Aldo Leopold Chapter Summary

1. The ethical sequence, as Leopold sees it, is the process of ecological evolution. The ethical sequence is also a combination of ethics in ecology and philosophy; other wise, known as symbioses. We have ethics in dealing between the individual and with society, but not with men and the animals and plants that we grow up with. This idea of men having ethics toward animals and plants is ecologically necessary and possible. Leopold’s community concept connects the new seemingly different ethics (philosophical and ecological). The community concept is to make man “from conqueror of the land –community to plain member and citizen of it” (Leopold 204). Society has changed the way the landscape is used. There is no harmony to how we handle the

With a lack of education and technology, we did not know how to properly build or take care of the earth. This was the same period when we focused on technological improvements, with the Cold War and the United States focusing on Math and Sciences instead of the Arts. The Cold War lasted till around 1991. This caused a major influence in society to be “takers”. You had counter-culture like the Flower Child movement or doves during Korea and Vietnam Wars, making them the “leaver” culture. This movement only lasted till the 1970s, and the takers took more control of how we looked at the world. Our constant growth, mostly baby boomers, caused the need for us to industrialize our food and everything we consume to an extreme. Today, we realize that we are starting to harm the earth and are more knowledgeable about it. So we could be heading into the having an ecological conscience. We are still seeing ourselves as not being apart of the world system. Our increase in technology has also made us more aware of the damage we have caused. Our ecological conscience is still being developed with time, but it is still an unpopular way of

Ecosophy T is self-realization. Naess wants to give it an “expanded meaning based on the distinction between a large comprehensive Self and a narrow egoistic self,” (418). Self-realization is becoming self aware of how you fit into the world, and how you can make it better. Self-realization happens when you have maximum self-determination, complexity, symbiosis, and a no class society. In order to have full realization, the person needs to learn and question and relook at their life. With this self-realization, then society as a whole becomes better. The whole point of focusing on you is to make the world better, when everyone has