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What Is The Theme Of Ethics In A Sound County Almanac By Aldo Leopold

498 Words2 Pages

In the book, A Sound County Almanac, Aldo Leopold rejected the idea of a division between science and ethics in his understanding of land ethics. This argument proposes that ethics and ecology are intertwined as both must understand the other. Leopold's perspective of the land ethic takes on both ethical responsibilities and scientific insights. "Thinking Like a Mountain" describes how hunting wolves to extinction raises ecological consequences as this situation threatens the balance of the ecological ecosystem (Leopold 2020). Within “The Land Ethic,” Leopold emphasizes ecological knowledge as the importance of understanding nature and recognizing the responsibilities humans have towards it ethically. Leopold's essay overall proposes that humans need to equip the use of science to inform themselves on ethics, and ethics should be used to guide the maturity of science. …show more content…

The land ethic displays a non-anthropocentric view that is vastly far from the intrinsic value level of nature, away from the simple value that humans deem helpful. In "The Land Ethic," Leopold shifts the human-centered perspective of the world to a biocentric view; this allows there to be an emphasis on all living things. This is further explored in the "Round River" as Leopold states, "the land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it."(Leopold 2020). This new ethical view requires humans to have a more intimate relationship with the environment and promote the responsibility of taking care of the natural world to help the health of humans and nature. Leopold highlights the importance that humans should explore a new ethical stance that points out the interdependence of all species in the

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John Muir was naturalist, author, philosopher, and a great advocate for preservation in which he took interest in since he was very young. Later in his life, he wrote many letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature which were read by millions. His most powerful quote consisted of few words, “Climb the mountain and get their good tidings, Nature’s peace will flow into you as the sunshine into the trees Although both Gifford Pinchot and John Muir sought the need of nature in humanity, their views greatly differed. Pinchot saw conservation as a means of managing the nation’s natural resources for long-term sustainable commercial use. On the other hand, Muir sided more with preserving the land than conserving (Muir, John).

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When watching the documentary through Leopold’s lens, viewers end up giving some of Treadwell’s associates more credibility and respect; therefore, have a better understanding for the events in Treadwell’s life. For example, Dr. Haakanson’s words on Treadwell’s actions were, “you don’t do that, you don’t invade on their territory […] when you act like a bear the way he did would be disrespecting the bear and what the bear represents” (Grizzly Man). After watching this scene through Leopold’s lens, observers see Treadwell’s disrespect to the bear as disrespect to the land and deserving of the consequences of the land economical model. “[T]he land ethic reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the health of land”, in this case the conviction led to Treadwell’s death (Leopold 867). A scene that would not have been as comprehensible without Leopold’s

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The frontier ideology is defined as an allure of nature that is culturally spread and shaped by people’s ideals of how the wilderness should truly be. The problematic effects resulted by McCandless’ journey into the undomesticated land of Alaska are analogous to the quandaries that the frontier ideology creates for our environmental. Just as the ideology is embedded in his mind; it is also embedded in the minds of many others. However, McCandless story can actually teach us about the plights with our culture and in doing so, allows us to move forward. This has turned into a myth in which many believe that the most important parts of nature are areas that have been untouched by human hands.

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He argues that we should treat our land with care and respect as we now treat one another, for we will be ushering a new era of change the is all for the better. The second half of the essay begins with "The Ecological Conscience". Starting off by stating “Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land” and going on to describe how our fight for land is improving it is moving far too slow. This transforms into the

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