For the Love of Land

Natalie Bodily
Bio 1120-SP-15

Aldo Leopold starts his Land Ethic paper by discussing the progression of ethics over
the years. He starts with the story of Odysseus hanging his slave girls because he was suspicious
that they were misbehaving while he was away. They were considered his property; at the time
this was not considered ethically wrong. Over time ethics have expanded and the definition
between right and wrong has become more distinct. The expansion of ethics is considered a
process in ecological evolution.
Ecologically an ethic can be described as a limitation on freedom in the struggle for
existence (Leopold). Philosophically it is the difference between what socially acceptable
conduct is and what is not. Leopold explained that ethics can be a mode of guidance, or an

instinct. He states that ethics have evolved due to individuals trying to find their places in
communities. His paper is written to include the land in the definition of a community.
A land ethic gives the right for land and natural resources to continue in existence in a
natural state, but does not prevent them being altered or used. Humans are places as conquers
and citizens of the land and in return there is an assumption that the land will be respected.
Conservation is one way the land can be preserved and respected, however conservation progress
is moving slowly. Leopold suggests that to ensure suggests that not only is education a key to
helping conservations but so is obeying the law, voting right, joining an organization and
practicing what conservation is beneficial to your land. If this is done the government will do the
rest. In order for this to work though there can be no self-interest; it only helps those individuals
economically not overall socially or to benefit the land.
Economic motives are one major reason why land communities have no economic value.
Species have dwindled in numbers due to this; they are used up because their value is great.
Trees are used as an example of this. Many foresters and landowners do not conserve the trees on
their land. The government often times has to step in and regulate the land to help conserve the
resources.
Leopold ends his paper expressing his desire for everyone to be consciousness of the
land; to respect, love, and value it. Our educational and economical systems are headed away
from preserving the land instead of towards it. He describes how the modern man has outgrown
the land and become bored with it. We need to be proud of it and be successful in our uses of it.
My conservation philosophy is to use only what we need from the land and use all of
what we take. Growing up I enjoyed being outdoors and spent a great amount of time in nature.
The land provided great activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, and kayaking. This gave me

a great appreciation for the land. As I have gotten older and the more I have educated myself
with the earth and its resources I have realized how depleted they are becoming. This has left me
with a sense of obligation and desire to only take what is needed and conserve as much as
possible.
Leopold referred to humans as conquers of the land in his paper. Those who inhibit the
land need to not only conserve it but respect it. Often people act in self-interest and destroy
valuable parts of the land only to find out later how truly valuable it is. We need to observe our
actions and decide if they are ethical in respecting and preserving the land. If we become more
aware of what is ethical and what it not we will slowly develop habits which in return will set a
new ethical precedence and help with conservation.
In the 1940s Leopold considered the relationship between humans and the land strictly
economical. I dont think that changed much over time. We still serve our self-interest needs. We
are slowly becoming more aware of the consequences of our actions we are still not making all
the necessary changes we need to in order to fix the damage we have already caused and prevent
future damage. An example of this is the BP Oil spill which led to tons of oil in the ocean. This
could have been prevented but due to the economic benefits the company would reap they made
no changes until an accident occurred.
Leopold mentioned that the communitys sensibilities extended to all members of the
community; which includes non-human members as well. This means that in our community we
should make sure everything has a chance to succeed in an ethical sense. We can do this by
preserving the land and community that already exists. This will keep them in their natural state
as much as possible.

Leopold wrote A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and
beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise (Leopold). Leopold is
suggesting that the integrity of the community is more important than an individual. We are
ethically making the right decision when we decide to preserve the land over our own selfinterest. The end impact will be more beneficial to the community and our overall needs. We
need to see the bigger picture of things instead of making decisions for instant gratification.
Leopold concluded his paper with the statement, It is inconceivable to me that an ethical
relationship can exist without love, respect, admiration, and a high regard for its
value(Leopold). He is referring to the relationship between land and a community. When asked
if beauty or duty is more motivating to me in this instance my answer would be beauty. I think
the land provides a very beautiful image that cannot be recreated by anything else. I have had the
privilege of traveling around the world and seeing many communities that are breathtaking. With
more thought though, I believe you cannot be motivated just by beauty. You also need duty in
order to make conservation to work. Things that are beautiful cannot be looks at without feeling
a sense of duty to preserve it in its natural state.
I think my land ethic comes from a true interest in non-human elements. I dont feel the
need or desire to benefit from the depletion of a resource. I also think most of our needs can be
met from nature without using nature in excess. I think if a community could appreciate what the
land has provided it they would feel a desire to help conserve and value it. Joyed
I enjoyed reading The Land Ethic and took a lot from it. It was very educational and
encouraged the practice of land conservation in a way that those who are part of a community
can feel a sense of duty to make changes to help preserve the land. My opinion on land
conservation did not change after reading the paper; although I do feel that I can make changes

in my life that will benefit the community and help preserve the land. I would recommend that
it be read by everyone.
I liked how Leopold emphasized how valuable the land is. I also liked in the last section
when wrote that an ethical relationship can exist without love, respect, admiration, and a high
regard for its value(Leopold). I think this passage sums of Leopolds thoughts throughout the
paper perfectly. We do have a relationship with land and need to treat it as the asset it is. Love,
respect, admiration, and a high regard for its value are the best way we can do this.

Works Cited
The Land Ethic from A Sand County Almanac, With Essays on Conservation from Round
River by Aldo Leopold, 1949