This post is due by Tuesday, November 5 @ midnight. No credit given for late posts.
Read the assigned chapters above, and then:
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
1. Provide 3 SPECIFIC observations about Ethics and the Environment, using 2-3 sentences combining the book and your own IYOW analysis.
2. Finally, ask ONE specific question you have of ethics and the environment after completing our reading.
Chapter 7:
ReplyDelete1. With humans inhabiting so much of the globe, the concept of wilderness has become centered on the active management of an ecosystem. In this sense, a wilderness may be something we actually create rather than something we discover. This idea of forming a wilderness ignores the fact that the biosphere once existed without humans to influence and manage it.
2. The wilderness has been seen as a wild and untamed area for quite some time, especially by Euro-Americans travelling to new lands. Even in an ancient view, the wilderness has been viewed as a threat to human survival, with both the Old and New Testaments describing it as a barren and desolate place. Such a negative and defensive outlook on the earth has had a heavy influence on how we interact with the environment even today.
3. Elements within an ecosystem are related in ways characterized as feedback loops – the system’s structure consists of the way its parts are related. The feedback is not random, but works to maintain equilibrium within the entire system. Elements within a system are not only affected by other elements, but also produce effects on other elements in the network of interconnections.
Q: If we have hunted certain species, like the wolf, until they are almost extinct, is it ethical to reintroduce the species into certain environments for hunting again? By hunting deer and elk, aren’t we consciously upsetting the balance between predator and prey within ecosystems, even if we leave the wolves be?
Chapter 8:
1. The ability to understand the environment from a longer-term perspective is crucial if we are going to stop mismanaging natural ecosystems. Shortsightedness is only likely to harm the balance of nature. By viewing our own impact on the environment from a wider perspective, we can better understand and flesh out what our role should be concerning the environment.
2. Although it is hard for humans to comprehend, members of an ecosystem do not function the way they do because of some forward-looking goal towards which they are aiming. To humans, this seems an odd concept since we are used to operating based off of future oriented goals. But components of an ecosystem function the way they do because it has proved adaptive in the past. It is therefore a method based on what has worked previously, versus a method based on what will work in the future.
3. Since humans are assumed to possess intrinsic value, and since we cannot make a clear distinction between self and nature, it is justifiable to attribute intrinsic value to nature. But as we extend our care and affection from the self to the environment, there is the concern that the self well get merged into the whole and be deprived of moral standing.
Q: Should farmers be able to kill wild predators in order to protect their herds, or should they be kept from doing so? If it is okay for one person to kill off animals that are hurting their herd, does that make it okay for hunters to kill animals for their own individual purposes?
Chapter Seven
ReplyDelete1. Prescribed fires provide the ability to have healthier and safer forests. These fires allow a greater diversity of species and their natural communities. With the rate of extinction at approximately one-hundred species daily, such fires may not necessarily combat the severity of the extinction rate, but does provide the opportunity for newer biotic diversity.
2. Ecocentric philosophies are holistic and seem to exceed biocentric thoughts in the way they differ in opinions and processes. Ecocentric ethics consider the relationships between living organisms and their natural environments; it recognizes that a change in one area will certainly impact change in another area. Biocentric theories are less holistic due to the fact that the focus tends to be on individual organisms and not how each organism influences or is influenced by other organisms and their natural environment.
3. The community model is explained as an understanding that nature itself is a community. All living organisms within a community either directly or indirectly impact one another in some way; this can be a result of extinction or an exotic species in a new area. Desjardins provides explanation via the food chain and the ways in which every animal plays a role, either as a decomposer or a primary or secondary consumer.
Chapter Eight
1. Hunting can be a very touchy subject; while some are all for hunting, their polar opposites become enraged by what they view as animal cruelty. I guess I would consider myself on the fence; I do not necessarily condone hunting, but I also don't believe that it is terrible. I question the motives of many hunters, but I do believe that hunting for sustainability is quite natural. I would like to believe that hunters follow the code of ethics and take into consideration of the pain caused to the animal, as well as recognizing that certain animal populations are at risk of extinction.
