Land Ethic

In only three weeks I already see my own land ethic evolving. Actually, evolving probably isn’t the correct way to put this; I’d say my stance is materializing more than anything. I think prior to this I have never really sought to, in any real depth, outline what my values were with regards to the natural environment. I guess I’ve generally relied on instinct when making decisions relevant to this ethic and generally not think much more about it.

When I first read the definition of holistic ethics, I was convinced that this defined my ethical stance regarding the environment. I do believe that the world we live in is inhabited by life which is extremely interconnected. I cheered when my teachers began using the food web instead of the food chain as I have seemed to always believe that the “Designer” would have foreseen this potential flaw in the disconnected system (that being the food chain model). Instead what we seem to be a part of is a more complex and interrelated system. As opposed to other moral ethics, I do think that there is a right answer in how we treat our plant’s systems. To me, in many cases of a moral ethical situation it seems that there are benefits and consequences to any argument. In terms of treatment of our natural systems, it seems the more we interfere in its’ patterns and cycles, the worse off everyone seems to be. So it is my belief that the answer when it comes to decisions regarding the environment, the less alteration/impact on the system the better.

So it sounds like this would put me on the spectrum (anthropocentric, non-anthropocentric, holistic) on the holistic side, but I have trouble settling for this. While I believe very strongly that conserving wildlife and other natural systems is a top priority, my passion for this seems to be derived from my love of my fellow man a lot more than it is to save the birds in the trees. So I feel I am holistic in my land ethic with what seems more anthropocentric leaning.