The most important passage in the introduction of The Ocean Reader: Theory, Culture, Politics is as follows. In the beginning, Roorda writes, “This book aims to avoid that natural bias predominating among our terrestrial species and replace it with a steady focus on the Ocean and on events that take place offshore” (pg.1). This sentence shows the main idea that the book tries to discuss. Roorda explains that human ways of thinking are strongly based on human centered ideas, which are described through the term ‘terracentrism’.

In this passage, Roorda does not call us simply “humans” but instead defines us as a “terrestrial species.” This phrase breaks the traditional boundary between humans and other living beings. By calling humans one kind of species among many, it offers a opportunity for us to change how we see ourselves. We are no longer a special or superior being but a part of the same ecological system as all other creatures. Through this, we can see human society and the natural world as parts of one connected space. It also makes clear that humans are not rulers standing above others. The word “terrestrial” warns us about the “natural bias” that leads us to understand the sea only from the point of view of land. For example, people have divided one connected ocean into seven parts for their own convenience. Unlike the land, where change is easy to see, the deep ocean hides many ecosystems that we tend to ignore simply because we cannot see them. Roorda shows that the root of these problems lies in terracentrism, which makes humans view the world through their own limited ideas and language.

Roorda argues that we must move beyond this terracentric perspective and keep a “steady focus” on the Ocean. This means that the ocean should not be seen as a temporary or distant object of observation, but from its own point of view. The change from the usual lowercase “ocean” to the capitalized “Ocean” shows an effort to “challenge the conventional wisdom that the seas can be taken for granted” (pg.3-4). Using the lowercase word “ocean” makes the sea sound like something humans can define or own. Such naming leads people to believe that the sea belongs to them. However, by changing just one letter, it reminds us that the Ocean is an independent being with its own history and ecosystems.

In conclusion, this book does more than remind us of the importance of the sea. It calls for a change in how we think. Roorda encourages readers to move away from the belief that everything exists for human use and to remember that humans are only one of many species on Earth. When we recognize this, we can begin to understand the world of the Ocean more clearly. To see the world as it truly is, we must change our point of view and learn to see ourselves as part of it. This change must begin within us.