Transcript Understanding Our Environment

Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
Chapter 2
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Outline:
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Introduction
Ethical Principles
Values, Rights and Obligations
Worldviews
Environmental Justice
Science and the Scientific Method
Technology
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
INTRODUCTION
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Ethics is a branch of:
 Morals: Distinction between right and wrong
 Values: Ultimate worth of actions or things
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Environmental ethics deals with the moral
relationships between humans and the
surrounding world.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Ethical Principles
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Universalists - Assert fundamental principles
of ethics are universal, unchanging, and
eternal.
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Relativists - Claim moral principles are
always relative to a particular person, society,
or situation.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Ethical Principles
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Nihilists - Claim morality is arbitrary thus
there is no reason to behave morally.
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Utilitarians - Believe an action is right that
produces the greatest good for the greatest
number of people.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Modernism and Postmodernism
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Most of modern, Western worldview is based
on Enlightenment period. Inevitable outcome
of an understanding of the world would be
moral progress and universal justice.
Experiences of the 20th century have led to a
cultural despair. From a postmodern
perspective, our perception of nature is an
ever-shifting, arbitrary social construction.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Values, Rights, and Obligations
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Moral Agents - Beings capable of acting
morally or immorally, and who can accept
responsibility for their acts.
 Humans
Moral Subjects - Beings who are not moral
agents, but who have moral interests and
can be treated rightly or wrongly.
 Children
Moral Extensionism - Widening definition of
who is considered ethically significant.
 Animal Rights
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Intrinsic and Instrumental Value
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Intrinsic (Inherent - Innate) - Worth or value
simply because of existence.
 Humans
Instrumental (Conferred) - Worth or value
only because they are valued by someone
who matters.
 Tools
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
WORLDVIEWS
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Anthropocentric - Human-centered.
 Genesis 1:28
Stewardship - Custodian of resources.
 Indigenous peoples
Biocentricism - All living things have intrinsic
value.
Ecocentricism - Whole is more important
than the parts.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Ecofeminism
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Ecofeminists argue most philosophers came
from a patriarchal system based on
domination and duality.
 Contend domination, exploitation, and
mistreatment of women, children,
minorities, and nature are intimately
connected and mutually reinforcing.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
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Environmental Justice combines civil rights
and environmental protection to demand a
safe, healthy environment for all people.
 People of color around the world are
subjected to a disproportionately high level
of environmental health risks.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Environmental Justice
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Toxic Colonialism - Targeting poor
communities of color in poor areas /
countries for waste disposal and / or
experimentation.
 Native American Reservations
 Moving operations to countries where
environmental regulations are lax.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
SCIENCE
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Science - Provides an orderly, methodical
approach to investigating phenomena while
suggesting testable explanations for those
phenomena.
 Assumes the world is knowable, and that
systematic investigations can yield
meaningful insights.
- Parsimony - When two competing
explanations appear equally plausible,
accept the simpler one.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Science
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Deductive Reasoning - Starts with a general
principle and proceeds to a specific case.
Inductive Reasoning - General principles are
inferred from examination of specific cases.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Scientific Theory
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Hypothesis vs. Theory
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Hypothesis - A provisional explanation that
can be falsified by further investigation.
 When tests support hypothesis, it is only
considered provisionally true.
Scientific Theory - Hypothesis supported by
multiple experiments and a majority of
experts.
 Not casual everyday “theory”
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Descriptive vs. Interpretative Science
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Interpretative - Ideas and explanations tested
indirectly by looking at historical evidence or
natural experiments.
Descriptive - In some cases it is impossible
or unethical to perform deliberate
experiments on organisms or environments,
thus simply describing the ecology can be
valuable.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Paradigms
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Most research is based on commonly shared
paradigms - models that provide a framework
for interpreting results.
 Eventually, anomalies and contradictions
of paradigms arise and build.
- Typically new generations of scholars
challenge old paradigms and formulate
new Hypotheses and Theories leading to
new Paradigms.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Technology
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For past two centuries, central tenet of
Western culture has been a strong faith in
progress.
 Technology allows mistakes to be made
faster and on a larger scale than before.
Appropriate Technology - Promotes
machines and approaches suitable for local
conditions and cultures.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Summary:
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Introduction
Ethical Principles
Values, Rights and Obligations
Worldviews
Environmental Justice
Science and the Scientific Method
Technology
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.
Cunningham - Cunningham - Saigo: Environmental Science 7th Ed.