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Introductory
Note to the Reader After having re-read the first book I
ever completed as a schoolboy, Around the World in 80 Days, I continued
to explore Jules Verne’s penmanship. So, I decided to read this second book
of his since I had watched an old movie as a child about the journey of a
group of explorers to the center of the Earth. Though the story in the movie differs
greatly from the book’s plot, I wanted to see whether Verne ever mentioned
Atlantis in the story’s plot, which is a place the explorers arrive at in the
movie. While reading it, I became critical of
the ethics prevailing at the time the novel was written and took notes to
produce this critique with an ethical eye. |
Ethics and Destruction in Journey to the Center
of the Earth
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Abstract This
essay examines Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth
through an ethical and environmental lens. While the novel is often
celebrated as a triumph of nineteenth-century imagination and scientific
ambition, it also reveals an anthropocentric disregard for the natural world.
The analysis focuses on Professor Otto Hardwigg and Harry Hardwigg’s moral
responsibility toward the ecosystems they encounter and ultimately destroy in
their subterranean expedition. Drawing from Aldo Leopold’s “land ethic” and
Arne Næss’s “deep ecology,” the essay critiques the explorers’ actions as
ethically irresponsible and environmentally destructive. By contrasting the
novel’s destructive ending with modern concepts of sustainability and
conservation, the essay suggests that Verne’s work, though written in an age
of scientific optimism, foreshadows the moral dilemmas of human domination
over nature. |
Keywords: Jules
Verne, Ethics, Environmental Philosophy, Deep Ecology, Sustainability, Moral Responsibility,
Environmental Destruction, Journey to the Center of the Earth
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Resumen Este
ensayo examina Viaje al centro de la Tierra de Jules Verne desde una
perspectiva ética y ambiental. Aunque la novela suele celebrarse como una
muestra del ingenio y la ambición científica del siglo XIX, también revela
una visión antropocéntrica y una falta de respeto hacia la naturaleza. El
análisis se centra en la responsabilidad moral del profesor Otto Hardwigg y
de Harry Hardwigg ante los ecosistemas que encuentran y destruyen durante su
expedición subterránea. A partir del “land ethic” de Aldo Leopold y la
“ecología profunda” de Arne Næss, el ensayo critica las acciones de los
exploradores como moralmente irresponsables y destructivas para el medio
ambiente. Al contrastar la destrucción final con los principios modernos de
sostenibilidad y conservación, el texto sugiere que la obra de Verne anticipa
los dilemas morales de la dominación humana sobre la naturaleza. |
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Resumo Este
ensaio analisa Viagem ao Centro da Terra de Jules Verne sob uma ótica
ética e ambiental. Embora o romance seja frequentemente celebrado como um
triunfo da imaginação e da ambição científica do século XIX, ele também
revela uma atitude antropocêntrica e uma negligência ética em relação ao
mundo natural. O estudo concentra-se na responsabilidade moral do professor Otto
Hardwigg e de Harry Hardwigg diante dos ecossistemas que encontram e destroem
em sua jornada subterrânea. Com base no “land ethic” de Aldo Leopold e na
“ecologia profunda” de Arne Næss, o ensaio critica suas ações como
irresponsáveis e ambientalmente destrutivas. Ao comparar essa destruição com
os princípios modernos de sustentabilidade e conservação, argumenta-se que a
obra de Verne antecipa os dilemas morais da relação entre o ser humano e a
natureza. |
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Jules
Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth is often celebrated as an
adventure novel that captures the spirit of nineteenth-century scientific
ambition. As Schmidt (2025) states, it “is more than a curiosity from the
nineteenth century; it’s a cornerstone of Verne’s canon and a testament to the Victorian
spirit of exploration.” Written in 1864, it reflects an era when exploration
was framed as conquest and discovery was valued above caution or preservation.
However, a closer reading of the expedition led by Professor Otto Hardwigg and
his nephew Harry Hardwigg reveals troubling ethical dimensions, particularly in
their treatment of the subterranean ecosystem. Their journey culminates not in
respectful observation but in massive destruction, raising the question: was
their escape through Mount Etna an act of survival, or an irresponsible
disregard for life and the environment?
The
most ethically charged moment in the novel’s plot takes place when the
explorers reach the vast inner sea, a space alive with prehistoric animals and
even human-like giants herding mastodons. This discovery should have been a
moment of wonder and reverence, a recognition that life in its many forms
extends beyond the known world. Yet, Professor Hardwigg and Harry view the
subterranean realm not as a living ecosystem but as a setting for their “scientific
conquest.” They observe, record, and marvel, but they never question their own
impact on the delicate balance of this hidden world they have come to discover.
