As the semester is coming to an end very quickly I am finding myself thinking about all of the readings and discussions we have done in class. Before taking this class I thought I was fairly aware of the outdoors, where my food comes from, choices I make regarding nature preservation, etc. Now I realize that there is so much more to think about than the ordinary “going green” or other popular fads and movements of nature and the environment. Whether we agreed or not with readings and classmates, we are now more aware of what others think and why they think that way. Some of us hunt, some are vegetarians, some are farmers and some are city slickers! We each have our own values, opinions and lifestyles that shape our philosophical thoughts.
I believe that it is important to study the philosophy of nature and the environment. Now we can also take what we have learned and apply it to our lives. As I am sure many have, I have already done so subconsciously. We have the ability and privilege to choose from where we get our food. We have the ability to choose how much intoxication, control and sweetness, etc. is present in our lives.
One of the most recent readings, The Land Ethic, shows Aldo Leopold’s thoughts regarding environmental ethics. He describes the need for a “new ethic,” an “ethic dealing with man's relation to land and to the animals and plants which grow upon it.” In the section titled, Community Concept, he explains the need of an understanding of the entire community as one force made up of individuals: “All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts. His instincts prompt him to compete for his place in that community, but his ethics prompt him also to co-operate (perhaps in order that there may be a place to compete for).” I believe this is something of which we all should be aware, especially since, according to Leopold, “In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it. It implies respect for his fellow-members, and also respect for the community as such.”
How much do others feel this course has impacted their thinking? Were you completely aware of where your food came from before this class? Were you concerned with the feelings of a lobster (pig or chicken)? Did you think about the ethics of the land, sand, water and air? How much do you believe humans have an impact (positive/negative) on the earth? And to wrap things up, who has a different opinion on what nature is?
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I feel this course has impacted my thinking tremendously! Before this class, I only thought about the hard fact of climate change and the statistics. Now I realize that there is much more involved to think about for this environmental crisis! I was not completely aware of my food before this class or where is came from but I did consider myself slightly knowledgeable. I didn't eat meat or fish mostly because of health reasons but know I feel more grounded in my food choices and more confident as to why I choose not to eat some foods. Before this class, I never knew about the Lobster and the ethical choices behind eating them, yet I did know about Pigs and Chickens. My ethics about the land, water, and air have always been extremely concrete and I still stand behind my belief that we should conserve them to the utmost of our abilities. For years, I have thought that humans negatively impact their earth we live on, yet I have learned to have a positive attitude about how humans can improve or attempt to reverse our negative actions. Before this class, I never considered humans as nature because my religion always led me to believe that we are above the rest of God's living creatures. Yet now, I have come to believe that humans are part of nature and that we are above the rest because we have the moral obligation to take care of the rest of the creatures on earth.
ReplyDeleteNature-the material world, esp. as surrounding humankind and existing independently of human activities.
ReplyDeleteThat is the way that I viewed the human and natural world connection but this class. Before I would always use nature as my escape from the human world but really the worlds aren't separate from one another. Although the worlds aren't separate from one another there are distinct lines drawn between us, as we saw with the outcome of the 'Grizzly Man'. As for the consumption of other animals(lobsters, poultry, beef). I was raise in a setting were we experienced the field to freezer production of beef, swine, sheep and poultry. Since my father is a butcher we knew everything from it killing was done and then how to also do it. I was never ignorant about the goings on about getting the food i needed. My roommate always questions how I can be conscious of know the animal personally but still be able to eat whatever it was without worry or second though. For me the field to freezer ideals was what I was raise on so I don't feel bad for killing the animals for my own needs. Whether we want to acknowledge what our presence in the environment has done to the Earth is up to the individual person but, I do think that we have had a negative impact on the Earth. Human's self-control is really bad and we can never get enough of anything, so we keep on taking and taking; so that one day whether it is in our lifetime or another; eventually the Earth will have given us her last and then we will cease to exist.
I think this class has influenced my ideas on agriculture considerably. While I am not a farmer or biologist, I was still interested in the farming practices outlined in Pollan’s book. I found the information on genetic engineering to be particularly interesting and horrifying! I don’t think my views toward animal cruelty were changed very much; I had heard about the lobster’s plight before this class and I still eat meat. I just guess I think that either way the animals are going to die and that by eating their meat, it justifies their death somehow. Otherwise, I’ve always been pretty concerned about animal suffering (I pick up earthworms off of the sidewalk and toss them back into the grass after a rainstorm so they don’t dry up – I’m a bit strange, I guess). Ultimately, I think this class helped me define what nature is more concretely and served as a way to clarify and focus my views concerning nature more effectively.
ReplyDeleteI would say that this class has made me think about things in maybe a slightly deeper way, but I wouldn't say that it has changed my habits or actions much. I have always been aware of the environment and, growing up on a farm, I was always aware of where my food came from and how it was prepared. I would also like to state that I feel we attacked the farmer a little too much in this class. The bottom line for them is that they grow food for people to eat. If they can't produce a decent crop/animal then they don't make money and if farmers go out of business then people don't eat. I would also like to say that farming practices aren't as horrifying as people thing. They are just surprising from what people expect. If you look into it more you'll see what I'm talking about. But good points in your blog =)
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