Paper 102: Moral Satire and the Ecology of Reason: The Neo-Classical Worldview through Environmental Humanities

 Paper 102: Moral Satire and the Ecology of Reason: The Neo-Classical Worldview through Environmental Humanities 

This blog is a part of the assignment of Paper 102: Literature of the Neo-classical Period  

Moral Satire and the Ecology of Reason: The Neo-Classical Worldview through Environmental Humanities 

Table of Contents

• Academic Details
• Assignment Details
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Research Question
• Hypothesis
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Neo-Classical 'Ecology of Reason' 
• 2.1. The Great Chain of Being and Hierarchical Order 
• 2.2. Reason vs. Passion: The Moral Root of Environmental Disorder
• 3. Alexander Pope's Satire: Critiquing Excess and Artifice 
• 3.1. Horticultural Aesthetics and Environmental Attitude
• 3.2. Usufruct, Stewardship, and the Moral Landscape 
• 4. James Thomson and the Proto-Ecological Vision
• 4.1. Empirical Observation and the Functional System
• 4.2. Ecotheology and the Sublime in The Seasons
• 5. Continuities and Foreshadowing of Modern Eco-Consciousness 
• 5.1. From Moral Disorder to Romantic Alienation 
• 5.2. The Enduring Critique of Anthropocentric Hubris
• 5.3. Stewardship and the Principle of Sustainability.
• 6.Conclusion
• References

Academic Details 

• Name: Nidhi R. Pandya 

• Roll No.: 20  

• Enrollment No.: 5108250024  

• Sem.: 1  

• Batch: 2025 - 2027  

• E-mail: nidhipandya206@gmail.com    

Assignment Details  

• Paper Name: Literature of the Neo-classical Period   

• Paper No.: Paper 102 

• Paper Code: 22393  

• Unit 3: Neo-classical Period history 

• Topic: Moral Satire and the Ecology of Reason: The Neo-Classical Worldview through Environmental Humanities 

• Submitted To: Smt. Sujata Binoy Gardi, Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University  

• Submitted Date: November 10, 2025 

The following information numbers are counted using QuillBot.  

• Images: 4 

• Words: 2605 

• Characters:  18009 

• Characters without spaces: 15462 

• Paragraphs:  81 

• Sentences:  186 

• Reading time: 10 m 25 s 

Abstract: 

This essay utilizes an ecocritical framework to re-examine the moral satire of the Neo-Classical period, focusing primarily on the works of Alexander Pope and James Thomson. This ethics is rooted in the Neo-Classical principle of "Reason," which demands order, moderation, and an acceptance of hierarchical systems like the Great Chain of Being. This philosophical demand for balance functions as an "Ecology of Reason," where moral transgressions (hubris, avarice, and excessive artifice) are simultaneously critiques of environmental disorder and resource mismanagement. Through satirical critiques of human excess (Pope) and detailed, reverential descriptions of nature (Thomson), the Neo-Classical worldview foreshadows modern eco-consciousness by framing human virtue as inseparable from harmonious interaction with the non-human world. 

Keywords: 

Neo-Classicism, Ecocriticism, Moral Satire, Alexander Pope, James Thomson, Ecology of Reason, Great Chain of Being, Usufruct, Stewardship, Eighteenth Century 

Research Question 

What proto-environmental ethics are embedded within Neo-Classical moral satire, and how does the era's concept of "Reason" function as a framework for ecological stewardship? 

Hypothesis 

The Neo-Classical critique of moral vice (hubris, avarice, and excess), articulated through Alexander Pope's satire and James Thomson's descriptive poetry, functions as an "Ecology of Reason" that implicitly advocates for natural order and resource moderation, thereby serving as a crucial, overlooked precursor to modern ecocriticism. 

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1. Introduction 

The eighteenth century, often termed the Age of Reason, is characterized by its dedication to order, harmony, and rational discourse, a cultural moment deeply informed by the scientific revolution and an expanding capitalist economy. By applying the methodologies of Environmental Humanities, particularly ecocriticism, to the moral satire and descriptive poetry of this period, a "proto-environmental ethics" emerges (Hitt, 2001). This ethical stance is not defined by modern conservationism but rather by the era’s supreme philosophical value: Reason. 

The central concept uniting these spheres is the Ecology of Reason, which posits that human moral virtue, defined by moderation, self-knowledge, and an acceptance of one’s place, is functionally synonymous with maintaining natural order. Any deviation from this reasoned moderation manifesting as human hubris, technological excess, or unchecked avarice is satirized not merely as a social vice, but as a violation of a divinely sanctioned and naturalized cosmic structure (Cutting-Gray, 1996). 

