4)  Ecosystems matter for their own sake rather than on humans because in the end, nature has more control than the human race.  Looking back in time, there have been several instances where the Earth has gone through mass extinctions.  In these time periods, a large majority of the Earth’s species were eliminated all at once.  With that in mind, it is somewhat selfish to think that the human race will be able to withstand nature.  Human’s need ecosystems to thrive; however, it’s a one way street since ecosystems don’t need humans.  Ecosystems have been around for billions of years which is significantly longer than the time humans have been alive.  In conclusion, if the entire human race was to disappear, nature would thrive retaking over the planet.   If ecosystems were to disappear, humanity would be quickly extinguished due to their dependence on nature.

5)  As a human, I think it is natural to believe that the human species is more important than all other species.  You see that with today’s society because even though we know pollution is harmful to other species, humans continue to pollute the environment.  For example, it is well-known that both coral reefs and rain forests are the most bio diverse places on earth, yet for some reason people still have no remorse in destroying the sacred ecosystems.  Not all human’s hate the environment.  Some believe that humans are not the most important species and because of that they try to protect other animals.  For example, it isn’t in our best interest for species to go extinct.  This is why national parks exist, in hope to preserve nature and support the needs of other species.  In the end, I think half of human population believes that humans pleasure and pain is more important than any other species, and the other half feels the opposite way.

6)  Of course generically speaking most people will say that their own life is worth more than someone else’s.  It’s a natural tendency to be confident in yourself and believe that you are greater than you actually are.  With that being said, there are rare cases upon which someone truly thinks of others before themselves.  Personally I think that depending on the other person, I could value my life as greater than, less than or equal to another person’s life.  In my mind, I’d rate this based off of productivity in society.  If there was someone smarter, more creative and hard-working than me I would value their life higher than mine.  On the opposite side of the spectrum, if the person was lazy and careless I would like to believe that I am more important than that person.