2. Being ecologically conscience is taking on a perspective that considers the environment and the long-term impacts we may encounter when we attempt to manipulate nature. Aldo Leopold sought to control predators, but through personal experience he came to realize that taking a conservationist approach was ignoring the interconnections of nature and how important it is to think through the repercussions of our actions.
3. The Land Ethic looks beyond ethics as pertaining only to human beings and is extended to also encompass land, plants, and animals. It is imperative for the integrity of the land that we look at the environment as a living being and acknowledge the damage and increasing threat human beings impose upon the ecological community that we are very much a part of.
Why is there such a market for animal “trophies?” How much of the Takers involvement has to do with the shift in the primary purpose of hunting being for sustainability rather than for sport and/or “trophy” collection?
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. The first major point I would like to talk about is the wilderness ideal. To the “white man” as Chief Luther Standing Bear would put it, or the Takers as Ishmael would say, the wilderness is a place of ‘sacrilege’ and of temptations. The bible says that for 40 days, Jesus was tempted by the Satan in the wilderness. After hearing stories like that all their lives, it’s no wonder Takers are scared of the wilderness. However, Leavers embrace what the Takers call the wilderness and they believe that it isn’t wild at all, but that the Takers are wild. Definitely an interesting take on it.
2. The next major point is the idea of the wilderness “myth”. Now this myth is actually fairly similar to the Taker’s creation myth. This myth actually lead to the creation of the Wilderness Act of 1964 which defines a wilderness and allows the government to set aside wilderness for the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time. But the problem that comes with this it the age long debate of conservation vs. preservation. This part of the chapter has a bunch of debate going on between these two ideas.
3. The last major point is the hypothesis of the Earth being a living organism, named Gaia. Doing this actually puts an ethical framework around using and abusing Earth’s resources and makes people rethink what they are doing to this living organism. This leads quite well into Ishmael with Taker culture. Taker’s continue to use and abuse the earth, slowly but surely killing it. Meanwhile the Leavers live in harmony with it and attempt to help it survive.
Chapter 8
1. Desjardins brings up what Leopold would call “Land Ethic” or, “biotic rights”. This is a fairly interesting point from an ethical standpoint. It puts animals and plants on the same moral high ground as humans, meaning it is ethically wrong to mistreat land, plants and animals. Ironically enough, Leopold is not opposed to using them as resources, as long as we treat them with the dignity they deserve. I think this is important if we are to reverse the damage that Taker culture has caused. It is very similar to the way Leavers lived.
2. Leopold brings into the conversation his idea of holism, which he calls ethical holism. It is actually very utilitarian because it is basically the same as the greatest good for the greatest number, or the betterment of the ecosystem instead of the individual in the system. This also seems to continue from his idea on land ethic where it’s fine to use what’s in the ecosystem as long as it doesn’t harm it. Which is the same as following the peace keeping law.
3. Lastly, I want to quickly elaborate on the criticisms Leopold faced by the philosophical community. His ideas and concepts on biotic rights and maintaining the integrity, stability and beauty of the biological community were heavily attacked. They reasoned that you couldn’t determine what maintained the integrity and stability of the ecosystem, which made it impossible to do this. I think it seems a bit harsh, but they do bring up a good point.
Question: Is it ethical to kill a living organism simply because it has abundant resources?
Chapter 7.
ReplyDelete1. Although biocentric ethics is a step in the right direction, it’s not perfect. We can’t just be concerned with living things, we have to be considered with non living things as well (rivers, mountains, etc.).
2. The term “wilderness” is very complicated because there are so many definitions of it. We can’t decide what to do with it until we have a definition that we can all agree on.
3. The idea of the ecosystem is very important to understand in our society because we have to be concerned with protecting them. The idea of the ecosystem preserves the idea that they are a vital part of nature and it doesn’t need to involve only living things, it involves everything in that part of nature.
Chapter 8.
1. The mechanistic approach does have some downsides. It underestimates how connected nature is to one another and that by affecting one thing, you’re affecting it all. It also believes that Earth is dead when, in reality, there are millions of living things inside the Earth.
