Encounters with the Otherness of Nature - Slovic/Dixon

To quote from the book, "This chapter emphasizes the idea that the natural world is 'out there,' alien, something other than what's familiar and human. This otherness causes distress, confusion, and even revulsion.... Henry David Thoreau confesses facetiously on the opening page of Walden that 'I should not talk so much about myself if there were any body else whom I knew so well." This is just another example of the man-centered world we live in. It also proves man's uncomfortability with anything different, whether it be non-human or just unfamiliar. People are often fascinated by the different. Think about how many books, movies, television shows, and such center around aliens and U.F.O.s. What about the fascination with nature? While it causes confusion, the "otherness" represented in nature is compelling in the same way.