Instructions: Please answer (thoughtfully and thoroughly) one question from ″The
Instructions: Please answer (thoughtfully and thoroughly) one question from ″The Land Ethic″ and one question from ″Thinking Like a Mountain.″ Each answer should be at least one paragraph long (5-8 sentences), though more may be necessary.
The Land Ethic
Aldo Leopold, ″The Land Ethic″ from Sand County Almanac – Oxford University Press, 1987 edition. Originally published in 1949. (Leopold died in 1948)
Reading and Discussion Questions
1. In the intro and ″The Ethical Sequence″ Leopold argues that who counts ethically has been extended. What is his argument? What stages does he see? How does he distinguish between an ecological ethic and a philosophical ethic? (Intro pp. 201-202 and ″The Ethical Sequence,″ 202-203)
2. What role does ″The Community Concept″ section play in his developing argument (pp. 203-207)? Leopold writes, ″ The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.″ (204) And, ″In short, a land ethic changes the role of Homo sapiens from a 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.″ (204) How does he seek to convince the reader of this new concept of community? Did you find his points persuasive? Why or why not?
3. In the ″ Ecological Conscience″ section (207-10) how does he critique conservation education and conservation practices in general? Keep in mind the book was originally published in 1949. Why isn’t enlightened self-interest enough in his view? What roles do an ″ecological conscience″ and a sense of individual responsibility play?
4. In the section on ″Substitutes for a Land Ethic″ (210-214), what are ″some of the stones that serve in lieu of a land ethic″ (210)? Why does he think ″an ethical obligation on the part of the private owner″ is necessary (214)?
7. Leopold begins the section entitled ″The Outlook″ (223- ) with the statement, ″It is inconceivable to me that an ethical relation to land can exist without love, respect, and admiration for land, and a high regard for its value. By value, I of course mean something far broader than mere economic value; I mean value in the philosophical sense.″ (223) What is this ″value in the philosophical sense″ given what he says throughout the essay? What are some of the obstacles to a land ethic that he sees? Why are love, ethics, and aesthetics all involved?
8. What are the roles of emotion and reason in Leopold’s land ethic?
10. Leopold seems to grant inherent or intrinsic value to elements of the ″land″, but the role of humans in granting or recognizing this value is not entirely clear. Do you think he advocates intrinsic rather than instrumental value for all elements of nature? On a continuum between ″anthropocentric″ (human-centered) and ″biocentric″ (all life-centered) where would you place Leopold based on ″The Land Ethic″?
11. Our country is far more developed than Leopold′s 1940s America – does this make his concept of connecting land and people more or less challenging? Do you believe we can ′change the role of Homo sapiens from conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it′? (″The Land Ethic″ p. 204)
Thinking Like A Mountain
1. Politicians are often criticized, called “flip floppers,” for changing their minds or positions on issues. However, it is critical for scientists to be able to do just this, sometimes referred to as a “paradigm shift.” Can you think about a time when you learned more about a subject and that your earlier assumptions were incorrect you were able to consciously change your mind about something?
2. This essay identifies many different perspectives, that of the wolf, the hunter, the rancher, and ultimately the mountain. Leopold is challenging the reader to read landscape from the mountain’s perspective. What does that mean to you?
3. At the end of the essay Leopold seems to be asking if complacency, or “safety,” will ultimately result in danger and that “wildness” is a type of reminder that people cannot, or perhaps even should not, try to control everything. Do you agree? (page 133)
4. Why does Aldo Leopold change his mind about the importance of top predators in an ecosystem?
5. Is it our job as humans to manage nature? How much or little should we do?
6. What if we were to stop managing wilderness all together?
7. Think about the National Park Services’ mission to protect and preserve our natural resources for the benefit and enjoyment of the people. How might Aldo Leopold view this mission? What would the mountain think of the mission?
8. What does this last paragraph argue about the disconnect humans feel from nature? What does Leopold want his audience to understand at the close of the piece?
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