MODULE 1: Environmental Holism

AGENDA

1. The value of ecosystems
2. Next time: are trees worth fighting for? (our first debate)
3. Also--please try to come to one of the environmental justice events

---

Individualistic environmental ethics: Singer, Palmer, Taylor, Russow

Another approach: The Land Ethic, or Environmental Holism (=Whole-ism)

Published in 1949; Aldo Leopold worked for the
US Forest Service; influenced environmental ethics

Leopold's "land ethic" values larger chunks of nature--

1. The land
2. The land community
3. Biotic communities
4. "marshes, blogs, dunes, and 'deserts'" (p. 3)
5. we more often say: ecosystems
6. Ecosystems have constituents--soil, air,  water, insects, plants, birds, carnivores, etc. What has value is each whole ecosystem.

The ethical principle he proposes:

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." (The Land Ethic, p. 6

1. Integrity--some things belong here, some don't (native vs. non-native)
2. Stability--will the system continue?
3. Beauty--???

Applications 

TREES. 

1. the trees on campus
2. the Laihana Banyan tree
3. clear-cutting a forest to make room for apartments

ENDANGERED SPECIES.  

1. Which ones matter?

ANIMALS.  

1. Wild vs. domesticated
2. Native vs. non-native

• Hawaii (Kauai)
• Texas (pigs, outdoor cats)
• importing exotic species for hunting
• restoring animals to their native ecosystems-- wolf restoration in Yellowstone – more here

ANIMALS.  Hunting is ok or not, depending on ecosystem impact

1. plentiful species like deer, bears in Connecticut
2. importing exotic species for hunting

HUMANS. Just one element of biotic communities?