Transcript File

Ethics: Theory and Practice
Jacques P. Thiroux
Keith W. Krasemann
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Chapter Sixteen
Environmental Ethics
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Definition of Key Terms
• Speciesism is a prejudice for one’s own species
and against other species
• Sentientism is the theory that only those
beings with mental states should be the
subject of moral concern
• Holism is a conception of nature that sees
humans and nature together as forming a
moral community
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Definition of Key Terms
• Vegetarianism is the refusal to eat the flesh of
animals in favor of a diet of vegetables
• An endangered species is a species of animals
in danger of becoming extinct because of the
encroachment of civilization upon the natural
environment and because of careless
exploitation by human beings
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Nature and Morality
• Human beings have discovered in recent years
that natural resources, including animals,
plants, and trees, are not boundless but are
subject to diminishment, destruction, and loss
• This will affect us with regard to the social
aspect of our morality, but many consider that
nature also is valuable in itself
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Environmental Ethical Issues
• We cannot continue the waste and
destruction of natural resources, but must
take action now to conserve and replenish
what we take from nature for our own uses
• Neither can we continue to exploit, misuse,
and pollute the environment
• The rights of animals should be respected
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Our Attitude Toward Nature and
What Lies Behind It
• These attitudes have not developed overnight
– Platonic dualism and the beginnings of Western
philosophy tended to split human beings off from
nature
– Judeo-Christian teachings in the Bible taught that
human beings are imbued with a soul whereas the
rest of nature is not
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Our Attitude Toward Nature and
What Lies Behind It
• The advancement of science and
technology has made nature more
subservient to humans
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Arguments for Use and Exploitation of
the Natural Environment
• Religious: Western religions condone
dominion by citing the Bible
• Natural order/evolution: humans are the
highest evolved species, so they control
• Civilization is more important than nature
• Only humans are deserving of moral rights
and obligations
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Arguments Against Use and Exploitation
of the Natural Environment
• Monistic holism v. dominion and domination
• Religious arguments about superiority have
been misinterpreted or are irrelevant
• Evolution of humans does not mean that they
are entitled to dominion over nature
• The proper relationship between man and
nature is holistic, not dominant
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Moderate Position
• Nature is important and significant but not
necessarily on the same footing with humans
• It may therefore be used for human ends but
with care so as not to endanger or destroy it
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Moderate Position
• This position generally agrees with the holistic
position but is not against using nature for the
good of humans as long as it is done carefully,
allowing for the preservation and protection
of the environment
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Criteria for Animal Rights
• Anything that is alive is deserving of moral
consideration
• Those with interests have rights
• Attributes of soul, mind, and feelings – moral
consideration is based on whether or not
beings have these attributes
• Animals seem to possess the power of reason,
at least at the rudimentary level
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Ways of Dealing with Animal Rights
• Vegetarianism
• Sentientism
– Animals have mental states that are to some
extent akin to those of humans and are therefore
deserving of rights
• Holism
– Every living thing is deserving of respect, because
they are all a part of nature as a whole
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of Animals for Food
• Is it moral to kill sentient beings possessing all
of the attributes previously described, and use
them for food?
• How do our ways of raising animals impact
this question?
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of Animals for Food
• The moderate (between vegetarian and
carnivore) argues that animals can be eaten
but we should not accept wholesale slaughter
or mistreatment of animals
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Arguments for Use of Animals for
Experimentation
• Arguments For:
– Without our ability to use animals for
experimentation, humans would have to be used
and would be harmed or killed, or no cures for
diseases could ever be found
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Arguments for Use of Animals for
Experimentation
• Arguments For cont’d:
– Because, by law, humans cannot be used for
experimentation without informed consent and
strict guidelines, scientific and medical progress
need animals
– Animals are less valuable than humans
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Arguments Against Use of Animals
for Experimentation
• Animals are thinking and feeling beings; it is
immoral to make them suffer and die for
human progress
• Many experiments are absolutely unnecessary
to human health and well-being
• Scientific progress must stop if it cannot
advance without animals
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Killing Animals for Sport
• Argument For:
– Ancient activity
– Animal population control
– Need for animal meat and products
• Argument Against:
– Hunting is no longer needed
– Animal populations will control themselves
– Domestic meat alleviates the need to hunt
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Protection of Endangered Species
• An irreverence for even a small segment of life
affects one’s reverence for all life
• Most species are beautiful and interesting and
they should be available to future generations
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Protection of Endangered Species
• All animals seem to contribute in some way to
the balance of nature and its food chain, and
we should be careful not to upset that balance
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Non-Western Perspectives on
Environmental Issues
• Because environmental problems are global in
scope and implications raised by these
important issues of concern affect people the
world over, it will be worthwhile to briefly
note the value of non-Western ethical
viewpoints
• The great goal of Chinese thought is to
achieve harmony and balance
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Non-Western Perspectives on
Environmental Issues
• The immanent worldviews of Hinduism and
Buddhism, which stress the oneness and
interconnectedness of the natural order,
present clear alternatives to Western
transcendent perspectives where human
beings stand over/against nature
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Non-Western Perspectives on
Environmental Issues
• In Daoist thought the key concept is the dao –
the way, which refers to ultimate reality, the
way of nature, and ethical living
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Non-Western Perspectives on
Environmental Issues
• Confucianism attempts to extend the way by
establishing social conventions and Kongzi
ritualized proper conduct so that the life, in
effect, becomes a performance that is
designed to further natural harmony
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Non-Western Perspectives on
Environmental Issues
• In a world of pluralistic cultural values an
expanded field of possibilities makes room for
alternative responses to serious
environmental challenges not easily resolved
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.