Saturday’s class was very interesting to me. The Socratic Circle was the perfect activity to test or understanding of the different ethical frames we can use to look at an issue. When listening to the first round of people discuss the article, Rain Forest for Ransom, I was surprised that so many thought that it would be acceptable to drill for oil. It was difficult to hold my tongue and listen to the different perspectives. The entire time I was listening, I was taking notes. My quick jots were global concerns, carbon dioxide, implications down the road. The Utilitarian perspective to me was simple. The option offered by President Rafael Correa was a win-win. The Ecuadorian people would get the financial resources they so desperately needed while the rest of the world would benefit from one of the most precious rain forest in the world. Some felt that because we could not determine the benefits from the undiscovered parts of the rainforest in things like plants and animal species then we needed to go with the oil avenue. I don’t buy that. In my single opinion, it is never ok to destroy a natural wonder like that of the rain forest. In the end the oil that is tapped there will not sustain the country forever. Why are we not as part of a global community helping buy time for Ecuador and the world, and looking more at how we use energy. The greater good to me means our world. What kind of world are we leaving our children if we are not protecting our natural wonders and thinking about how to conserve instead of destroy.
