Lillian Young: Outside Reading: Aldo Leopold

 I really enjoy reading Leopold's A Sand County Almanax. Compared to some of the other philosophers I have read, he seems to have a much more down-to-earth approach, in a sense. Compared to Thoreau or Muir, he just seems like a normal man instead of someone who is trying to capture the full spiritual and personal aspects of nature. Not that there's anything truly wrong with the other two; it's just a nice change of pace. Throughout the reading, you can feel and see Leopold's respect for nature and the world we're living in, but I feel as though there isn't that same sense of self-righetousness, like there is with Thoreau, for instance. While he is considered the father of wilderness ecology, I believe Leopold was trying to bridge the gap between scientific understanding and a general appreciation for the natural world. It's clear to see how, and why, his writings have become so influential, as they have the ability to appeal to a wide demographic of people. 


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