Summary - Selection 4

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold

The first part of Leopolds article is mainly about his realization of the connectedness that everything had, and how valuable everything is to maintain an ecosystem. Ethics are important, according to Leopold, as they contribute the a symbiosis. As population increases, so does the complexity of life. Two types of ethics are considered, first he mentions an ecological standpoint as "a limitation on freedom of action in the struggle for existence". The other is a philosophical view, which is defined as "a differentiation of social from anti-social conduct." Because land is viewed as property people are having problems viewing the land as anything but. Free land does not have to be used up for our purposes, and a community effort should be considered in preserving the "integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community." A good point raised by Leopold is that are not solely individuals on this earth, but interconnected with each other with certain levels of co-operation. We should be expanding our views beyond just people, to all living organisms that are part of the land. People need to evolve in our views on this planet and go beyond our vision of the land being simply a place to put our "things".

I did not like that the first part of this article was about Leopold's wolf kill. I know it was for effect, but as a whole, I don't think it really added to his argument. Yes, it was his turning point, his realization that every part of the Earth was connected somehow and that it was worth preserving, but it was sad and not necessary. I am not a fan of hunting animals, especially if it is a wolf with her baby cubs around her. Aside from the inhumanity, as I stated before his article would have been equally effective without the killing. Otherwise, his view in the connectedness of people all other forms of living and non living things in this world is something that people should think about in their daily decisions.