This week I have been learning about Aldo Leopold, specifically, his book A Sand County Almanac. Learning about Leopold's background and how it influenced his perspectives is interesting. He spent his weekends and vacations living in a “shack” in the Wisconsin wilderness, fully immersed in nature. His time spent there most likely had a great influence on his “Land Ethic” that he discussed in his book.
What particularly stood out to me in the reading was the chapter “How to Think Like a Mountain.” As a biology major, I have taken ecology classes and learned about the effects of how overhunting wolves changed the ecosystems at Yellowstone. Leopold’s backstory involving actually shooting a mother wolf and seeing the light leave its eyes must have had a profound impact on him. I like the idea of thinking like a mountain because it really challenges humans to think beyond the scope of themselves and into our future generations. I think a lot of people would treat nature differently if they were looking at long term impacts instead of just the current day — especially with issues such as global warming.
The idea of Leopold’s “Land Ethic” has challenged me to look beyond how I have previously thought about ethics. When I took an ethics class in high school we focused mainly on how individuals act with other members of a community. This discussion did not particularly focus on how individuals should act towards the environment. This goes beyond just how one should treat other animals too. He has challenged me to look at land beyond property and act in harmony with land (just how people strive to act in harmony with community).
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