Analysis of the "Botany of Desire" introduction

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/bees-get-a-buzz-out-of-electricity-from-flowers

  Today, through my reading the introduction of the book "Botany of Desire", I learned a different perspective of our relationship with nature. In contrast to our traditional perspective of being the dominant species, the author introduced a new idea of co-evolutionary relationship. Just like how flowers use their colorful character to attract bees in order to spread their pollen, plants exploit our inner desire and influence our preferences through their tastes and appearances. 

http://cdn.oxwordsblog.wpfuel.co.uk/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/apple-e1382039006457.jpg

  In the introduction, the author provided examples like apple, tulip, cannabis and potato to support his statement. Apple exploit our desire with its sweetness; tulip exploit our desire with its beauty; cannabis exploit our desire through intoxication; potato exploit our desire with its taste. Also, these four plants are known as domesticated plants, which sounds ironic since the plants are the ones who manipulated our desire and developed an advanced strategy through evolution, in order to make themselves popular in human agriculture. 

http://www.emol.com/noticias/tecnologia/2012/01/17/522007/paleontologo-encuentra-trabajos-olvidados-de-charles-darwin.html

  Even though the perspective sounds novel and unique, the idea can be traced to Charles Darwin, the man who found theory of evolution. In the first chapter of his famous paper Origin of Species, Darwin introduced a term "artificial selection", which meant our choice in selecting domesticated species, that reflects on our will. He described that our desire plays the same role as the natural selection in determining the best species for survival, but he didn't foresee the trend of how artificial selection has now become the most powerful force of nature, and even stronger than natural selection.

"Human Imprint", Photo credit to Cheker Andouni, Source URL: http://500px.com/photo/21128787/human-imprint-by-cheker-amdouni

  Our relationship with nature has been interpreted in many different ways throughout history. However, this idea of reciprocal relationship has put us back into the nature's web. Instead of thinking of us as the dominant species on Earth, we should also admire the power of nature that induces us to select the best plants for survival, because perhaps in the eyes of nature, we're not that different from those bees. 

- Andy Liu '15