2. We have developed somewhat of an ecological conscience. This means that we are starting to learn to view nature’s worth as more than a resource for us to use as we please.
3. One criticism of the land ethic is that it values the food of the whole over the good of individuals. If we follow this logic, then it would be okay to hunt a few animals if it meant good for the whole of the ecosystem, but then where would we stop?
Question.
Why do people think that hunting is necessary, beneficial to the environment, or even fun, and why don't we have stricter laws regulating it?
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. Forest fires have been proven to be beneficial for a forest’s ecosystem, contributing to biodiversity, the decomposition of litter and debris, and even helping certain seeds germinate. So not only does suppressing fires harm the regulation of forests but it leads to a buildup of debris which causes wild fires that become uncontrollable.
2. We have made great strides in the world of biocentric ethics; however environmentalists say, and I agree with them, that we have not gone far enough. We have been focusing on helping the species on the Earth however we should begin to also “give serious consideration to nonliving natural objects (for example, rivers and mountains)” (151) as well as ecological systems. We are not looking at the big picture, we see the trees but not the forest.
3. The Wilderness Act of 1964 defines the wilderness as a place “where the earth and it community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain” (153). But isn’t man always a visitor on the Earth? Not to the taker culture. Leavers would have a completely different view on the definition of the wilderness; they would say there are no dividing boarders between where they live and the wilderness. They are always visitors who live from the wilderness and with the wilderness.
Chapter 8
1. Hunting is very even on the pros and cons list, while it can help regulate populations and feed us, it also can be excessive and cruel. For example, some people hunt due to extreme greed; due to poaching there are currently 35 javan rhinos alive today. They were poached to near extinction until placed into a reserve; even so, the hopes of repopulating the species are low due to the lack of genetic diversity and they will soon become extinct. These rhinos were poached only for their horns, and the smaller the population became the higher reward for providing a horn. It’s a classic supply and demand situation, however in this case the supply is a living thing that only has a few more years of existence on the earth due to hunting.
2. The Land Ethic speaks to the Takers. It says that we cannot claim portions of the environment as our own and do what we please with it. The Land Ethic just “enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils waters, plants, and animals” (181).
3. There are many challenges against The Land Ethic, however the greatest contribution of it was telling us to take ecological wholes into moral consideration. Leopold, the creator of The Land Ethic, told us to focus our attention on our ecosystems and relationships.
Question: I wonder how different the world would be if everyone read Ishmael…
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. Taker society has undergone several conflicting views on wilderness, but predominantly settles on the notion that the wilderness is bad. The wilderness is an area which has been virtually untouched by human influence in which man does not belong. As a result, nature has taken over these areas. Nature is regarded as a dangerous place that must be tamed by man to be used for his purposes. From the beginning of the agricultural revolution, Taker societies have sought to control and conquer the wilderness. The “pests,” “varmints,” and “predators” must be eliminated from it, and their place, man must develop the land to make it more civilized.
2. Certain philosophies and religions regard the wilderness as a scared place because it is teeming with innocent and precious life. Transcendentalism and romanticism both follow in line with the belief that nature and the wilderness is a scared place that is to be revered. The transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau went against the conformity of nature being “bad” and lived in the middle of the wilderness. Romantics view the wilderness as a paradise and cities as wastelands.
3. Ecology is the study of living organisms in their environment. The organic model was an early variant of ecological science in which species were viewed as being related to their environment. These ecological groups could then be classified based on their condition. This model allowed ecologists to determine which species and environments were doing well, which were not, and which were out of place. The organic model was later succeeded by the concept of an ecosystem. The ecosystems would have to remain in equilibrium in order for them to be functioning properly.
Chapter 8
1. The main point being Aldo Leopold’s work The Land Ethic is to explain ethics related to land. Instead of having ethics only apply to humans Leopold is suggesting that it be extended to land, plants, and animals. At the time, land was treated merely as property that people had no obligations to respect.
2. Leopold concludes ecosystems to have three attributes: integrity, stability, and beauty. He makes these conclusions from applying the terms health and death to land. Healthy land would be land which has integrity, stability, and is beautiful. Land which is unhealthy or dying would not have any of these attributes.
