Primary source review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Primary source review - Essay Example The Author of this book uses the work of Leopold to support his argument about the relationship between human beings and the environment. The article by Leopold Thinking like a mountain is an old piece that was written back mid-20th century. The article presents the environmental balance that existed during this time of the historical period. As Leopold states, this was a time when the American deer population was over a hundred thousand. The article therefore provides a point with which to compare the status quo in the early 1950s with the current situation in America. This was a time when the society was more concerned with the environment and the people depended on it for survival. He makes a reference to the years of 1920s when the wolves had been removed from the mountains and the population of the deer had exploded. In his view, the natural ecosystem has a way of maintaining balance in a natural way without the control of human beings. This is an idea that many others in the contemporary society have to support. Schmitz (61) is one of the authors that have reflected on the concept of natural balance in the ecosy stem1. He states that when predators in a given natural ecosystem are eliminated there is likelihood that the population of the preys will grow uncontrollably. By subscribing to this idea, Schmitz seems to provide the same reason that Leopold provided as the reason why the population of deer had exploded on the mountain in America. The two authors seem to refer to the conservation strategies today that concentrate on eliminating the natural balance in ecosystem. Another major concern of this article is the role of the community with the ecosystem. In his idea about the concept of the community he terms brings out the idea that human beings are central to the ecosystem and their role is to promote an interdependent relationship with the ecosystem. However, he poses the idea that human beings despite their academic progress

Thoughts upon female Education(1787) Benjamin Rush Essay

Thoughts upon female Education(1787) Benjamin Rush - Essay Example Men of those times were busy on various fronts and could not possibly take up the time to educate their children, or to help them with that. Moreover, in some cases, the men could not look after the affairs of their houses or parts of their businesses, therefore, it was necessary for the womenfolk to rise to the occasion and take up these responsibilities themselves. In a society where female education was frowned upon, it was necessary to make an appeal to such notions for the patriarchs to be willing to impart formal education to the females of their household, whether daughters or sisters. When men thought that educating women would be beneficial to them in the sense that they would be able to delegate duties to their womenfolk, as well as ensure that their sons got the necessary guidance from them as well, they were more agreeable to the idea of female education. Thus, new vistas were open for women to explore. However, Rush did not intend on this education to bring about any change in the status of the women in the post revolutionary society, and this is where the fault in his arguments lies. The purpose of education should not be to subjugate any class or gender of people, or to have them believe wholeheartedly in their subservience to someone else. Education should be an end in itself; women should be educated for the same reasons as men: it is their inherent right in an enlightened and educated society. Education should help them discover themselves and to become more productive and efficient citizens of the world. Women, just like men, should have the opportunity to pursue their educational interests; they should not be confined to certain branches of education to, consequently, become beholden to men. Moreover, education should not be used as a tool for indoctrination, but should open minds to new ideas and aspirations. In conclusion, though Benjamin Rush’s arguments in favor of