Titus Smith Jr. and the Unity of Nature: Environmental Advocacy in Early 19th Century Nova Scotia

Abstract

As scientists try to understand and predict the global consequences of climate change, the early environmental advocacy of Titus Smith Jr. (1768-1850) seems more relevant than ever. Smith’s concept that industrial capitalism was disrupting the interlocking associations between humans and nature represented an alternate narrative that characterised the first wave of 19th century environmentalism in Nova Scotia. A study of Smith also enhances our knowledge about the beginnings of preservationist thinking and the environmental movement just prior to the era when science was not yet specialized and a single mind like Smith’s could move between disciplines allowing each to inform the other.Keywords: Titus Smith; ecological succession; environmental advocacy