Answers to Questions
Student’s Name:
Institutional Affiliation:
1. According to the book, when we are no longer connected to the universe, our descendants won’t learn the sources of waters and where they end up and they won’t understand the migration routes. We can only connect with the nature if we take care of it and avoid destroying nature. Humans have a mutual relationship with nature and destroying nature means that we miss some benefits. I propose that humans should take care of the resources we have.
2. The “Great Works” refers to the specific moments in the universe that gave shape to the much-need meaning to the world by relating the universe and humans (Berry, 2000). Some of the past great works is the rising of cathedrals into heaven and the gathering of people of Western Europe and the Mediterranean when they were ordered to have a relationship with each other. Example of today’s great work is the Grand Canyon.
3. According to Berry, the university can be described as the four basic establishments that can determine the life of a person and they assume discontinuity between human modes of life and discontinuity (Berry, 2000). The humanities taught in learning institutions are also supposed to tell us about the quality of life. The current education system doesn’t explain the quality of life. I propose that the university adopt the Berry’s model of a university. Universities should train students on ways to take care of environment and not education that can destroy the nature.
4. The phrase “reinventing humans” means that we should start the world afresh and we should include nature in our various cultural forms. This is important today because human beings have constantly destroyed the environment through industrialization and other modern activities and through this we have destroyed our relationship with the nature. If we continue like this, most creatures will be extinct.
8. Endocrine disruptors are factors that interfere with the natural system of the water systems, human being, and the entire environment within the earth. These factors occur naturally as a result of chemical and biological processes taking place within the earth such as tectonic movements. These disruptors affect the actual system of the earth leading to system imbalance which affects sustainability in human life. Avoiding environmental pollution can enhance sustainability and reduce chances for occurrence of global endocrine disruptors.
10. Principles 9,10,11,&12 focuses on social and economic justice which are strong pillars for improving people’s living standards across the world. They focus of empowering initiatives that facilitate poverty eradication and promotion of human development. The society need to enhance gender equity and equality in resources distribution and promotion of economic activities that promotes human lives.
11. Earth Charter refers to international declaration of fundamentals of values and principles which are important to enhance justice, sustainability, and peace in the global society of the 21st century. Principles 5, 6, and 7 of the Earth Charter facilitate care for environment which are important for ensuring sustainability. The society need to protect the environment and ensure reduction in pollution and environmental degradation.
12. Principles of the earth charter include respect for the earth and life and all of its diversity which shows the value and importance of all forms of life regardless of how valuable it is to human being. Care for the life community with understanding compassion, and love provides duties for environmental protection. Building democratic society ensures all human being are treated equally under human rights statements. Security for earth’s bounty and beauty ensures sustainability in the environment. Poverty eradication principle facilitates equality among human being.
13. Climate change has greatly contributed to environmental degradation and unpredictable weather effects like prolonged droughts and flooding, earthquakes and global warming among others. Increasing capacity of world production of pollutants and non-biodegradable wastes are the major contributors for climate change in US as well as across the world. This can be reduced by reduction of environmental pollution emissions like carbon dioxide.
14. Teaching ethics to college students would involve teaching them to relate well with other people and ethical practices in the workplaces and the society as ethics defines human way of living. The areas of ethics that I would discuss would involve meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics which defines the concepts of right and wrong behaviors.
15. Animal farming is the industrial livestock production or factory farming. Animal farming is a production approach that aims at maximizing production output while minimizing production cost. Animal farming is problematic when stocks are kept in larger capacity that the land can hold. Animal production is essential in enhancing human nutrition and hence cannot survive without it.
16. Human being has transformed from the processes that have been taking place during the evolution of the earth. Human existence started with the formation of the first atom which, colliding with other atoms formed to release energy that led to emergence of life. The processes taking place within the earth like evolutions and disaster violence and creativity lead to human transformation
References
Berry T. (2000). The Great Work: Our Way into the Future. London: Broadway Books.
