1. The 8-Point Deep Ecology Platform
All in all, I believe in the sentiments of the Deep Ecology Platform - mainly, that life on earth has inherent value, and that humans should not take more than their fair share of resources and put nonhuman life at risk. However, I especially agree that the "flourishing of human life and cultures" depends on a strong, vital, and incredibly specific ecosystem, and I wish that this were more of the focus of the platform. Although I find personal value in nonhuman life, I think a much more convincing stance is one of necessity, which is certainly valid and perhaps more universal. Changing the way we interact with our environment cannot come solely from a moral obligation to our fellow beings to be kind and share, but a from a serious need to stabilize the system which we depend so heavily upon for our basic needs, such as food, water, and clean air.
2. Ecosystems are both strong and fragile...
My way of explaining this statement would be to rephrase it, by saying that even though and because ecosystems are strong, they are incredibly fragile. This, I think, is because their strength comes from the ability to support so many forms of life, which creates vulnerability, as the removal of any part of the system causes the intricate matrix to rearrange, if it can, or to fall apart.
No comments:
Post a Comment