Conservation Movement (Green Ethics and Philosophy: An A-Z Guide)"Conservation as a philosophy, ethic, and form of action has been expressed widely and in many different ways in art, music, literature, and life sciences, as well as in individual lifestyles and the political and economic arenas. Yet the conservation ethic has not been predominant in the West. In the United States, especially, natural resources have been viewed as essential for growth of the capitalist system based on the creation of individual, corporate, and national wealth in what many have historically viewed as an unlimited abundance of free natural gifts there for the taking."