A Sand County Almanac: The Value Of The Human Community

We are discussing space exploration, and looking at it through the lens of social science and the lens of the humanities.

Many critics believe that NASA and space exploration should not be the main focus of the government. However, NASA is not just about flying rockets and putting men into space. There is science and engineering that is being developed to push humanity forward in life. This space program is essential to answering philosophical questions, creating new technology for practical everyday use, the international collaboration with other countries, and the long-term survival of the human

President Kennedy begins his speech with an analogy “We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won and used for the progress of all people,” he uses this first sentence to refer to space exploration as a new opportunity “new sea.” Kennedy then continues the sea analogy by adding that space can become “a sea of peace or a new

Aldo Leopold wrote about the connection humans should have with land and/or nature. In part 1 of the book A Sand County Almanac reveals what Leopold family sees and does on a weekend refuges from the “shack”. The shack is a national historic landmark which was a rebuilt chicken coop along the Wisconsin River. The theme in part 1 of Leopold’s book is to have respect for small things. In order to understand the meaning of Leopold’s theme it is important to know the meanings to all the words. The definition of respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements (Dictionary, 2015). When referring to the small things; Leopold is giving a sense of wonder that helps us to

Have you ever wondered about the possibilities of finding a planet like Earth which can sustain life? Through the continuation of space exploration, we can continue to look for earth-like planets and learn much more about the mysteries of the universe. Space programs and exploration have helped mankind to develop useful knowledge in different fields such as digital technology and medicine. According to Mindy Townsend, a writer for the social networking website Care2, we have to give credit to NASA for the development of the cell phone camera, which was developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), one of NASA’s research centers. (par. 2). Likewise, Townsend also gives credit to NASA for the technology used in the development of CAT scanners, microscopy, and radiography (par. 6). However, many people still argue that space exploration is a waste of money because they claim that money can be spent on other priorities such as education and health care. Even though space exploration is expensive, the United States government should continue funding space exploration to promote innovation in technology, find extraterrestrial natural resources in the near future, and protect planet earth from outer space threats like space debris and excessive solar radiation.

The first remark Aldo Leopold made that genuinely caught my attention was during February when Leopold was talking about the spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. Leopold discusses the work put into heating a house in the middle of winter. The cutting, splitting, hauling, and piling of oak would make people realize the amount of work that goes into the comfort of a warm house while most people sit next to a radiator and pay no attention to where the heat comes from. Nevertheless, what the oak seedlings would have conquered in order to become a tree. The oak tree has endured centuries of history before it could become a source of heat for a home. The general population does not understand how much effort and time goes

A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold is a book dedicated to the wild animals and surroundings that are his home. He is a man that holds nature to the highest of values, which he clearly expresses in his book. I decided to choose Chapters 1 and 2. Chapter 1 begins with a new year and new month, in which Aldo describes the scenes outside his home with much detail. The thawing of the winter snow brings new changes to the environment as well as the animals behavior patterns. Moreover, it describes the impact a season can have on the animals and their environment.

The excerpt from “The Land Ethic”, talks about the community concept, the land pyramid, and the outlook in terms of land ethic. Aldo Leopold was throughout his life at the forefront of the conservation movement. The land ethic expand the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals. The excerpt describes how the land is being destroyed. Civilians are part of this destruction and we’re losing the love for the land. We send helter-skelter down rivers, affecting the soil. We believe that the waters have no other function but to turn turbines, float barges, and carry off sewage. Finally, the plants and the animals, we destroy most of the communities and exterminate many of the largest and most beautiful species. A

Though space exploration has remained a symbol of the government that most look up to and think highly of, recent budget cuts have raised cause for concern. In the 2013 article “Budget Gains For Physical Sciences Will Be Uncertain At Best”, author David Kramer states “The President has proposed a combination of tax increases and cuts to entitlement programs to pay for the increased spending. Leadership of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has made clear its opposition of tax increases” (para. 3). With the threat of Congress cutting NASA 's budget, the United State 's sixty year preeminence in space exploration is in serious peril.

The world today revolves around technology and is in an ever upward spiraling path of new advancements. This path is now at what some people call the “final frontier”, or the space age. The discoveries being made on this front are overwhelming in comparison to the technology that the world had only twenty years ago. Space exploration was once left up to the governments, as they battled to be the first country in space, but with national debts raising and the cuts made in response, space exploration is beginning to become new grounds for private business owners. Private companies are already beginning to send off rockets at a fraction of the cost that government does, but if more money was put into the government space program, then they

The tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action are two key concepts in the world of political science. They act under the assumption that man is a rational being who will act in his own self interest. Humanity id broadly diverse meaning that each individual has their own ideas as to how society should run and how people should live.(heywood) This inevitably results in disagreement and this is where politics steps in. Aristotle described politics as the ‘master science’, ‘the activity through which human beings attempt to improve their lives and create the Good Society.’ Through the tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action we can see how politics is essentially the ‘search for conflict resolution’

As the possibility of space colonization and development begins to loom large, more and more people are beginning to question how such development will be pursued and what effect it will have on humans and the environment. Scientists are considering the feasibility of space colonization and its worth of study compared to other fields. Ethicists and environmentalists wonder how ethical it is to change the space environment and what consequences come with doing so. Politicians face the question of governance and law-making in the space frontier. The viewpoints toward space colonization are not simple to categorize as pro and contra, rather they are multi-layered and based on several fields of study, in

Space colonization and exploration are becoming very popular topics today and the concepts of both are extremely exciting. However, the environmental impact of space colonization could be tremendous due to black carbon and space debris released into the atmosphere with each launch. Space colonies also have the potential to harm the environments of other celestial bodies since humans are unable to take care of their own planet. Humans also have basic needs for self-sustainability such as food, water, and electricity. With current technology, these needs would not be met and the colony would not be able to sustain itself. There is also the need for legislation in regards to space colonization and exploration to prevent conflict. When taking these factors into consideration, space faring nations should not focus their time and resources on space exploration now.

Have you ever wondered how much we spend on space exploration annually? It costs 19 billion dollars each year to fund one company, NASA for space exploration. This is a lot of money that can be used elsewhere, and not to mention all the resources we’re wasting for fuel and rockets. NASA isn’t making scientific discoveries relevant to the world today and the problems today. While NASA is focusing on finding planets for the future, we have problems in the world today that should be prioritized before space and the future.

We can accomplish so much by being apart of a community. First, you can achieve support. In my community, it is important for us to help