3. Leopold’s land ethic has been criticized and interpreted in many different ways in the philosophical world. Critics argued that his ecosystem attributes were not realistic since no one could really classify them. Deciding whether something is healthy (or if it has integrity and stability) is a rather subjective classification since people have varying opinions on the subject. J. Baird Callicott interpreted Leopold’s work in a slightly different way. Callicott believes that Leopold is encouraging people to extend family and communal bonds to the biotic world. He wants all life to be recognized and respected.
Question: In what way does modern Taker society view the wilderness and nature? Is it any different than the views held in the past?
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. Wilderness is defined as “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain;” but most wilderness areas require humans to preserve and manage them. Ironic.
2. Ishmael would certainly say that the Puritans embodied taker culture. They believed in conquering all land for their own good.
3. In determining environmental ethics and the “good” of something this sort of utilitarianism ideology exists. Good is when the final chose benefits the community more positively then negatively.
Chapter 8
1. The land pyramid Leopold developed is basically a food chain diagram that shows how interlaced the species are with one another within their environments.
2. One piece from the book Land Ethics on holism discusses whether if we as a society condones the hunting of animals for food, game, and sacrifices the same should be applied to humans. I would not want to live in a world like that.
3. It is interesting to think about how people assume science and scientists know to keep up and maintain society when in reality it’s the opposite. This is because things are so complex they simply cannot be broken down – atleast in this day and age.
Would you want to live in a world that condones the hunting of humans as Land Ethics describes?
Chapter. 7
ReplyDelete1. According to a variety of approaches that we can identify as ecocentric, an adequate environmental ethics must also give serious consideration to nonliving natural objects. An example of this would be rivers and mountains.
2. Few wilderness areas “untrammeled by man” remain on planet Earth, although there are many areas where humans are only visitors. Humans inhabit most of the globe, and our activity affects the entire Earth.
3. Policy decisions about wilderness management depend greatly on how we conceive of and value the wilderness. This understanding can be derived from the science of ecology.
Chapter. 8
1. There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.
2. All living things, including humans, must be viewed as members of the ecological community. The oak tree is a member, even as it is used as firewood.
3. Each species, including ourselves, is a link in many chains. The pyramid is a tangle of chains so complex as to seem disorderly, however the stability of the system proves it to be a highly organized structure.
Question: What principles should guide human interaction with the wilderness and on what ethical basis should we protect the wilderness?
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. Wilderness was defined in 1964, by the Wilderness Protection Act as “Where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain”, the problem is finding a place that fits this description, humans have moved to every habitable portion of the globe and any uninhabited portions are uninhabited for a reason. This view of wilderness “un trammeled by man” only continues the idea that humans are somehow separate or above “nature”, a misconception at the root of many modern environmental problems.
2. The idea of wilderness in a taker idea. Indigenous peoples saw no difference between settled and unsettled lads except that here was where we lived and there wasn’t. Wilderness carried a negative connotation in western culture, from Judeo-Christian biblical stories about being banished into the wilderness, the American settler’s goal to tame the wilderness. It wasn’t until the 1820’s and the writings of the transidentalists that the connotation of wilderness was switched from a negative implying danger and suffering to imply intrinsic beauty and importance.
3. One of the greatest flaws facing both the preservationist and the conservationist is that there views are based on a static view of nature. That the way it is now is the best way for it to be, when studies of animal populations and plant succession show that nature is dynamic, if not chaotic. For example the BWCA blow down, there are people advocating for it removal and the replanting of the dead trees. But that would trap the forest in time, the deadwood provides new habitats, and the aspen a birch forest is next in succession. The same way that generations of people make way for the newer.
Chapter 8
1. Game Management is the science of managing wild populations to give a maximum of animals available for hunters to capture. In his early writings Leopold offered the opinion that farmers and hunters should work together to eradicate “varmint” species, ones that prey on livestock. This shows a radical change over a In ecological thinking in a relatively short time, because in his later writing Leopold supports a more holistic view of environments and douse categorize species as good or bad.
