“Being kind toward everything alive”: Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic in Richard Powers’ Bewilderment

Azizi, Maryam; Haj'jari, Mohammad-Javad; Maleki, Naser

doi:10.22049/jalda.2025.29920.1717

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

¹ MA in English Literature, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

² Assistant Professor of English Literature, English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

³ Associate Professor of English Literature, English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22049/jalda.2025.29920.1717

Abstract

Encouraging a transformative perspective that nurtures a harmonious bond between humans and Nature has been the most important concern in ecocriticism and among its proponents. One enduring concept throughout human history, and the subject of harsh criticism in this regard, is “anthropocentrism”, which prioritizes human welfare over nature. Aldo Leopold’s “land ethic” theory vehemently rejects this human-centered stance and advocates for the moral inclusion of non-human natural beings in all human-made decisions about nature. In this light, as a literary call to active environmentalism, Richard Powers’ Bewilderment (2021) directly challenges anthropocentric ideologies by arguing for environmental equity and underscoring the inherent worth of all living entities. Drawing upon the anthropocosmic ethical approach of the “land ethic” theory, this study adopts an interdisciplinary approach to question anti-environmental behaviors that build upon the so-called anthropocentric human supremacy over non-humans. It argues that Bewilderment vividly criticizes the ethos of industrialized societies that exploit the Earth for immediate gain, ignoring the long-term consequences of anthropocentrism and degrading the natural rights of animals as co-architects of the human realm.

Keywords

Main Subjects

3. Applied Literature

Article Title [Persian]

«مهربانی به هر آنچه زنده است»: بررسی مفهوم «اخلاق سرزمین» در اندیشه آلدو لئوپولد در داستان بلند سرگشتگی اثر ریچارد پاورز

Authors [Persian]

مریم عزیزی ¹
دکتر محمد جواد حجاری ²
دکتر ناصر ملکی ³

¹ کارشناس ارشد زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، دانشگاه رازی، کرمانشاه، ایران

² استادیار ادبیات انگلیسی، گروه زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه رازی، کرمانشاه، ایران

³ دانشیار زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، گروه زبان و ادبیات انگلیسی، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه رازی، کرمانشاه، ایران

Abstract [Persian]

ترویج دیدگاهی دگرگون‌کننده که پیوندی هماهنگ میان انسان و طبیعت را پرورش دهد همواره از مهم‌ترین دغدغه‌ها در حوزه بوم‌نقد و در میان طرفداران آن بوده است. در این میان، مسالة «انسان‌محوری» در طول تاریخ بشر به طور دائم موضوع انتقاد شدید بوده است، چرا که رفاه انسان را بر حفظ طبیعت اولویت قرار داده است. نظریه «اخلاق سرزمین» از آلدو لئوپولد به شدت با مواضع انسان‌محوری مخالف بوده و از گنجاندن حقوق اخلاقی سایر موجودات در تمام تصمیمات انسانی درباره طبیعت حمایت می‌کند. در این پرتو، به ‌عنوان ندایی ادبی در امر محیط‌گرایی فعال، داستان بلند «سرگشتگی» (2021) از ریچارد پاورز مستقیماً ایدئولوژی‌ انسان‌محور را در بحث در برابری‌های زیست‌محیطی میان انسان و سایر موجودات به چالش می‌کشد و بر ارزش ذاتی همه موجودات زنده تأکید می‌ورزد. این مطالعه با تکیه بر نظریة «اخلاق سرزمین»، رویکردی میان‌رشته‌ای را در به چالش کشیدن رفتارهای ضد محیطی انسان در داستان مذکور به کار می‌گیرد. بر این اساس، بحث اصلی این مقاله بر آن است که داستان سرگشتگی به وضوح از اخلاق جوامع صنعتی که با نادیده گرفتن پیامدهای درازمدت انسان‌محوری و تحقیر حقوق طبیعی حیوانات به عنوان معماران قلمرو انسانی، از طبیعت برای سودآوری بهره‌برداری فرسایشی دارند انتقاد کرده و خواستار روشنگری‌های زیست‌محیطی در این زمینه است.

Keywords [Persian]

آلدو لئوپولد
اخلاقیات زمین
انسان‌محوری
ریچارد پاورز
سرگشتگی

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Journal of Applied Linguistics and Applied Literature: Dynamics and Advances

“Being kind toward everything alive”: Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic in Richard Powers’ Bewilderment

References

References

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 February 2025

“Being kind toward everything alive”: Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic in Richard Powers’ Bewilderment

References

References

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript Available Online from 20 February 2025

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 February 2025