Essay about Value in Nature - 1986 Words

Our classical humanist ethic requires that all duty attach itself to an individual â€Å"self†, a value-able entity with rights and duties of its own. But nature operates on a different basis: â€Å"there are no rights in the wild, and nature is indifferent to the welfare of particular animals† (Rolston, p.75). In order to formulate an autonomous environmental ethics, then, we must be able to move beyond the humanist focus on the self, towards a new source of value and a new type of value. In this essay, I intend to examine the idea of value in nature, drawing especially on Holmes Rolston III’s concept of systemic value and ecosytemic ethics and Aldo Leopold’s land aesthetic (as presented by J. Baird Callicott). There are striking similarities†¦show more content†¦Everything refers back to the biotic community. Individual organisms are part of a larger interconnected web of life. Nothing can survive on its own; diversity of organismic life i s even encouraged and sought at the ecosystemic level. Ecosystems â€Å"increase kinds and the integration of kinds† (Rolston, p.84). This web of life is clearly a source of value, aesthetic and ethical. When Callicott describes the aesthetic value of a bog he frequently visits, he describes the beauty of the experience as a function of â€Å"the palpable organization and closure of the interconnected living components,† of the â€Å"sensible fittingness, [the] unity there† (Callicott, p.140). Leopold’s land aesthetic is predicated on the knowledge the aesthete has of the â€Å"integrity of [nature’s] evolutionary heritage and ecological processes†: in other words, natural aesthetics can in some sense only be experienced at the level of the ecosystem because knowledge of how each organism fits into the harmony is necessary. The ethic that flows from this is clearly spelled out by Leopold, and accepted by Rolston: â€Å"A thing is right [†¦] when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise† (Rolston, pgs.81, 84). This ethicShow MoreRelatedThe Value of Nature1772 Words   |  8 Pagesonce said, â€Å"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better† (Wilkes, Natures Secret Messages: Hidden in Plain Sight). Einstein is referring to nature as a portal into the unknown. Initially, one can find the answers to any question, in nature. This idea refers to the Romantic authors as they write about nature. One Romantic author, Whitman, has written two poems, Song of Myself, and When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer, illustrating the value of nature. 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