2. Aldo Leopold was one of the first writers to focus on the animals in the environments instead of the plant life or intrinsic beauty. His idea of The Land Ethic, was essentially that you can respect an environment and selectively use parts of the environment as recourses, as long a as the community as a whole is minimally affected. One of the main points of this philosophy is that humans have no special rights, Leopold treats humans as equal members of the community.
3. Another idea of Leopold’s was Holism, looking at not only what a creature douse in relation to humans, but what it does in the community. How every aspect of that community is used by or benefits from the animal. Leopold’s writings tend to avid one choosing either the community or energy model and tends to use a hybrid to make the best outline for decisions.
Question
Why is it so difficult conceptually to view humans as part of an environment? By the way taker have chosen to live have they separated from their environment?
Chapter 7:
ReplyDelete1.) "Where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visor who does not remain." This is a perfect definition made by The Wilderness Act of 1964, this describes an area untouched and unpolluted by man and human activity. This was a good thing because it started to protect nature.
2.) According to the organic model, ecosystems aim for a natural equilibrium of a sturdy and unified state of balance and harmony. By the twentieth century, the organic model had begun to fall out of favor among ecologists. Most of which had come to realize it is mistaken on both a scientific and philosophic stand point.
3.) In offering functional explanations for individual organisms, the ecosystem model implies that a decent understanding comes only when we view individuals relative to the system of interdependencies in which they exist. This is one way to look at the ecosystem model as a suggestion of methodological holism.
Chapter 8:
1.) The single most influential figure in the development of an ecocentric environmental ethics is Aldo Leopold (1887-1948). He was the first person to to demand for a serious rethinking of ethics in light of the new science of ecology.
2.) Leopold's call to continue this extension of ethics to include land, plants, and animals is "The Land Ethics." But don't let it be forgotten that he never gave up on his beliefs that these natural objects can and should be used as "resources" that can be managed for human benefits. (Even though he sounds stupid saying that.
3.) The land ethic's holism condones sacrificing the good of individuals to the good of the whole was the most ethical criticism of it. If we do descried right and wrong as the biotic community, it would seem possible to sacrifice individual members for the good of the community.
EATE Question:
One way of thinking (at least the way I think) of mankind is that it is another organism on the earth. What went so wrong in our past that made us evolve so much and become this environmental monster? Why can't we be more simple, more natural? Now'a'days, humans are all practically chemically engineered by pharmaceuticals and industrialization that there is barely anything 'natural' left about us.
Chapter 7:
ReplyDelete1. The GYA or Greater Yellowstone Area is made up of 12 million acres of mostly public land surrounding two National Parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. The GYA includes 2 national wildlife refugees and six national forests in Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Every year more than a dozen fires ignite naturally do to lightning, but usually extinguish by themselves after burning a little more than an acre or two.
2. During 1988, the Greater Yellowstone Area experienced the driest summer that had ever been recorded in history. During this summer, over 248 fires burned over the year, 50 of those being in Yellowstone Park itself. Through May and June, park rangers will let small fires burn, because they naturally extinguish, but during 1988 the increase wind and dry heat increased the fires immensely.
3. As early as the 1940's, the U.S. Forest Service had used first as a tool for the managing forests and making sure they didn't get to large. During the 1950's and the 1960's, the National Park Service experimented with controlled burns in certain areas. But they soon learned that the natural fire along with the natural extinguish was more beneficial to the environment and played along with the ecosystem.
Chapter 8:
1. The topic of whether or not hunting is a continuing argumentative topic today. There are ideas that support either side of the argument. On one hand, hunting is viewed as unethical because animals are being killed for sport, and should not be killed intentionally. On the other hand, some challenge it as what animals are hunted, when they are hunted, and how many of them are hunted. Challengers also see it as a way to play a role in the natural environment to balance out the ecosystem.
2. People hunt for many reasons, the most popular reasons are commercial hunting, which consists of selling an animals parts once killed. The other form of hunting is known as Subsistence hunting, which is hunting for food for the hunter. People also "trophy" hunt which means that they hunt just so they can have something to display (tusks, antlers, skins, heads, etc.)