Christopher Hitt establishes the foundation for this reading, pointing out that ecocriticism offers a lens to examine "harmony, order, and proto-environmental ethics in the poetry of the period" (Hitt, 2001). When Pope satirizes the destructive passion of the ambitious or the consumerist folly of the wealthy, he is, in effect, laying the moral groundwork for future environmental critique, demonstrating that "‘Tis Prudence to Prevent th’Entire Decay" (Drew, 2008). 

To develop this argument, the essay will first delineate the philosophical structure of the "Ecology of Reason" as derived from Neo-Classical thought. Following this, it will examine James Thomson’s descriptive poetry as an exploration of "Ecotheology" (Sitter, 2009), a detailed and reverential articulation of natural order. Through this ecocritical reading, the essay aims to make the case that the pursuit of moral order in the Age of Reason was, paradoxically, a burgeoning concern for the order of the natural world. 

2. The Neo-Classical 'Ecology of Reason' 

Image Of Neo-Classical Age by Google 

At the heart of the Neo-Classical philosophical structure lies an absolute conviction in the existence of a knowable, rational, and hierarchical universe. The concept of the "Ecology of Reason" stems directly from this premise: that the stability and health of the natural world are directly contingent upon the stability and health of the human moral and rational faculties. 

2.1. The Great Chain of Being and Hierarchical Order 

The Neo-Classical worldview required every element to maintain its designated place within a grand, integrated hierarchy known as the Great Chain of Being. Pope’s famous declaration, “Whatever is, is RIGHT,” is a profound statement affirming the ultimate perfection and systemic balance of the universal whole. The poem’s ecological warning comes when human beings attempt to challenge their designated place in this system: 

"In Pride, in reas'ning Pride, our error lies; All quit their sphere, and rush into the skies. Pride still is aiming at the blest abodes, Men would be Angels, angels would be Gods." 

This passage is a clear indictment of hubris, the moral transgression of overreaching one's bounds. Within the framework of the Ecology of Reason, such hubris is inherently destructive to the natural order. 

2.2. Reason vs. Passion: The Moral Root of Environmental Disorder 

The practical application of the Ecology of Reason is the emphasis on balance and moderation. The stability of the natural world is dependent on human self-control. Reason dictates that the non-human world, though viewed as divinely designed for human benefit, must be utilized with restraint to ensure its continuity (Sitter, 2009). The satirical mode acts as a corrective for this internal struggle. When Pope satirizes the wasteful luxury or absurd consumerism of the newly wealthy, he is attacking the unsustainable consumption that signals a lack of reasoned usufruct the right to use something, provided it is not damaged or wasted (Drew, 2008). The moral framework of Neo-Classicism, which sought to keep human behaviour within rational limits, is thus recast as a proto-environmental safeguard designed to prevent the catastrophic consequences of human excess. 

3. Alexander Pope's Satire: Critiquing Excess and Artifice

Portrait Of Alexander Pope C.1716; Studio of Sir Godfrey Kneller. 

Alexander Pope stands as the quintessential Neo-Classical satirist, whose poetic genius was dedicated to diagnosing the moral and intellectual failings of his society. His work demonstrates that the moral decay he laments is physically manifested in a corresponding decay of the landscape. The core of Pope's ecological sensibility is his abhorrence of Excess. This is a vice that simultaneously destroys social hierarchy and despoils the physical environment. The rise of industrial and commercial enterprise meant a fundamental shift in how people viewed the land from a source of moral and social stability to a resource for raw extraction and profit. Pope's satire serves to moralize against this shift. E. Drew highlights this connection by analyzing how eighteenth-century ethical satire addresses "stewardship, moderation, and ecological morality" (Drew, 2008). Pope’s works implicitly advocate for the principle of usufruct, arguing that the temporary enjoyment of the land and its fruits come with a moral duty to maintain its integrity for future generations a classic definition of stewardship (Drew, 2008). 

3.1. Horticultural Aesthetics and Environmental Attitude 

One of the most concrete and well-studied examples of Pope's proto-environmental ethics is found in his theory of gardening and landscape aesthetics. As A.L. Altenbernd argues, Pope’s approach to garden design is a testament to his "proto-ecological imagination" and establishes a link between "horticultural aesthetics to environmental attitudes" (Altenbernd, 1980). In his Epistle to Richard Boyle, Earl of Burlington (1731), Pope satirizes the wealthy landowner, Timon, whose estate is a monument to tasteless excess and a prime example of artifice overriding nature. Timon’s gardens are ridiculed for being unnatural, expensive, and ultimately useless: 

"Consult the Genius of the Place in all; That tells the Waters or to rise, or fall; Or helps th’ambitious Hill the heav'ns to scale, Or scoops in circling theatres the Vale; Calls in the Country, catches op'ning glades, Joins willing woods, and varies shades from shades; Now breaks the slope, and now almost descends, Bids rapid streams to cooler rivers tend; To one clear point the various currents flow, And all are order’d in a mutual show." 

