Essay 1

In this chapter what I found most interesting were the thought of ecofeminism and the "Gaia hypothesis". The thought that James Lovelock presents is that the Earth behaves as one single organism and the flora and fauna that inhibit the Earth act together in a way that regulates the climate and produces the best conditions for life. I think that this hypothesis is key in understanding why all living things are essential. This can be seen especially through keystone species- but it needs to be emphasized that each species on this planet has a specific job and niche as a result of evolution. But Lovelock is more focused on how the changes will force the Earth into a new equilibrium that may in fact not be able to provide a suitable habitat for humans. This theory is one that I most definitely want to focus on more in depth. The thought that all the flora and fauna on Earth create an equilibrium that is perfect for human habitat and we must focus on that equilibrium in order to save human life is a bit too anthropocentric for my personal taste though. I believe that we should be focusing on saving the symbiosis of the plants and animals on this planet for the sole reason that it is our responsibility as a dominant species, that has in fact been a key part in the destruction of the habitat of these plants and animals.

The other idea that struck me as particularly interesting in this chapter was ecofeminism. The thought that both women and nature are dominated that is "wrong and ought to be eliminated" is something that I had never thought of before. The thought put forth by ecofeminists that "all ethical views... are products of particular world views, contexts, and locations" is a particularly striking. I think that this way of thinking of ethical views is one that needs to be addressed. Are ethical views products of contexts and locations or are they something ingrained in human consciousness. It is also argued that ecofeminist ethics grow out of "defining relationships", especially relationships of humans caring for non-humans and environments. I really want to discuss this a bit more as it is a little confusing, but overall I found this way of thinking of environmental ethics different in the way that is takes a complete different argument than the other ways of thinking presented in this chapter.