Jotting #1

Assignment: Pick one of the topics in the book Contemporary Moral Problems intro and dcide which are the factual, conceptual and moral issues.

My Jotting: This reading began with factual statements. There were several instances were there was information directly taken from sources that have recorded data in regards to the authors topic. It appears that the author is picking and choosing select statistics to make an argument. You see the authors conceptual argument come into play when she illustrates the amount of money consumers spend on seemingly unnecessary purchases such as SUV’s and H2’s.
Finally the moral question comes into play towards the end of the passage. The author questions what is most important. Is the logger who must support her family most important, or is the beauty of the earth more significant.
This passage was interesting to me as I have an interest in the outdoors and conserving lands. Recently my Grandmother put 273 acres of her land into conservation. This conservation process posed many issues to her and the family. Each of her 5 children felt that they were entitled to at least a tiny piece of the land. In the months that followed there were discussions that debated some of the issues presented in the introduction of Contemporary Moral Problems.
In terms of forestry I feel there is too much hype brought to the dangers of harvesting trees. However, when people read about the evil people that cut them down they equate tree cutting with evil. The reality is, we need trees and the products which they in turn produce.
In my experience in the Northeastern part of the United States peoples fear of losing forests has been a bad thing. As a result of urban sprawl and subsequent developments forestable land is being diminished. Many people will buy 5 acre lots and not touch any of the wood/trees on it. The demand for wood products is not decreasing. In turn the demand for these wood products is pushed overseas. So, while the Northeast is undergoing one of the greatest reforastizations known to man somewhere else in the world is being decimated by the demand created.
It would be much more prudent to open up these forestable plots. The demand for the wood products could be met using sustainable foresting practices. This has other beneficial effects as it does not as adversely effect the ecosystem around the harvesting area.
Many American consumers have been so far removed from the actual demand that their consumerism causes that they do not see any problems with it. I like Callicott’s suggestion in that we belong to three different moral communities. The three communities that he describes should live in balance with each other. The logger that is cutting trees in order to feed her family can do it in a sustainable and in a responsible manner. This will allow for the biotic community as a whole to continue to function properly.
The preservation of our natural world is more important than the fact that if it is gone we have destroyed beauty. There are many species and other animals that are beneficial and life saving to us as humans. For instance tree frogs that undergo freezing during the winter months. By studying these frogs we are in turn able to develop better methods of transporting organs. If we destroy and underappreciate the natural world we are eliminating a valuable resource which we can continually learn from.