BIO 130
L.D. Smith
Biodiversity, Ecology, and Conservation
Smith College
Fall 2020
Discussion 2: Valuing Nature
Name
In preparation for our Wednesday or Friday class discussion about the value of Nature1,
I would like you write a response to the prompt below and upload it to the appropriate
assignments folder by the start of class the day of your discussion. We will incorporate
the other questions under ‘Things to think (not write) about’ in our discussion, but you
do NOT need to submit written answers to them.
You only need to read two of the three readings. Everyone should read Robin Wall
Kimmerer’s thought-provoking chapter ‘Skywoman falling’. For your second reading,
you may choose to read Aldo Leopold’s seminal piece ‘The Land Ethic’ or Edward
McCord’s argumentative essay from ‘The Value of Species’. You should be prepared to
describe the gist of your second article to others in your breakout group who may have
selected the other reading.
I. Please to respond to the following prompt in writing (bullet points or paragraph form
are acceptable).
All three authors acknowledge that direct use of species is necessary for human survival,
but they focus on non-economic arguments in assigning value to the natural world.
Briefly, compare the line(s) of reasoning about the value of nature taken by Kimmerer
and the second reading you chose (i.e., in what way or ways are their viewpoints similar
and how do they differ?). Provide specific examples (e.g., quotes, their examples) to
support your statements. You may expand the following space for your response as
needed.
Kimmerer, R.W. (2013) “Skywoman falling” Pp. 3-10 in Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom,
Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Eds. Minneapolis, MN
Match Kimmerer with either Leopold or McCord
AND
Leopold, A. (1949) “The Land Ethic” Pp. 201-226 in A Sand County Almanac with Essays on
Conservation from Round River. Ballantine Books, NY
OR
McCord, E. L. (2012) “To an inquisitive mind open to honest reflection, the value of every species in
incalculable” Pp. 1-20 in The Value of Species. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT
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II. Things to think (not write) about for our discussion:
2. When Kimmerer asked her general ecology class to provide examples of positive
interactions between humans and the natural world, they could not come up with any.
Can you? What are the possible consequences of her students’ failure of imagination
for charting a way forward for humanity and the rest of the biosphere? How might an
alternative worldview (i.e., positive relationships do exist) relate to TEK practices
described in our previous discussion?
3. Leopold writes about an A-B cleavage in forestry and wildlife management and
agriculture. What is the cleavage in each case? What role does science play in each?
4. Leopold states: “One of the requisites for an ecological comprehension of the land is
an understanding of ecology, and this is by no means co-extensive with ‘education’; in
fact, much higher education seems deliberately to avoid ecological concepts.” (p. 224).
Some of you are just starting your career at Smith; others of you are further along. For
those further along - has your education avoided ecological concepts? What courses or
co-curricular experiences have developed these concepts (or might)?
5. McCord writes: “Individual species are phenomena in this world of such intellectual
moment – phenomena so interesting in their own right – that this alone gives them a
value meriting human embrace.” (p. 9). Is this intellectual appeal sufficient to make
people care? Does McCord make room for an emotional connection too, and if so, how
important is this, do you think, in convincing others?
6. None of the authors simply said: ‘Nature is valuable beyond a dollar value, and you
should accept this because I said so’. They used different techniques to get their
point(s) across. What were those techniques and why did you find any of these
approaches compelling (or not)?
7. What passages or arguments particularly resonated with you? Why?
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