French writer Stendhal once simply claimed, “Our true passions are selfish.” We are raised to believe that actions rooted in selfishness are wrong; however, if egocentrism is a natural tendency of all humans, is it worth trying to change? Is it possible to use this trait for good? When faced with problems in marine ecosystems such as overfishing, pollution, endangerment of marine species, and the collapse of fisheries, rather than trying to convince users to be selfless, we should arouse people’s “true passions.” In other words, we must demonstrate how conserving would benefit them individually. Persuading people to care about the issues occurring in our oceans by provoking their self-interests, could be very successful. By convincing people …show more content…
Safina compares the undersea world to the above-sea one, and suggests that we must apply the acceptance that we feel for the creatures we live amongst, with the creatures who share our oceans. These goals can best be achieved by channeling our inner moralities, according to …show more content…
Safina’s passion about saving the seas is not random, nor is it as selfless as it may seem. In the preface of his book, Safina describes his childhood: growing up, he was amazed by the sea and he bonded with his father over fishing striped bass. As overfishing and habitat destruction increased, the striped bass population declined severely. Around the same time, urban construction began to take place as he watched his beloved shoreline get destroyed. After these events, Safina was inspired to begin studying marine biology and his career as an ecologist and writer followed. His attempt to increase knowledge about the exhaustion of our oceans is rooted in his own personal hopes of one day restoring them to the way they were when he was able to fish with his father. Safina tries to convince people to share his passion in restoring the abundance of his ocean by appealing to their moral perspectives. He concludes his preface with, “But ultimately you must judge what the oceans’ creatures and its peoples have to say, and what it means to you.” Safina is motivated to spark change because of his own memories of the sea and his yearning to restore it; there now exists the need to find motivation in others, and convince them that it will benefit them in the long run to start conserving now. Similar to that of Carl Safina, we all have a natural tendency to be selfish. Expert Garret Hardin bases his thesis in this idea
Blackfish is a well-known film about how whales were kept in captivity while being mistreated. This film explained the situation in more of a sequential order stating each event one after another from occurrence. This film was made to inform people of all the cruel and monstrous things that Sea Land and Sea World were doing to the whales.
There have been five mass extinctions over the last half-billion years while the sixth extinction is currently being examined by scientists around the world. Studies have shown that this is the most shocking and damaging event since the impact that caused the extinction of dinosaurs. This one is different from all others, because humans are the cause of this disaster to our current environment. If we don’t start to realize this issue and do something about it, eventually it will be too late to try to save the Earth and ourselves. I am going to analyze the sixth chapter, “The Sea Around Us,” for pathos, ethos, visual rhetoric and other related issues
I believe that killer whales held hostage, should be retired and allowed to live freely because of the unnatural punishment and torture that Seaworld is putting them through. There has been 151 cases of aggression between Orcas and their trainers. Also 100% of male Orcas in captivity have a collapsed fin compared to the 0.01% in the wild. In fact, every single mother within captivity has had its calf taken away around age 2. This isn't going to stop without your help. So, here are some more facts to convince you to SAS ( strike against Seaworld. )
The Sea Shepherds are group of volunteers who try to protect the sea animals, and capture criminals who kill the animals without permits. Their website has many purposes, one dedicate to collect donations from the reader. Furthermore, they want to protect the ocean wildlife. The website audience includes people who want to protect the ocean, and they want to save the sea animals which will likely be extinct. They offer the audience a chance to donate, volunteer, and stay up to date with ongoing issues involving marine life. This website is outstanding because the sea shepherds host a successful website that effectively reaches out to the audience through appealing to the reader's emotions, logic, and credibility.
