Our eyes do not divide us from the world, but unite us with it. Let this be known to be true. Let us then abandon the simplicity of separation and give unity its due. Let us abandon the self mutilation which has been our way and give expression to the potential harmony of man-nature. The world is abundant, we require only a deference born of understanding to fulfill man's promise.
Man is that uniquely conscious creature who can perceive and express.
He must become the steward of the biosphere. To do this he must design with nature. Along with the poetry we get the instruction of a master, masterfully expressed. Pointing out that we build where we should farm, cut forests where we should grow them, and design forms where we should follow nature's morphologies, McHarg makes clear and comprehensible recommendations for reversing the destructive process of development. If McHarg's book can be criticized at all, it is only from our current perspective.