3. Like most things in society today, hunting also comes with it's own set of an ethical code. This code included things like: hunting out of season, trespassing to hunt, inflicting unneeded pain on the animal, not tracking wounded animals, poaching, hunting from cars, and being careless with firearms. Along with an ethical code, most hunting comes with a hunting season for certain animals. The hunting season usually corresponds with the mating and reproduction season of the species, that way they are still able to reproduce and keep the population alive.
Question: How badly does hunting affect the natural ecosystem, and is there anything that can be done to help it?
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. “It is unclear what ethical conclusions, if any, can be drawn from scientific observations” (153). Ethics are continually a controversial issue in every sense of the word. Scientific observations can provide facts whereas ethics are never set and stone and depend on each persons view of the situation. Ethics are extremely important in science and the environment but can never truly be defined which causes many problematic situations.
2. In section 7.2 there are many different opinions discussed about how the environment is viewed by well-known environmentalists. The fact that there are so many people who have influenced what we think about the environment and what it does for us matches very similarly to all of the opinions that the general public shares. People learn about those who make an impact on the world and obtain their opinion about the environment. That is why there are so many different views of the environment and it is hard to compromise on what the right thing to do is to keep the environment healthy.
3. “It eliminates any reference to a super organism or complex organism, which implies an independent being that is alive” (166). This quote is talking about the concept of an ecosystem and I feel as though this concept is what the world tries to encompass, but those who believe that the human race is a super organism seem to overpower those who believe that we are all one in the ecosystem. This causes conflict in what we believe a true ecosystem is and if we could ever live like one.
Chapter 8
1. “Leopold advises in “The Varmint Question” that ranchers, hunters, and game protectionists are “mutually and vitally interested in a common problem. This is the reduction of predatory animals” (179). This mindset about hunting and the like has changed greatly, or the overall opinion is much different than this. I do not know many hunters who do so to reduce predatory animals, because the main animals being hunted are deer. Hunting has turned into a sport, rather than a job or a life necessity for takers and this has greatly changed the outlook people have on the act and many people’s reasons for starting to do so.
2. On page 187 the author discuses the reasons for why members of an ecosystem act the way they do. The reason for their actions is because in the past it has proven adaptive, not because of some sort of goal. This I believe is definitely true for animals, but not so much for humans. It is true that humans look to the past and learn from what has happened, but it also seems that we have a goal to improve and expand on every aspect of our lives. This leads me to believe that animals, excluding humans, are part of their own ecosystems, and humans are part of their own as well.
3. On page 193, the author states that moral education and psychology have an important role to play in the development of ethics. In parenthesis next to development, he puts “evolution”. I find it interesting that this is done because evolution, like ethics, is such a hot and controversial topic. I believe it is true that ethics is greatly affected by those two points, but there is a large difference between development and evolution, which makes me think about ethics in a much different light.
Question: Will the Earth ever live as a true ecosystem as a whole or will it always continue to be broken up into many that negatively and positively affect each other?
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. The multiple definitions of “wilderness” remind me of Ishmael’s observation on how the Takers have to have an explanation for everything. I do find it ironic that our culture could complicate something that’s always been.
2. Takers still look at nature as they did in the past when early settlers saw the wilderness as something that needed to be tamed. It would seem even now that those ideas still linger in today’s society.
3. Although we may think our ecosystem spate from that of the “wilderness” ecosystems, they’re really all the same because we still rely greatly on the planet for sustenance. The whole idea of the ecosystem is an extremely important part of nature that our civilization needs to understand better.
Chapter 8
1. The Land Ethic on the equality of all living things. I think this idea is something that everyone could benefit from learning so that they can truly respect the environment as if we were dealing with another of our species.
2. Leopold touches both on how connected different species are within an ecosystem as well as the idea of holism and how utilitarian it really is.
3. At some point I believe that every individual is going to have to take the responsibility of working on not leaving a negative impact on the planet as it can’t be solved by just a few men and women with lab coast on.
Question:
Do you think that only organisms with high intelligences should be given rights/equality as humans?
