Silent Spring - A discussion on Rachel Carson's excerpt

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Quote 1: "It is also an era dominated by industry, in which the right to make a dollar at whatever cost is seldom challenged." 

I completely agree with this statement. Mankind has become more concerned with making money then anything else. Unfortunately, money is what helps us survive. For those who always had money they don't understand the struggles of those who weren't as fortunate. Money is power and unfortunately that's the way it is for now. Maybe one day we could invent a new way to live harmoniously with the life around us. Maybe we won't all be so greedy but if money doesn't motivate us to invent and innovate, what will? Maybe it's the altruistic nature in us that will help move us along. Even though I feel as if we have become more and more selfish as a species.

Quote 2: "This is an era of specialists, each of whom sees his own problem and is unaware of or intolerant of the larger frame into which it fits."

I think most so-called specialists are aware that their solutions might not have the best effect on the natural world. Everything in the world has trade offs and unfortunately effects on the natural world are the easiest to overlook. Maybe these specialists think that the effects their solutions have are not irreparable. Maybe they're thinking, "I'll make money off of this and then later we will worry about the effects of this creation". Mankind has been creating and inventing in order for our survival. We created spears to hunt and used caves for refuge. Now we have guns, money, buildings, and advanced healthcare. We are only trying to make sure that we survive and thrive as a species. Other species are attempting to do the same. Why is it so wrong for us to overlook environmental damage when our "solutions" help solve serious problems?

Quote 3: "...radiation is now the unnatural creation of man's tampering with the atom." 

Why is it that our tampering with the atom is so unnatural? We are curious beings that thirst for knowledge. It is in our nature to investigate and analyze. We want to know how this world works, this was ingrained in our brains. How is this unnatural? I wish there were more answers to questions like these but I'm not sure that our investigative nature is unnatural. It is a natural desire to learn. We tampered with the atom so that we could defend against others of our own kind trying to cause harm. This is a problem in its own right.