ENGL Pasadena City College Ethical Obligation to the Environment Discussion

I’m working on a english report and need a sample draft to help me study.

Need a hug?

Tree huggers are often ridiculed. In this society, loving the natural world–really feeling connected–is not exactly encouraged. But if we accept the ecological and philosophical principle of the “biotic community,” then should we not ask, what kind of relationship are we having? How should we feel? What are our duties and obligations to fellow members? If we truly understand the ecological basis of our existence, these questions are not really optional, but essential.

Imagine that you are engaged in a conversation with a group of high school seniors about to graduate. Let’s imagine they are “the next generation,” and you are in a position to teach them, to help them transcend the limitations of social conditioning. You are going to teach them to think more critically.

As most of us did, they are growing up in a civilization that has little regard or understanding for the environment on which it depends. They have no substantial sense of a land or environmental ethic. Their values and principles when it comes to the natural world are hazy, undeveloped, and confused. And yet, they know that there is an environmental crisis, that humans are hastening climate change, and that their future is uncertain.

Guidance

Based on what you have learned in this module, present, defend, and support your own specific ethical argument, borrowing some ideas from others as needed. Keep the image of your audience in your mind at all times. Imagine that they are resistant to being told, as so many teenagers are, what to value or how to think. Imagine, also, that they are terrified or angry at the prospect of having to take on such responsibility. They will object to or question what you propose, and you will have to defend your ethics with reasoning, as well as principles, facts, and examples. Ground your argument in “The Land Ethic.”

Length: 1250-1500 words approximately.

Format: Use MLA format for the layout of the essay, as well as citation and documentation.

Additional Files:

Environmental Ethics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)

Leopold1.pdf (uky.edu)