Chapter 7:
ReplyDelete1. The inanimate objects that cannot speak are the ones we should be concerned with right now. People are always helping the animals that they can feel empathy for, but no one ever feels empathy for the dirt that is drying up and dying as well. We have to manage our ecosystems and all that is within it.
2. The difference between the Lockean model and, in my opinion at least, the realistic version of what happened. I do not believe that the wilderness was given by god to all people in common. That’s just selfish.
3. What does ‘wilderness’ or ‘the wilderness’ mean? Everyone has a different definition of what it is, so where can we agree about what’s right?
Chapter 8:
1. Our ecological conscience and how we view nature as a part of our lives, not just as a resource.
2. What is right when it comes to hunting? Yes, it can help with population control, and it does feed people, what is too much? When does it become excessive? When does it become murder?
3. We and it are all apart of the same ecosystem. A human is the same as a flower when it comes down to the big picture.
Question:
How can we remove ourselves from center stage in the ecosystem?
Excellent reflections here, EATE'r posse - bravo!
ReplyDeleteSurf 'em in class,
W
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. The wilderness is seen as areas of nature untouched by man. In the Puritan model it is seen as an area forsaken by God. Lastly, it is also seen as a place of purity as it is the last place of uncorrupted nature.
2. Preserving the wilderness causes that area to be affected by humans. Some people argue that humans are part of nature, however others say that the amount of change because of humans is very different from the amount from natural change.
3. Holism says that the whole is what is important. Humans should think of nature as all encompassing, not just trying to fix parts of it, such as preserving the wilderness.
Chapter 8
1. Leopold believes the land is not an object, and people should view it in a way that allows them to understand that we have an ethical responsibility to it. However, he believes that natural objects should be used and managed for human benefit.
2. Taking ethical holism to as far as a point of killing an individual deer to save the herd or entire ecosystem is more than humans should do. It’s not up to us to control the deer’s population, unless we had introduced that species into the ecosystem.
3. Callicott seeks to bridge the “is” and “ought” gap by looking at David Hume and Adam Smith’s ethics through Darwin. He says that Leopold incorporated Darwin’s interpretations into the land ethic.
Question: Would we be able to successfully prevent future destruction as well as fix the mistakes we’ve caused?
Chapter 7:
ReplyDelete1. Wilderness areas are prominent examples of natural ecosystems. The reason for this is because man has not inhabited the wilderness. I believe this relates to what Ishmael says about Taker culture, specifically how “humans are compelled to destroy the world”. Humans can not destroy an area if they don’t inhabit it, which is why the wilderness is still pure and natural.
2. When looking at the wilderness there are two ways it can be viewed. The first way is the romantic view of the wilderness which is viewing the wilderness with a beautiful appreciation for nature. The second way to view the wilderness is to see it as a warehouse that holds potential resources.
3. When studying an ecosystem we can classify it into two sections. The first section is the “community model” which states that all parts of the ecosystem are like a community, in which they rely on each other. The second section is the “energy model” which states that an ecosystem is a circuit in which energy flows through. I like the “community model” more than the “energy model” because the community model is easier to relate to.
Chapter 8:
1. Is hunting an environmentally responsible activity? I believe that as long as the animal is not endangered and the animal being hunted is within its season, then I see no problem with hunting. I believe by being aware of what is fair game to hunt makes hunting a more responsible activity.
2. Humans can no longer go on treating the land as though it is not important. The land should be viewed as a living organism and not just soil. If this is not recognized soon, serious effects can come with it.
3. Leopold gives an example of a food chain/ecosystem through his “biotic pyramid”. Leopold’s pyramid works best in its natural form without intervention, however if human intervention becomes an issue there is a potential for problems to arise
Question: How long until all the arable land is used up and humans are forced to find alternative means to produce food?
Chapter 7
ReplyDelete1. There are many different approaches and sciences involved in ecology, and they have not unified under a common standard. Therefore ecocentric ethics are very much circumstantial and dependent on the individual ecologist and their perception/concentration within ecology. Without commonality, it is difficult to come together to accomplish much, and ecologists credibility is constantly questioned (especially if they contradict each other) by the anthropocentric majority that generally sees things in a more objective and straight forward way. The natural world is complex, and answers to ecological questions are difficult to fathom.
