Environmental Activism

 

    Before this course, I didn't really know about all of the ethical issues the involved environmentalism. I knew of a few but I never stopped and wondered why these might be happening or why is it wrong/right to do these things. I think that this class has definitely opened me up to ask these thought provoking questions to issues, not only environmental, but everyday issues that we see. One very surprising issue that we covered in this course was the topic about indigenized injustice. After learning about the different injustices and after my own research about Onondaga Lake, I think that I can apply what I learned to be a better environmental activist in this regard. I now understand the different ways other people and even our government has discriminated against these peoples, especially in ways of the environment. I think that everyone should have the right to environmental justice and if any thing opposite occurs, then it should be addressed and held accountable. 

Fellow Creatures

 

    When first looking at the question "Are non-human animals persons?" it seems crazy and absurd. At first thought, I was thinking that of course non-human animals are not persons. But I think that this question could be argued. In Peter Singer's essay "All Animals Are Equal", he discusses how we should give the same right to other non-human animals as we have been doing more so to other humans. One might say in this argument that animals aren't able to reason and understand things like us so they shouldn't be equal. As a valid point, I had this same thought however Singer addresses this. He explains how equality does not require equal rights. This means that just because a dog is not seen as equal to a human, doesn't mean that don't deserve equal rights. After reading his essay, I understand more of the initial question asked. It is not a question asking if humans and other animals are equal, but rather asking if we all, all living things, deserve equal rights as to protection, safety and good health. I believe that non-human animals are "Persons" and deserve to have equal rights and the right for basic needs relevant to their cause. 

Respect The Soil

 

    When it comes to our ethical obligation to take care and protect nature, soil is a large part of that obligation. In the reading this week, "The Soil and Health" by Wendell Berry, it talks about how if our agriculture is not analogous with nature, then it is not ethically right. He stated, "... the process of agriculture, if they are to endure, have to be analogous to the processes of nature. If one is farming in a place previously forested, then the farm must be systematic analogue of the forest, and the farmer must be a student of the forest". This is saying how we are ethically obligated to essentially model nature as the best form of farming so that the nature can continue as well as our agriculture. Farming in recent centuries has been very damaging to the environment. A common practice would be to clear cut a forest and then monocrop the land until all of the nutrients have been depleted (before fertilizers, which s another problem) leaving an empty and barren field. Nature on the other hand has natural processes in which it ensures that its future seedlings have nutrients for the future. This can be related to us and our ethical obligation to soil and its nutrients. We need to make sure that we coincide our soil and agricultural practices so that our future can be secured.