Pope's counsel, "Consult the Genius of the Place," is the aesthetic equivalent of the Ecology of Reason. To "consult the Genius" is to recognize the inherent constraints and potential of the given landscape, demonstrating humility and rational acceptance (Battestin, 1968). This rejection of overly rigid and artificial landscapes in favour of the "naturalistic" English garden movement is interpreted by Martin C. Battestin as part of Pope's consideration of the "interface between artifice, nature, and moral values" (Battestin, 1968). Pope’s ideal garden, exemplified by his own at Twickenham, was not truly "wild," but represented a superior art: an art that concealed its own processes to achieve an effect of effortless naturalness and harmony. This aesthetic choice is a moral statement against the hubris of the age that sought to dominate, rather than cooperate with, the environment. 

3.2. Usufruct, Stewardship, and the Moral Landscape 

The concept of stewardship, defined as the ethical responsibility to manage and protect something, is woven into Pope’s moralizing (Drew, 2008). The "Man of Ross," a figure Pope praises in Epistle to Bathurst, serves as the positive moral counterpoint to the greedy, destructive landowner. The Man of Ross utilizes his resources not for personal excess but for the measured betterment of his community and the local landscape. His actions reflect the principle of usufruct using one's property with moderation and leaving it unimpaired. Drew notes that Pope’s works, in their call for this moderated use, directly engage with questions of environmental morality (Drew, 2008). The Dunciad, Pope’s masterpiece of cultural satire, ultimately connects intellectual and moral decay to a physical, encroaching chaos, depicting the ultimate victory of Dulness (a force of mindlessness and entropy). When the poet describes the forces of bad taste and false learning overwhelming London, he is not far from describing pollution and urban sprawl: 

"See Christians, Heathens, Jews, one System fall, and universal Darkness buries all!" 

The "universal Darkness" is a moral and intellectual void, but it is simultaneously an environmental catastrophe the breakdown of the rational, orderly system (Cutting-Gray, 1996). Pope thus weaponizes satire to show that human self-indulgence and the rejection of reasoned moderation have physical, ecological consequences. 

4. James Thomson and the Proto-Ecological Vision 

Portrait of James Thomson (1688-1744) 

While Alexander Pope employed satire to critique the disruption of the natural order through human failing, James Thomson, particularly in his monumental poem The Seasons (1730), offers the Neo-Classical worldview’s most sustained and direct articulation of a proto-ecological vision. Thomson’s work is characterized by its scale and its shift in focus from the drawing-room to the landscape. Unlike the confined, controlled world of the Neo-Classical garden, Thomson’s canvas is expansive, covering the full cycle of the year, from the delicate thaw of spring to the brutal severity of winter. This dedication to depicting nature in its raw and diverse reality is exactly what Christopher Hitt identifies as the core of the period's "proto-environmental ethics" (Hitt, 2001). 

4.1. Empirical Observation and the Functional System 

Thomson’s descriptions are not merely evocative backdrops but minute observations of natural processes, reflecting the era’s scientific curiosity. This dedication to empirical description elevates the non-human world from a symbolic resource for moral metaphor to an object of value in itself. For instance, his detailed description of the water cycle is rooted in an understanding of physical processes, implicitly demanding respect for nature's functionality: 

"The vapour, which the sun’s attracting beam From sea, from river, and from standing lake, Condenses swift in form of dews and rains, Descends redundant, and sustains the life Of vegetation." 

This celebration of nature’s functional system is a deep-seated ecological commitment. It highlights the interconnectedness the Ecology of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. 

4.2. Ecotheology and the Sublime in The Seasons 

Thomson depicts nature not as a static, controlled garden, but as a vibrant, often violent force. His famous descriptions of the thunderstorm or the blizzards of Winter introduce the sublime the power of nature that transcends human control and comprehension. It reminds the human reader of their relative smallness and limits, reinforcing Pope’s moral lesson of accepting one's place in the Great Chain of Being. Ultimately, Thomson’s poetry is an act of deep reverence, asserting that a resilient, sustainable system depends on balance and renewal. 