As
Aldo Leopold would later argue in A Sand County Almanac (1949), an
ethical relationship with nature “changes the role of Homo sapiens from
conqueror of the land-community to plain member and citizen of it.” Professor Hardwigg
and Harry never embrace this vision. Instead, they assume the role of
conquerors, with no recognition of moral responsibility toward the nonhuman
life they encounter. “As the trio struggle in their journey into the great
unknown Professor Hardwigg, Harry, and Hans each grapple with hopelessness in a
unique way. Their solution to their hopelessness can be identified in what or
in whom they put their faith” (Thurinus, 2023): dynamite to find their way out
of the inner sea. The destruction they are to cause at this point of the plot
indicates that disrupting this ecosystem is ethically irrelevant to them.
When
their path is blocked and survival is at stake, they choose destruction. The
volcanic eruption that expels them back to the surface obliterates everything
in their wake. From a nineteenth-century perspective, this destructive act with
dynamite may have seemed justified, even heroic: humanity’s willpower
overcoming nature’s barriers regardless of the consequences to the surroundings.
Yet from a modern standpoint, it reads as a profoundly egotistical and
destructive decision. Their own lives and the validation of Arne Saknussemm’s
path are placed above the existence of an entire subterranean ecosystem. The
ethical lapse lies in their anthropocentric worldview where nature is treated
as an obstacle, not as a realm deserving of moral responsibility. In this
sense, their approach contrasts sharply with Arne Næss’s concept of “deep
ecology,” which emphasizes the intrinsic value of all living beings, not just
their utility to human goals (Næss, 1973) though they are not worth preserving
for these scientists.
Harry’s
role in this dynamic is especially revealing. Throughout the plot narrative,
his journal functions as a record of fear, wonder, and survival. While he
occasionally expresses doubt or hesitation through his conversation with his
uncle or through his reflections, dreams, and nightmares, his writings
ultimately frame the subterranean journey as a testament to human endurance and
curiosity. The destruction that marks their return to the surface is reported
without genuine ethical reflection, and at most carries a tint of remorse. For
Harry, the survival of the explorers and the continuation of their story appear
more important than the annihilation they leave behind in the entrails of earth.
This prioritization of narrative over responsibility highlights the imbalance
of values in which the preservation of human testimony eclipses the
preservation of nonhuman or humanlike life.
This
failure can also be contrasted with modern notions of sustainability and
conservation, which demand a balance between human needs and ecological
preservation. Today, environmental ethics insists on the responsibility to
avoid unnecessary harm to ecosystems, even in the pursuit of knowledge. The
Hardwiggs’ eruption-driven escape violates the very principle of
sustainability: it sacrifices an entire environment for the sake of human
survival and scientific achievement. From an ethical standpoint, their
destruction underscores how nineteenth-century science overlooked duties of
stewardship. Leopold’s (1949) “land ethic” and Næss’s (1973) “deep ecology”
make this oversight glaring: both emphasize that humanity is not above but
within the community of life, responsible for maintaining its integrity rather
than dismantling it.
In
conclusion, Journey to the Center of the Earth offers more than an
adventure story. When examined critically, it becomes a reflection of the
ethical blind spots of its age. Professor Hardwigg and Harry’s disregard for
the life and environment of the subterranean world illustrates how the pursuit
of knowledge, when detached from responsibility, can lead to devastation. By
contrasting their actions with modern notions of sustainability and
conservation, we see that their escape was not simply a matter of survival, but
an act of destruction born of arrogance. Today, when ecological concerns are
central to human survival, Verne’s novel invites us to rethink the relationship
between discovery and responsibility, and to ask whether true progress can ever
come at the cost of life itself.
📚 References
Leopold, A. (1949). A sand county almanac. Oxford University Press.
Næss, A. (1973). The shallow and the deep, long‐range ecology movement. Inquiry,
16(1–4), 95–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/00201747308601682
Schmidt, T. (2025, September 9). A journey to the center
of the Earth – Jules Verne’s gateway to scientific wonder. Iron Gall Media.
https://irongallmedia.com/2025/09/09/a-journey-to-the-center-of-the-earth/
Thurinus, B. (2023, May 27). A journey to the center of
the Earth: An expedition that just misses the mark. Medium. https://bulkingtonthurinus.medium.com/a-journey-to-the-center-of-the-earth-an-expedition-that-just-misses-the-mark-c39e85bded04
Verne, J. (1877). Journey to the center of the Earth
(F. A. Malleson, Trans.). Ward, Lock, & Co. (Original work published 1864)
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