2. Wilderness- once the natural world was all wilderness and we were inclusive of it. Now the wilderness is a human construct, "for the use and enjoymnet of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness." What this really means is that an area described as wilderness "are human constructs in that constant human activity is necessary to preserve and manage them" (153). Anthropocentric thinking- for the use of humans.
3. Once an area is designated to be "wilderness," traditional hunter and gatherer lifestyles may be disallowed, because the "wilderness" is to be preserved. This is wrong, because it makes native people (Native Americans) unable to operate as they would traditionally, and it also forces people to be dependent on farming and bought food to survive.
Q: Is it ethical to disallow indigenous people the right to hunt and gather? After so much time, they've become apart of the natural food chain; how will this affect said ecosystems?
Chapter 8
1. While land ethics are good, and make use consider how we use the land, I also think that land ethic objectifies and treats aspects of the land as non-living entities. It places land in context to property and the societal world, which devalues its natural qualities, and places monetary and utilitarian value on the land.
2. An awesome thing about the development of land ethics, is that it includes the land, all natural factors, both living and elemental, to create a comprehensive and inclusive perspective surrounding the natural world and natural systems.
3. The cohesion of biotic and abiotic factors and systems enables us to connect the world around us, and things that are relatable, even to those consumed b
Q:
...y the secular world. The cause and effect of say, a hurricane, is significant and impacts their lives. This development I think is a excellent way to bridge and bond completely secular human beings to the natural world around them, and hopefully make them care.
DeleteQ: How can we effectively impress upon secular humans the importance of environmental ethics through the lens of land ethics?
Sorry its so late...
ReplyDeleteChapter 7:
1. In Yellowstone, during the summer of 1988, it was one of the driest points. There wasn't any rainfall during June, July and August. Within the Greater Yellowstone Area there are several dozens of forest fires that burn mostly due to lightening. During the summer of 1988, there were 248 fires within the Greater Yellowstone Area.
2. In May 2000, there was a fire that got out of control that was burning brush at the Bandelier National Monument and high winds picked up very quickly. This fire spread into Los Alamos, New Mexico and burned for over two weeks. During that time this wildfire destroyed about 50,000 acres of land and 260 homes.
3. The wilderness areas are areas that are natural ecosystems. They define the Wilderness Act of 1964 by saying "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain." Within this act they allow government to put aside large plots of land that way that land is protected from development. These pieces of land are also set aside for American's to hike, camp, use non-motorized boats, hunt and fish. These areas are "for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness."
Chapter 8:
1. Depending on who you are talking with, hunting can be loved or hated! Some people are hunting just for the fun of it, some are hunting for "trophies", some are hunting for food and some are hunting to sell the parts of the killed animal. I think depending on the reason for hunting, hunting is okay. I have my hunting license myself, however I have not gone out and killed anything other than when I go fishing. I have grown up with hunters in my family. On some levels I don't think that hunting is very fair especially if people violate the laws but on other levels, I think hunting is okay. Once someone crosses the line and violates the law, I have a hard time justifying hunting. I also don't think that guided hunts are really justifiable because the guide brings you where the animals are. Part of hunting is going out in the wilderness and seeing those animals. Some examples where people violate the laws are hunting out of season, trespassing, poaching, road hunting, inflicting unnecessary pain to the animal and baiting animals.
2. Aldo Leopold "was the first person to call for a radical rethinking of ethics in light of this new science." The new science that was developed during Leopold's time was the science of ecology. "He introduced scientific techniques and principles to the management of natural resources-in this case, to the management of game." Leopold wrote a book called Game Management which was published in 1933.
3. ""The Land Ethic" is Leopold's call to continue this extension of ethics to include land, plants, and animals." Why did we not have any obligations of respect to the land but we had privileges to respect it? During this chapter I found that Leopold's well known statement very interesting, "a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."
Question:
Why do people feel that violating the hunting laws is ethical and okay to do? I don't mind hunting but seeing people violating the laws disgusts me and is a disgrace to other hunters.