Legal Literacy - The word relation comes from the Latin verbreferre, which literally means “to carry back” or “to bring back”. The word is formed from the prefix re- (back) and ferre (“to carry, bear”). In its original sense, relatio refers to an action that always involves two or more parties connected through a bond, whether material, symbolic, or normative. In this case, the relation is not limited to factual interactions, but rather a structure of meaning that influences how those parties view, assess, and treat each other.

The choice of this term is important because humans never relate to nature in a “purely as it is” manner. Nature is always captured through the language, concepts, and categories we use. For example, the term “forest” can be interpreted as an economic resource, spiritual space, or ecosystem. This means that relations are never neutral, because there is always a perspective that filters them. By understanding relations as a network of mutually influencing meanings and powers, we can see how law is born not only from practical needs, but also from the construction of values that determine the position of humans and nature in the social order.

Pre-Literacy Era

In the earliest stages of human civilization—the pre-literacy era—law was not present as text or language, but as a collective experience that lived in customs, myths, and beliefs. Nature was not positioned as an object, but as a living subject, possessing will, and even supernatural powers. Mountains, rivers, forests, and seas were not merely physical landscapes, but sacred entities that governed human life.

In societies like this, law merged with spirituality. Ecological prohibitions—such as taboos against entering certain forests or taking natural resources excessively—were not based on rational calculations, but on beliefs about cosmic consequences. Violations of norms were not only considered social errors, but also as disturbances to the balance of the universe.

This view is in line with Clifford Geertz's thinking, which sees symbols as a framework of meaning that shapes social reality. In archaic societies, religious symbols not only represent truth, but create it. Therefore, law at this stage is an expression of the cosmic order—a system that maintains harmony between humans and nature.

A concrete example can be found in the practices of ancient Mesopotamian society. For them, the Euphrates River was not only a source of life, but also a sacred space guarded by gods such as Enki. Purification rituals before opening land or drawing water were a form of unwritten law that was morally and spiritually binding. Law here is not a product of human rationality, but a manifestation of divine will.