8 pages essay. environmental ethics

The Value of Nature

David henry brings in a new concept and ideas that contribute to the understanding of the origin and the foundation of the morality. In his view point, he believes that the most important thing is the conscience.

It is this place that should determine what people do. He has the belief that it is only conscience that can practically guide what a person does. He therefor advocates for the individualized thinking as opposed to the thinking by the group which is also known as the majority.

As brought out by his illustrations, the majority might rule even though they are not on the right side (Ratna 2015). The views of the minority might be the legit views, but as a result of the challenges and the tyranny of the majority, their ideas cannot be taken into account.

They cannot rule. People should do much and try to stand by the reality and avoid being part of any wrong decisions that have been made by the institutions that have been constituted by the majority.

In respect to nature, everybody has the right to conserve and to protect the environment. This is because there are a group of people who do not see the value of the nature. This is seen by their acts of constant destruction of the environment.

The morality that governs the way people relate with the environment is the most critical aspect. It is in this line that people need to come up and protect the nature. The ideas of protecting nature should be an individual decision and not just the decision that has been made by a few individuals and which are being implemented and people are forced to abide by them.

Thoreau believe that as a person, one should avoid taking part in decisions and issues that deals with institutions that are not legit. He proves this by being the first one to refuse to pay the taxes because the government of the United States was by then promoting slavery which according to him was an immoral and inhumane practice (Ratna 2015).

This is an example that all the immoral practices that are aimed at destroying the environment need to be dealt with even if it means that people are being imprisoned. As an individual, one should be able to stand up against all forms of practices which can have negative impacts on the environment. This is the first step in ensuring that the environment and nature as a whole is being taken care of.

Some of the ways that a person can adopt so that the environment can be saved is by refusing to take part in things such as the deforestation and boycotting or protesting against any decision that has been made and is likely to bring a negative impact in the environment.

There are institutions such as the government which may come up with ways that can be followed in protection of the environment. As a person, it is an individual role to evaluate the decisions and check the applicability of the right ones.

An individual must look at all these decisions and oppose any which might seem to have the negative impacts on the nature. It is in following the concept that most environment organizations emphasize the role of an individual in maintaining a good and healthy environment (Ratna 2015). That is the key in ensuring that there is environmental sustainability and increasing the usability of the environment.

From his ideals, it can be concluded that there are many issues that are likely to affect the environment in a negative manner. The key thing however is to ensure that the environment is protected and that it can help in the future generations. This means that all the people must come up and stand against the destruction of different sites in the nature.

Even if the destruction is being done by the majority or the institutions that they are the ones which have brought to power. This is a clear framework that need to be followed in ensuring that morality is adhered to especially when it relates to the use of the nature.

Emerson also believes that each individual need to have an understanding of the universe in a personal manner.

He also stress the decision and the needs of one person to make the decision. Even though there can be collective responsibility, when it comes to nature and the environment, the first step comes from an individual (Rose 2008).

Every person must discover what they want about the environment and the things that they can do so as to improve the environment and nature (Rose 2008). Having a personal and self-consciousness about the nature will make individuals to have better understanding of the different beliefs and the practices that can help in maintaining the environment. This is the first and the most critical thing that should be done by people so that they can appreciate the value that the environment offers.

To conclude, from the analysis, it is quite clear that there is a great role that is played by a person when it come to the protection of the environment. That is why as an individual, it is important for one to make a decision on the angle to take and to decide to be conscious about nature and the need to protect it.

Reference

Ratna L S (2015) David Henry Thoreau ideals GIS D.M., University of Phoenix

Rose J (2008) What is nature? Southern Illinois University