by saying, “I can, with a great deal of time, give you the factual basis for these views and cite the appropriate sources. These are not wacko magazines, but the most prestigious science journals currently in print” (p. 597, para. 21). Crichton discusses many things to show how the Environmentalism has becoming a religion instead of the scientific process it is supposed to be. He uses all of the parts of an argument to share his points. He has strong opinions against the breakdown of the religious, working toward the real, and factual. References
Crichton, Michael (2004). Environmentalism as Religion Run Amok. Retrieved from: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspx