Abstract

The article analyzes the debate on the environment, considering both its evolution in the last two centuries and its roots in Western history. It begins with a periodization of the history of the environment, and then goes on to reflecting on the relationship between man and the environment during our age. Moving across different cultural, social, and political spheres, the essay considers how a peculiar conception of the protection of nature from industrial progress has emerged during the centuries, shedding new light on the issue of man's domination over nature.