LEOPOLD'S “LAND ETHICS”

Leopold's “Land Ethics”

Introduction

Ethics

Ethics has been defined as the theory or the science of moral behavior of human beings in society. Like other Greek words ending in the same suffix, such as politics, technology, ethics refers to a practical activity, so is knowledge of practice. In addition to this anthropological nature, ethics provides an ontological nature, since it deals with the positioning of the individual in life, which involves reflection, appreciation of values ??and choice. Ethics league then the concept of relative freedom, so that both the determinism of external factors such as total and unconditional freedom denies it (Tanner 2007, pp. 9-18).

Ethics and morality are sometimes treated as synonymous. However, despite the proximity between the two, should be specified that are not the same. While ethics has a strong reflection component constantly constructed and reconstructed by human beings, from which it is putting together an understanding of the world and is expressed in it, eludes to the moral standards that society demands from the outside individual. That is why moral is normally associated with religion, although they are not synonymous. In fact, historically, moral and ethical principles first appear with religions (Tanner 2007, pp. 9-18).



Traditionally ethics has appeared in character ethics, referring to a series of principles pertaining to the realm of spirit.

Discussion

Environmental Ethics

In the 1960's began to be reported in the industrialized West the first signs of the contemporary environmental crisis, whose origins are attributed to the type of relationship established by industrial society with the natural world. U.S. "Silent Spring" Rachel Carson, in 1968, is usually cited as a pioneering work in this direction, although as early as 1962, the lesser-known book "Our Synthetic Environment," by Murray Bookchin, analyzed the situation (Sutter 2002, pp. 6-16). The rise of green parties in Germany and France, from the early '70s denotes the same concern. In Latin America, however, the environmental crisis is associated with the current development model, which stresses the political and economic dependency and poverty, while alternatives are sought in a harmonious way that native cultures are related to the environment. In short, there arises a completely new field trial requirements and liability: not just traditional ethics-that is, with regard to interpersonal relations, but also begin to explore in relation to nonhuman nature duties, values, property, be respected (Newton 2006, pp. 17-24). Environmental ethics is concerned then the relationship between human societies and nature, and seeks the welfare of both.

Among others, environmental ethics attempts to answer questions such as whether moral nature must be subject, if there are obligations and duties which men must adapt their behavior when interacting with animals, plants and natural areas in general, if ethics must be an object of human or proprietary should also be attributed to non-human beings, especially the most similar to us from the point of view of zoo development, if the origin of such obligations should be in the nature or Man ...