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Relevant Anecdote

Walking on a neighborhood trail that runs through woods and connects two major roads, I was approached by two surveyors asking whether I would like to see the trail paved, replacing the stony-dirty path with a concrete or asphalt one more conducive to parents walking kids in strollers or wheelchair-bound people or bicyclists.  I told them it was nice to be so solicited, but that I did not feel strongly one way or the other.  I said the natural ambience of the stones was nice and that the path would need no changing for me to enjoy it.  When they mentioned the strollers (and then I thought of the even more sympathetic wheelchair case, which I did not actually mention to them) I began to see it differently.  I mused that it was a classic utilitarian versus naturalist dilemma; pleasantly, they were smart enough to know what I was talking about.  As I walked away, I began to weigh the sides and concluded that a paved path would better suit everyone who would like to use it.  It became especially difficult to defend keeping the path the same considering the disadvantage that would put a wheelchair-bound person at. 

On balance I favor utilitarian value over natural integrity, but I consider that there comes a point where creative destruction, whatever its developmental objective, begins to do the opposite, hurting more people than it helps.  I also consider that it is at this point that we should control or restrict further development, thus protecting people's needs and interests as well as the environment.  It is still a humanist-utilitarian standard, though, because I must admit I do not see nature as having any value completely independent from those who inhabit it.  It is only because we exist that we can even contemplate nature having inherent value, so it would seem rather counterproductive to compromise our own economic needs just to protect the environment's natural integrity.  Overall, of course, I am still much more environmentalist than current policy is, but still more development-oriented than not.

posted by Dylan24 on May 22, 2005 at 9:11 AM | link to this | reply