Prompt 13

Prompt 1
Prompt 10

In Prompt 1, I chose to write about whether eating animals is wrong because they feel pain.  I discussed several points in this article including the idea that we have become so removed from the process of slaughtering animals that is has become increasingly easier eat meat without having to think about the process.  I also went into talking about the fact that eating meat is natural because it occurs in nature between other animals and that this allows ecosystems to function.  I also talked about how I wanted to hunt to resolve this problem that I had regarding the disconnect between animal and food.  In Prompt 10 I discussed about how ecological ethic is an evolutionary phenomena that comes about from people realizing that working together as a community helped us to provide easier and that as a result of nature we should expand this inclusiveness.  I also talked about my acceptance of the idea that land ethic is not related to any other morality but that ecological ethics is a paragon of virtue in itself.  Callicott also talks about the good of the ecosystem trumping the good of any specific species.  Promoting the idea that the good of the whole is greater than the good of any individual parts.

I found it really interesting to go back and look at my first post for this assignment.  I think it is because I believed in land ethic already, but did not know yet that such a concept existed.  I realize reading my post back that I never really talked about the pain of the animal.  I think that this is because (as bad as it sounds) the welfare of the individual animals that we eat is not particularly important to me.  I was more concerned with the philosophy surrounding the issue of eating meat.  To reinforce this idea looking back I used the rationalization that if other animals eat meat in nature than why is bad for us to assume that for humans to eat other animals that it is unacceptable.  Through reading texts on animal liberation I became aware of many of the issues, but never fully acknowledged any of the ideas.  I felt that all of them overlooked the simple facts of the world.  In Prompt 10 I was able to connect the dots where my rationalization in Prompt 1 fell short.  I now feel that eating animals is not wrong if it is done in balance, for the act of animals eating other animals is part of the good that makes up a biotic system.  When I feel that eating meat is bad is when our greed causes us to do irreparable damage on the environment.  I feel that this idea is expressed to some extent when I cited in Prompt 1 that meat consumption in the last couple of decades has increased.  I realized that this was wrong but could not put a finger on why, until I realized that for us to consume all of this additional meat, land had to be turned from habitats to pastures destroying some of the good of the ecosystem.  Resources such as water and nutrients in the soil have been lost and as a result the biotic community in that area even if reclaimed by nature will never exist in the same manner.

The growth from the Prompt 1 to Prompt 10 has helped me to include a lot more ideas into my morals regarding the world around us.  Anyone who has been to the top of a large secluded mountain understand the feeling of understanding that we are so small in the grand scheme of things.  I feel that the relation between these texts has made me realize that we are just a part of the whole that makes up the biotic community of earth.  This is not to say that we need to go back to living in teepees, but we do need to consider the impact that we have, and also understand our connection and dependence on the ecosystems we live in.  I feel that the process by which we can do this is simple, it involves getting out doors.  This summer I am starting a garden and environmental stewardship program at a summer camp in Maine.  This class had made me realize how important this project is because the goal of the project is to get kids to understand where food comes from, how energy is returned to the environment, and finally about the amount of waste we produce.  When I decided to become a part of this project I just thought it would be a good opportunity to give back and help children understand the significance of gardening.  I am realizing now the other types of implications that learning about teaching  younger people a respect for the environment so perhaps they will not have to be 21 years old before they realize the connection and responsibility that we have to the world around us.