...s to remove the selfish entertainment from nature and focus instead on its intrinsic value. This in situ approach to conservation of cod, although seemingly surface level transcends the boundaries of economic, cultural, or any of such approximations and places the value on the existence of the species. Another projected solution for the crisis of the overexploitation of fish is the institution of moratoria, which establish that a certain species can no longer be hunted or fished in this context. This in situ attempt at regulating the consumption of cod allows the cod for time to replenish themselves and their populations. Yet, this type of regulation suggests that all humankind must do is step back and let for the problem to take care of itself, and as has been proven several times before stepping back and letting things resolve themselves do not end accordingly
In Stephanie Kaza’s, “Healing the Earth,” she poses the question “in the midst of such a challenge to planetary stability, what can one person really do?” (63). I was this type of person with the same type of mindset. Like most people looking after the environment was on the back burner. Until last summer, when I was slapped in the face and horrified at the conditions of the Flint River. Last summer, I was introduced to floating the river. Before we floated, I had always imagined what it would be like. I imagined pretty water, trees, grassy riverbanks, and to be able to enjoy all the scenery as well as the animals. Boy, was I wrong. We had not been long put into the Flint River when I began to be horrified at the site before me. There was trash everywhere. I spent the next six hours disgusted at what I saw. That's when I became involved in cleaning up the waterways. Cleaning up our waterways can
Major exploration may harm the environment due to how we exploit resources. According to Philippe Cousteau’s commentary, he states that “the world has fished, mined and trafficked the ocean’s resources to a point where we are actually seeing dramatic changes that are seriously impacting today’s generations” (70). This emphasizes that attempting major exploration has an impact in our environment. Additionally, Elisabeth Rosenthal’s “Stinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans’ Decline” gives us an idea how pollution affects the climate. Dr. Josep-MarÍa Gili
Thesis Statement: Closing SeaWorld’s doors would be unjust, however; SeaWorld can repair its image by providing excellent care for its current residents and by shifting the business model from entertainment to rescue, rehabilitate and release at all locations.
Nasir Naqvi et al. confirm “that emotions play a role in guiding decisions” (261). The article “The Role” also mentions that “moral decisions…engage emotions, especially when one is required to consider the consequences of one’s actions for another’s well-being” (263). Perhaps learning about the plight of the calcifiers due to ocean acidification will be enough to change some minds. But, recognizing the impact it will have on humans will be the major factor in influencing others. This is what was wrong with Kolbert’s book: she did not discuss what acidification would do to humans. She could have explained that some zooplankton is weak against acidification, and since they assist in absorbing the carbon dioxide, it could be detrimental for humans to see these types of microscopic organisms become scarce. For, if they do, there would be even more carbon in the atmosphere, which would make it harder for humans to breathe. In addition, the lack of zooplankton would result in a decline of biodiversity, as zooplankton are the basis for various food webs. Less marine animals means less seafood for humans, which would be an immense problem because an innumerable amount of people depends on it. Everyone must learn the dangers of ocean acidification so that the predicted future can
"Oceans." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 8 May 2014.
The coral reefs of the world need our help now. You do not have to be a marine biologist to have an effect on the reefs around the world. By simply conserving water, you can help limit the water runoff into the oceans. Limit the amount of emissions put off by vehicles by carpooling or taking a bus. Even though we may live thousands of miles away from a coral reef, we must use caution when adding chemicals to our lawns. Planting a tree not only reduces the amount of water runoff; it also lowers the earth’s temperature. Something as simple as spreading the word can have major
Derek Walcott, acclaimed Caribbean author, writes to make sense of the legacy of deep colonial damage. Born in 1930 in the island of St. Lucia, Walcott has a melancholic relationship with Caribbean history which shapes the way he carefully composes within “The Sea is History.” Walcott’s application of Biblical allusions seeks to revise and restore Caribbean identity.
Bowermaster, Jon. Oceans: The Threats to Our Seas and What You Can Do to Turn the Tide: A Participant Media Guide. New York: PublicAffairs, 2010. Print.
The ocean can serve man purposes things for many different people; as a school, a home, a park...
Many people assume that the environment is not in danger. They believe that as technology advances, we do not need to worry about renewing natural resources, recycling, and finding new ways to produce energy. They state that one person in the world does not make a large difference. In reality, each individual's contribution greatly affects our environment. Our natural resources are slowly disappearing, and we must work together to save them and the Earth from ruin.