Studying this at Higher Level?: Good news first: at HL you learn the same Perspectives content as SL, so everything here is for you too. HL just adds one extra step. Once you understand why people see the environment differently, HL later asks you to use that idea to think about two real-world questions:
- Should nature have legal rights? Can a river or forest be protected by law — almost as if it were a person?
- What is nature actually worth? How do we put a value on the environment when money and nature pull in opposite directions?
Don't worry about answering these yet — they come up later in the course. For now, just get the Perspectives ideas clear; they're the foundation everything else builds on.
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A perspective is an individual point of view about something.
It is shaped by:
- what a person thinks is important
- what they believe is true
- what they have learned or experienced
People can see the same situation differently.
One perspective
- Cutting a forest creates jobs and income, supporting economic growth and development.
Another perspective
- Cutting a forest destroys habitats, reduces biodiversity, and causes environmental damage.
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Assumptions
Assumptions are ideas people accept as true without thinking much.
Example: "Technology will always solve our problems."
Values
Values are principles people feel are important in life.
- honesty
- safety
- respect for nature
- economic growth
Values guide decisions about environmental issues.
Beliefs
Beliefs are strong ideas about what is right, wrong, or real. They often come from family, culture, religion, school, or media.
Environmental problems involve disagreements because people have different perspectives.
Perspectives influence:
- how serious someone thinks a problem is
- who they think is responsible
- what solutions they believe in