1. what are the underlying assumptions and values of utilitarian conservation an
ID: 58076 • Letter: 1
Question
1. what are the underlying assumptions and values of utilitarian conservation and altruistic preservation? which do you favor?
2. Are there enough resources in the world for 8 or 10 billion people to live decent, secure, happy lives? what do these terms mean to you? try to imagine what they mean to residents of other countries.
3. The laws of thermodynamics are sometimes summarized as “ you can’t get something for nothing”, and “ you can’t even break even”. explain theses ideas.
4. what is the difference between saying that s duck has webbed feet because it needs them to swim and saying that a duck is able to swim because it has webbed feet?
5. we tend to regard generalists or “weedy” species as less interesting and less valuable than rare and highly specialized endemic species. what values or assumptions underlie this attitude?
6. disney world in Florida wants to expand onto a wetland. It has offered to buy and preserve a large nature preserve in a different area to make up for the wetland it is destroying. is that reasonable? what conditions would make it reasonable or unreasonable?
7. Often humans work to preserve bikes that are visually attractive. what biomes might be lost this was? is his a problem?
8. compare the advantages and disadvantages to a species that result from exponential or logistic growth. why do you think hares have evolved to reproduce as rapidly as possible, while lynx appear to have intrinsic or social growth limits?
9. what implications (if any) for human population control might we draw from our knowledge of basic biological population dynamics?
10. in the past, mass extinction has allowed for new growth , including the evolution of our own species. should we assume that another mass extinction would be a bad thing? could it be beneficial to us? to the world?
11. many ecologists would like to move away from protecting individual endangered species to concentrate on protecting whole communities or ecosystems. others fear that the public will respond to and support only glamorous “flagship” species such as gorillas,tigers and others. if you were designing a conservation strategy , where would you place your emphasis?
Explanation / Answer
1.
Utilitarian conservation-
Altruistic preservation-
I would go for altruistic preservation, because it keeps the demands of future generation in mind. This theory is not about the demands in present generation, but to be able to support the demands of present as well as future generations simultaneously. That means we should use the resources to an extend that we are able to pass it on to next generation, as nature's reservoir is limited.
2.
No there are no enough resources in the world to live decent, secure, and happy. These words are not appropriate to present generation. They were appropriate to our past generations, in which there were abundant resources to use happily and live securely. In addition availability of resources varies from one country to the other. One country has good source of water, while other country does not. This makes the people dependent rather living decently with their own resources.
3.
Yes, we cannot get something if we do nothing. Using all the available resources and sitting idol will bring nothing. Instead, recyling the products and reusing them sustains the resources and helps life continue.
4.
Duck is able to swim only because it has webbed feet is not perfect statement logically. Duck is able to swim because of several features such as it is light, has greased feathers, etc. Webbed feet is just a tool duck uses to paddle and swim comfortably.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.