According to Aldo Leopold, BIGGER (as in exploitation of the natural world/environment) isn’t BETTER if nature is degraded by it, because nature is valuable
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According to Aldo Leopold, BIGGER (as in exploitation of the natural world/environment) isn’t BETTER if nature is degraded by it, because nature is valuable to humans in other ways, including an ESTHETIC one, and if we study nature, we can learn valuable lessons from it,
because it is not a COMMODITY to be used but a COMMUNITY to which we belong. We must CONSERVE it and treat it ETHICALLY because we are also liked to it SPIRITUALLY. We need wilderness, and ethical/ecological CONSERVATION is the way to manage it
sustainably.
The essays read for and discussed in class illustrate these points, viz,:
“Home Range,” “January Thaw,” and “The Geese Return” are Leopold’s physical and mental ramblings while studying animal behavior.
“Smoky Gold” and “Alder Fork” deal with the esthetics of hunting and fishing, while “Thinking Like a Mountain” talks about the dangers of not hunting ecologically.
“Axe-in-Hand” reflects on his woodlot and the subjective methods by which he manages it, and also goes into some ecological concepts. “A Mighty Fortress” returns to the woodlot and shows how plant diseases can help animal species.
“Marshland Elegy” mourns the “death” of a wetland due to human stupidity and the effect of that on cranes, which he thinks are magnificent. “Illinois Bus Trip” argues and gives examples of how modem, “scientific” conservation practices are contradictory and foolish because they see land only as a commodity to be exploited. “Odyssey” shows how an ecosystem works, AND how the White Man’s way of doing things is unnatural and destructive.
Aldo Leopold has a philosophy about nature, which he explains through his writings, and tries to persuade us that it is valid. ESSAY QUESTION TWO: How persuasive is he? To answer this, write a critical analysis–think critically about (analyze and evaluate) his arguments and give your opinions about them. Things to consider: is he more persuasive about some things than others? Are some of his arguments and illustrations too technical, poetic and/or obscure?
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