This study will seek to show that what appears to be the cause of a lack of a satisfying philosophy among the American people, as evidenced by restless, disintegrating behavior of individuals, is in reality the effect of such a lack.

In 1971 the company Exmibal, called today CGN, got a concession for the extraction of nickel in El Estor. Ten years later, Exmibal cancelled its work. Now, Exmibal is trying to return to El Estor. The opinion of rural populations affected by this extraction was not clear. The purpose of this research was to determine and compare the level of acceptability of nickel extraction between the indigenous and non-indigenous communities. The level of acceptability was tested throughout eliciting cultural domains, and then comparing the level of acceptability using the Chi-Square test. The relation of this acceptability with locally perceived socioeconomic and environmental benefits and constraints was also identified. The elicitation of domains established the priority of water, animals, wood and trees for the communities, placing nickel extraction in fifth place of salience and relating it mostly with natural resources destruction, employment and land expropriation. Comparing the level of acceptability, indigenous communities do not accept the work of the Company while the non-indigenous community accepts it. / Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management