Human Instinct

In chapter 1 of Ecology of Eden, Eisenberg states, "Humankind is a bacterium that was kept in check while the refrigerator was functioning, but took advantage of a power outage to run amok," (p. 7). This is a powerful comparison, but I am going to focus on the aspect of comparing humans to bacteria. Eisenberg compares humans to other natural beings continuously throughout this chapter. I can understand this comparison for early human history, before humans had a significant impact on the land (i.e. nomadic societies). But, after the point in human history when people created technology and really altered the land, can humans be compared to something like bacteria, which solely acts on instinct and has no conscience? I would argue that humans are not comparable to other species because we are more aware (or should be) of the impact human actions have on the land and the environment in general. Eisenberg uses language that implies humans are not fully aware of what they are doing while affecting the land. I believe this to be true; however, in recent years, people have had the knowledge of human influence on the environment and few have attempted to change society's ways. The comparison to other species who act solely on instinct is a fair one when referring to the past. I think that since humans now have the knowledge and awareness of the impact of our actions, we should use this intelligence to change our actions instead of continuing to act mainly on instinct.