I have learned so much about the environment in the past semester. Between my environmental science class and our humanities class, I feel as though I have become extremely aware of the world around me. I really enjoy having a class that opens my eyes to so much. When it comes to humans place in nature, there is so much to say that I cannot even imagine where to begin. I want the focus of my paper to be on human's place within nature and how they have disrupted the balance of the ecosystem. I found it interesting how obvious it was that humans ruined the system of the ecosystem, and it made me think about how we ignore all of these things because we think they won't impact us. I am still searching books and websites to find new perspectives on the topic of environmental philosophy, but I am more than confident I will have plenty of material for my paper!
I want to look specifically at how humans morally place themselves above other organisms. I will be using some of our texts from class to study how humans moral standing of nature has changed over time. I'm going to discuss the idea of intrinsically and instrumentally valuable things, and the moral club. I was introduced to both of these ideas in Mark Rowland's Animals Like Us. Though it was a bit off-topic, there was a specific section of this book that discussed the processes of which animals go through in food manufacturing settings. This description definitely left me with a new level of distaste towards the way humans treat animals. I'm really interested in learning further about humans place in nature and what will happen when we have all died off.
Zoe,
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting reading your work, as much of it is really similar to what I'm taking a look at. However, you and I clearly have very different perspectives about the role of environmentalism and how man should interact with nature. It looks like you deeply associate with a segment of the environmental movement known as the Deep Ecology movement. The Deep Ecology is unique in that they place nature and man on the same level. While it sounds bad to say that I look at man as resting on a higher seat than nature, I think that it's a mistake to jeopordize the needs of the world's poorest in order to make more room for nature or protect the forest. I think there are ways to sustain economic development while continuing to preserve nature. I'm really excited to read your piece when you finish it.
Zoe,
ReplyDeleteLike Anthony, I think you have a really strong topic going. We have discussed human's relationship with nature thoroughly in class, and have been exposed to many readings/articles about the topic. Therefore, I think you'll be able to develop a really strong paper. I find it interesting that you are including your own opinion in a research paper. I also think your approach on this topic is interesting and different. I appreciate how you are integrating morals into this research paper, as ethics are essential to discuss.