sophies. It is here that Leopold states that "poor land may be rich country, and vice versa". It is here that Leopold introduces the concept, radical then but widely accepted now, that the planet itself is a living organism and, through the natural cycles of earth, wind, fire and water, continually replenishes its own means of remaining alive. The human role in this "Round River" ecosystem is prominent, of course, and for thousands of years indigenous people depended directly on the bounty of this natural system to supply their needs of food and fiber. Although modern civilization has been forced by its increasing population to create artificial cycles, replacing elk and deer and grouse with beef and hogs and poultry, and replacing the oaks and bluestem grasses which fed the wild meat with corn and alfalfa. And finally, Part III contains the essay titled "Goose Music," in which Leopold spells out his belief that the earth was fashioned by the Lord God, the Supreme Artist after whose works all the art of man has been initiated, and that every part of creation should therefore be held sacred. We may be able to live without the beauty of stars, sunsets, or goose music, Leopold says, but because we are unable to replace the natural things we destroy, we would be foolish to do away with something simply because we felt we did not need it. The final pages of A Sand County Almanac, Part IV, titled "The Upshot," Leopold devotes to the concept of a "land ethic" and a plea that we adopt such an ethic into our daily lives. Leopold defines philosophical ethics as "the differentiation of social from anti-social conduct" for the common good of the community, and declares that a land ethic, wherein the ecologies in which we erect our developments would be considered an integral part of the community, amounts to the same thing as social ethics. A land ethic, in the authors terms, means a "willing limitation on freedom of action in the strug...
