Hello Chris,
As always you send a most interesting post. And I'm still digesting your
recent comment on my last post!
You sent us alot of thoughts in this post. I'll have to stop and consider
but wanted to raise a couple of things for clarification.
Following is only just my present thoughts offered for comment input.
For me, the ecosystem is a dynamic system that includes geology, soils,
climate, species and humans. The ecosystem is all encompassing. There are
many different types of ecosystems with mostly rather ill-defined
boundaries. As I recall, about 35 ecosystems have been described for the
state of Florida. I think of a landscape as a set within an ecosystem. A
human farm enterprise would be a landscape within the surrounding ecosystem.
But my thinking is based on old perceptions and may not strictly accord with
"modern" :-) ideas!
In my view, "ecocentrism", "anthropocentrism", "egocentrism" etc., are ways
of viewing the world and the place of humans within that particular
construct. Based on the way we articulate that world - how we value it -
sets the basis for a particular ethical position. The several "isms" are
the propositional foundations on which we construct an ethical system which
is largely unique for each "ism". We cannot arrive at logical
conclusions/agreements if we discuss/argue with each other about a certain
ethical problem from *different* "ism" positions. First we have to find out
each others' foundation position; come to some agreement on that before
going on to the ethics question. And we may have a fundamental disagreement
that precludes that further discussion.
I'm not clear just what you have in mind about "heirarchical" nests. Would
the following be about what you have in mind:
1. Posit a particular criterion for ecosystem health (for example).
2. Then, while all management actions would have the requirement that they
meet local ethical criteria, they would also have to meet the "ecosystem
health" as an ethical criterion.
Would this outline be along the lines of your thought? Skipping the
intermediary nests for now.
Thanks, Chris, a most interesting post. And folks, I look forward to your
comments, corrections, etc.
Ray
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