Blog #16

So far, the student panel discussions have been very interesting. The majority of the students in class seem to be writing papers on Lifeboat Ethics, a testament to the controversial aspects of the theory and its stark, but challenging simplicity. As brought up in class, the Lifeboat Ethic is an incomplete model because it is not a good representation of one's choices in life. As Midgely and many members of the class pointed out, life choices are never as stark as the ones presented in Hardin's theory and the human race is far too connected to cut off portions of its populations. Hardin's belief in population control, also pointed out in class, is often overlooked by those focusing strictly on his infamous "three choices." This population control is basic to the theory's tie to ecological ethics - by limiting the population, one is restoring the balance of the human race on the earth - limiting human numbers so that limited resources can be shared evenly. While many class members are writing papers on Lifeboat Ethics, there are also papers being written on Kant's theory towards animals, Flannel Ecology, Deep Ecology, GAIA Hypothesis, and Aldo Leopold's "Thinking Like a Mountain." Deep Ecology, and America's tendency to stray toward Shallow Ecology, was discussed by the class. It was acknowledged that Shallow Ecology is much easier to believe in and back up - it only searches for technological solutions to the ecological crisis, not the fundamental changes in attitude, proposed by Deep Ecology, that would shift human actions toward the earth exponentially. Aldo Lepold's theory ("Thinking Like a Mountain") was also examined by the class. The class was reminded that the theory looked at the world as whole biotic system, and worked to avoid actions that disrupted the biotic equation. It was also pointed out that this outlook on life seemed to cast the Species Barrier into oblivion - the Species Barrier no longer dictates what or who is important. Instead the process of life dictates who or what is valuable - those things/ species that help to maintain the strict balance of life. Lastly, the topic of Environmental Aesthetics was introduced to the class. This area of study looks to determine what people find beautiful in nature. Many psychological surveys were conducted on people around the world to discover this answer. It was revealed that the African Savannah is the most appealing landscape - a testament to the evolution of man. It was also discovered that humanity's favorite color is blue - a color that reminds humans of the sky overhead and the water below. This new topic, along with the theories discussed in class, have helped to remind me of the vast material that the class has covered this semester and continue to spark my interest in ecology and humanity's reaction to it.