What is our ethical obligation to the environment, our biotic community?

Note: this is a general question, but your answer in the form of a thesis must be specific and narrow. There are many possible answers, so select your concept(s) or principle(s) as you see fit.

Guidance

Based on what you have learned in this module, present, defend, and support your own specific ethical argument, borrowing some ideas from others as needed. Keep the image of your audience in your mind at all times. Imagine that they are resistant to being told, as so many teenagers are, what to value or how to think. Imagine, also, that they are terrified or angry at the prospect of having to take on such responsibility. They will object to or question what you propose, and you will have to defend your ethics with reasoning, as well as principles, facts, and examples. Ground your argument in “The Land Ethic.”

Length: 1250-1500 words approximately.

Format: Use MLA format for the layout of the essay, as well as citation and documentation. Do not guess at the format. Consult as needed: MLA format.
Sources: Use the materials we have read or viewed in this module. Draw examples and evidence from these sources. You paper is also a demonstration of what you are learning in this course. If you need current data about environmental issues, you should do additional research, but this is not a research paper; it is an argument for an ethical obligation.

Most importantly, this is your original argument, not someone else’s. Your unique voice and critical point of view matter here. I am interested in what you think.

Checklist:

Argument related, detailed title
Hook
Argumentative Thesis (claim and rationale)
4 to 6 or more body paragraphs with thesis-related topic and conclusion sentences
Evidence, examples, and reasoning drawn from course materials
Strong final paragraph that draws the big conclusion from the body
Careful editing
MLA formatted Works Cited