摘要：This essay introduces the major themes of the symposium by first exploring the importance of equity as a sensitizing principle that compels policy scholars and the public to become aware of the consequences of our actions on the environment, natural resources, and the people dependent upon them. After conceding that equity remains a largely unrealized ideal that, like democracy, imposes a high standard for evaluating the outcomes of policies and their impacts on society, we then review five major themes shared by the 11 articles in the symposium: (1) equity cannot be separated from other ethical concerns, such as community, public interest, and freedom; (2) resolution of equity conflicts requires a sense of injustice and even outrage to motivate people to take action to correct a perceived inequity; (3) effectively resolving disputes over equity requires spatial proximity, power, and access to those having authority over natural resource and environmental decisions; (4) how we view equity is tied to culturally shaped perceptions and “socially constructed” views; and (5) what we view as equitable with regard to natural resource allocation, protection, and use is shaped by our own station in life and by our capacity for empathy. The empathy factor, we argue, is one that can be expanded to embrace our regard for other species—as well as other persons—as we become more aware of their intrinsic importance.We shall never achieve harmony with land, any more than we shall achieve justice or liberty for people. In these higher aspirations, the important thing is not to achieve but to strive.
