Leopold

Question 1

So far…
Taylor -
Rolston -
Leopold -

Answer 1

Taylor - individual organisms
Rolston - individual organisms and species lines
Leopold - the biotic community (biocentric-but see Callicott about the origin question)

Question 2

What is the point of the odysseus reference?

Answer 2

p 238

- ethics is a process in ecological evolution?

Question 3

Stage one of ethical development

Answer 3

ethics deals with the relations between individuals

Question 4

stage two of ethical development

Answer 4

ethics deals with the relationship between individuals and society

Question 5

stage three of ethical development

Answer 5

ethics deals with the human relations to the land

Question 6

State the philosophical and ecological definitions of “an ethic,” according to Leopold

Answer 6

all ethics rests upon the premise that an individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts
- the land ethic extends the community concept to the “land” and not just other humans

Question 7

Argument against the idea of humans as conqueror (223)

Answer 7

1. if one is to be successful in the role of conqueror, then one must correctly assume knowledge of how the community works and what parts of it have value
2. it is false that one has such knowledge
3. therefore, it is false that one can be a successful conqueror

Question 8

need for an ecological conscience

Answer 8

internalized respect and love for land health - not just economic value

Question 9

Leopold’s definition of land health

Answer 9

the capacity for self-renewal

- a land ethic, simply put, involves individual responsibility for the health of the land (245)

Question 10

Leopold’s definition of right and wrong

Answer 10

“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”

Question 11

What is integrity?

Answer 11

species richness?
species evenness?
how well integrated the species are with each other?

Question 12

Species richness

Answer 12

how many species exist in an ecosystem

Question 13

species evenness

Answer 13

how close in numbers each species is an ecosystem

Question 14

What is stability?

Answer 14

• maybe not “unchanging” or “static”

- how about the capacity for self-renewal? health=self renewal

Question 15

What is beauty?

Answer 15

who knows man