Example research essay topic: Morality And The Environment Case Study - 1,832 words

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1. 1) Immediate: The immediate issue in this case study is whether or nor Erica Mann who is the coordinator for the western division of the Federal Wildlife Agency and the chairperson for the International Herpetological Society should endorse an artificial habitat proposed for the relocation of the endangered Sonoran Desert Snake. The reason that snake would have to be relocated is because a proposal to build a damn that would ruin the snakes habitat is being considered. The dam is needed to support Arizona's agriculture and mining industries. This dam would flood the snakes habitat and eventually force it into extinction. At the same time Erica is aware of the fact that the new environment proposed for the snakes would not necessarily guarantee their survival. In fact the report by the IHS contradicted the report from the FWA and stated that the new habitat would be sufficient for the snakes survival.

Erica is aware of the fact that this report only exists because of political pressures and that it is not entirely accurate or truthful. In fact, Erica herself is being pressured to back the report which she knows is inaccurate. She must decide whether or not she should give in to the political pressure or instead do what she feels is right and save the snake. 1. 2) Basic: Can you justify destroying a particular species of animal in the interest of human progress or advancement? Personal Experience 2. 1) Personal Narrative: My personal narrative has less to do with the issue of Endangered Species than it does with situation that faces Erica. There is a line in the case study where Erica's superior encourages her to fight the battles she can win. This is what my personal narrative has to do with.

As I have grown up and matured towards adulthood these last eight or so years, I have learned some important life lessons. One particular lesson is that I need to pick my battles. Although I have often been adamant about many different issues, I have learned that I cant always get what I want and that many times I only waste my own time fighting a battle that cant be won. Throughout my teenage years I consistently butted heads with my parents over many different things. Of course I can now see that most of these times I was completely and utterly in the wrong but was unaware of it at the time. On the other hand there were a few times where I am positive that I was in the right.

The point is, that although I was in the right these very select few instances, I knew that it was sometimes useless to argue about because I just wasnt going to win. Although this sometimes ate me up inside to have to concede to my parents when I knew I was right, I would anyway. Id love to tell you that I did this out of respect, but in most cases it was because I knew it just wasnt worth it. Although arguing with your parents as a teenager is a very trivial example, I believe that it can be paralleled to what Erica is dealing with. 2. 2) What I have concluded from my personal experience is that people must pick their battles in life. When making a decision such as the one that Erica is faced with, I think that it is important to weigh the pros and cons.

Although Erica is aware of the fact that this new habitat will be insufficient for the survival of the snake, she must also consider her opposition. The fact that there are major political forces at work trying to get the damn built is an important thing to consider. She must also consider the fact that in a court case most, if not all judges would consider the water needs of people more important than this snakes habitat. I am not saying that it is necessarily moral to destroy these snakes habitats. Instead what I am saying is that Erica's time would probably be better spent working for the preservation of other endangered species.

I do not want my message here to be mistaken for something like if its too hard give up. The conclusion I have reached from my personal experience is that it is a fact of life that you cant always get your way no matter how righteous you are. Sometimes you need to put your emotions aside and make and educated decision as to whether or not your time would be better spent on something more productive. In Erica's case, I feel that she needs to realize that her time and efforts would be put to better use if she swallowed the report even though she knew it was wrong and tried to put her talents to good use somewhere else.

Scripture and Tradition 3. 1) A) Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground. " Genesis 1: 26 B) Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. Genesis 2: 19 C) The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2: 15 D) And the Lord God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. " Genesis 2: 16 - 17 3. 2) Tradition (Origins) A) John Paul II, Ecclesia in Asia, 29: 23, 1999, 357 - 382 B) USCC Administrative Board, Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium, 29: 20, 1999, 309 - 327 C) USCC Administrative Board, Faithful Citizenship: Civic Responsibility for a New Millennium, 29: 20, 1999, 309 - 327 D) The Pontifical Academy for Life, Ethics and Genetic Technology 29: 16, 1999, 282 3. 3) Analysis from Sources: The four quotes from Scripture above were all chosen because I feel that in some form they all illustrate the same thing. That God gave man domain over the earth and everything in it. At the same time the quotes I chose from recent church teachings all say that man must respect that very earth that he was given domain over.

The passages from Scripture are all from the Genesis creation story which is of course fictional. Nonetheless, the creation story is the inspired word of God and although it may not be historically accurate, it is symbolic and illustrates many different things. In this case I chose to focus on how it illustrates mans relationship to the world around him. Man was created in the image of God and was given domain over all other beings and things on this earth. While the creation story symbolizes mans domain over the earth, it also symbolizes mans responsibility to respect the earth. I feel that the passage concerning the tree of good and evil is symbolic of the co-dependence between man and nature.

If man does not respect nature and his power over it, then he will surely die. The church teachings of recent years suggest the same thing. They acknowledge mans domain over the earth yet see the necessity to respect it as well. The Popes Ecclesia in Asia states: Our stewardship of earth is a kind of participation in Gods act of creating and sustaining the world... This single quote captures the essence of what I feel is being said in the parts of the creation story concerning man and earth. I feel that looking at human evolution scientifically or from a Darwinian perspective illustrates where I am trying to go with all of this.

Man evolved from a single celled organism over many millions of years into what he is today. Many outside influences contributed to our evolution, but the fact of the matter is that over the course of evolution only the strong have survived. Man is not the strong because of chance, or because of a freak accident. Man is the strong because God made it so and over time and shaped evolution so that we were made in the image of God. At the same time it is a scientific fact that we are a product of our environment and cannot survive without it. This takes me back to the creation story and the symbolism of the tree of good and evil.

It is symbolic of our dependence on nature. Decision in Case Study Up to this point in my case study my thought process may have seemed a little disorganized. I now intend to bring it all together in an attempt to defend my decision in the case study. I feel that Erica should bite the bullet and accept the building of the dam and the possible extinction of the Sonoran Desert Snake. You are probably wondering why I came to this decision considering all the time I just spent focusing on mans co-dependence on his environment. Well thats where the idea of evolution comes into play.

As I stated before I believe that evolution is a scientific phenomenon guided by the hand of God. Our world is constantly evolving and changing. The human population is constantly on the rise and certain sacrifices must be made in order to accommodate that fact. I feel that maybe it was just this snakes time to go.

It is possible that it is not neglect or malice, but instead the process of evolution that is bringing about this snakes demise. The Pontifical Academy for Life writes; It is unacceptable to cause suffering to an animal without a reason proportional to its social usefulness. What if by not building this dam, a coal mine goes under and hundreds of workers lose their jobs and their wives and children starve. I think it is important to remember that God gave us domain over these creatures. We are the ones made in his image, and we are most important to him. I am not saying that I believe it is right to destroy these creatures in the interest of greed or unnecessary human progress.

I still understand and respect the necessary coexistence between man and nature. I just feel that some things may be inevitable. In conclusion I feel that Erica should concede to the building of the damn, especially if it is necessary to help improve the lives human beings and is not being done instead in the interest of greed or wealth.

Research essay sample on Morality And The Environment Case Study