5. Continuities and Foreshadowing of Modern Eco-Consciousness 

Image Source: Gemini AI 

The proto-environmental ethics found in Neo-Classical moral satire and descriptive poetry serves as a vital historical and philosophical precursor to modern ecological thought. 

5.1. From Moral Disorder to Romantic Alienation 

The core continuity lies in the shared critique of Disorder and Alienation. For Pope, disorder was moral and social manifested by the avarice of the capitalist and the false taste of the nouveau riche. The Romantic poets, who succeeded Pope and Thomson, would transform this moral disorder into a spiritual or psychological alienation from the non-human world. The Romantics took the reverence for nature's system, so richly detailed by Thomson (Sitter, 2009), and internalized it, making the connection to the landscape the source of human salvation rather than just a reflection of divine order. 

5.2. The Enduring Critique of Anthropocentric Hubris 

Pope’s satirical attack on human hubris the desire to transcend one’s place in the Great Chain of Being is arguably the eighteenth century’s most crucial contribution to ecocriticism. Pope's warning against human overreach in An Essay on Man directly confronts this hubristic impulse. 

5.3. Stewardship and the Principle of Sustainability 

The concept of Stewardship, central to the moral landscape of the Age of Reason (Drew, 2008), is another continuity with modern thought. The Neo-Classical concept of usufruct using the earth wisely but without destroying it is essentially the same principle that underpins modern sustainable development and conservation ethics. The satire directed at Timon’s wastefulness (Altenbernd, 1980) remains a timeless critique of unsustainable consumption and resource destruction, demonstrating the enduring relevance of the period’s "ecological morality" (Drew, 2008) in a contemporary context. 

6. Conclusion 

The examination of Neo-Classical moral satire through the lens of Environmental Humanities reveals a sophisticated and deeply embedded "proto-environmental ethics" (Hitt, 2001) rooted in the era's guiding principle: Reason. The central thesis that the moral order demanded by Neo-Classicism functions as an "Ecology of Reason" is substantiated by the period's key literary outputs. His advocacy for usufruct and moderation stands as an early plea for ecological stewardship (Drew, 2008). Complementing this critique, James Thomson's descriptive poetry provided a sustained, reverential "Ecotheology," depicting nature as a dynamic, balanced, and functional system that compels awe and humility from the human observer (Sitter, 2009). 

The Neo-Classical worldview, with its obsession with system, order, and balance (Cutting-Gray, 1996), provided a necessary philosophical foundation for anticipating modern environmental thought. By accepting the limits imposed by Reason and the Great Chain of Being, eighteenth-century thinkers were effectively advocating for a sustainable, low-impact relationship with the non-human world. The study of Moral Satire is thus transformed from a purely social critique into a vital document in the history of environmental ethics, proving that, even in the Age of Reason, the health of the human soul was inextricably linked to the health of the Earth. 

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References: 

• Altenbernd, A. Lynn. “On Pope’s ‘Horticultural Romanticism.’” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, vol. 54, no. 4, 1955, pp. 470–77. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27706642.  Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.  

• Battestin, Martin C. “The Transforming Power: Nature and Art in Pope’s Pastorals.” Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, 1969, pp. 183–204. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27706642.  Accessed 4 Nov. 2025. 

• Cutting-Gray, Joanne, and James E. Swearingen. “System, the Divided Mind, and the Essay on Man.” Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900, vol. 32, no. 3, 1992, pp. 479–94. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/450917.  Accessed 4 Nov. 2025. 

• Drew, Erin. “‘'Tis Prudence to Prevent Th’Entire Decay’: Usufruct and Environmental Thought.” Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 49, no. 2, 2016, pp. 195–210. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24690405.  Accessed 4 Nov. 2025. 

• Hitt, Christopher. “Ecocriticism and the Long Eighteenth Century.” College Literature, vol. 31, no. 3, 2004, pp. 123–47. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25115211.  Accessed 4 Nov. 2025. 

• Pite, Ralph. “How Green Were the Romantics?” Studies in Romanticism, vol. 35, no. 3, 1996, pp. 357–73. JSTOR,https://www.jstor.org/stable/25601179.  Accessed 4 Nov. 2025. 

• Sitter, John. “Eighteenth-Century Ecological Poetry and Ecotheology.” Religion & Literature, vol. 40, no. 1, 2008, pp. 11–37. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40059841.  Accessed 4 Nov. 2025. 

• Thomson., James. “The Seasons, by James Thomson. .” Internet Archive, 1 Jan. 1794, archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_the-seasons-by-james-th_thomson-james_1794_1/page/n3/mode/2up. Accessed 05 Nov. 2025.