biology week 10 assignment

What do you think about the “eight-point Deep Ecology Platform”?

I think it would be difficult not agree with the sentiments of the Deep Ecology Platform. I really appreciate the first principle; “The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth have value in themselves. These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes.” This principle is incredibly oppositional to our dominate western cultural value system which determines worth through a narrow market-minded framework. 

Perhaps the 8 principles just fall a little short of identifying how the diversity of the environment contributes to the realization and survival of human life. The principles seem to be lacking in the ability to reconcile humans as part of an ecological system - to which we are dependent. The platform also has a tone (at least in my opinion) that suggests that humans have an individual moral obligation to adhere to the principles, but not a dependency. Sometimes I wonder if the illusion of the "modernized world" gives us a false confidence in our ability to sustain life beyonds the planets capacity. 

Can you explain why “Ecosystems are both strong and fragile”?

The fragility and interdependency of an ecosystem is precisely that which makes it strong. Meaning that its interdependency allows for an ecosystem to support various life forms, adapt, transform, generate new life forms, etc.. However, that interdependency also makes ecosystems vulnerable to collapse- if one aspect is threatened, the entire system is threatened