Transcript Applied Ethics

Applied Ethics
Section 5
Environmental Ethics
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Environmental Ethics
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Study of the ethics of human interactions
with the natural world & natural systems.
Branch of ethics concerned with practical
issues & matters of principle arising from
such transactions.
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History
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Environmental ethics emerged as an academic subject
in a cluster of writings of the early 1970s.
Most of these writings advocated moving from
anthropocentrism (an approach which accords moral
standing to human interests alone) to a nonanthropocentric approach (which recognizes the moral
standing of non-human beings).
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Ecocentrism
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Normative stance.
Holds that species & ecosystems have an
independent good, & as such have moral standing.
Their attaining this good has intrinsic value.
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Anthropocentrism
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Human judgements inevitably reflect human
interests alone.
But this is a fallacy; humans are free to heed
other interests, & frequently do so.
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Biocentrism
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Holds, cogently, that all living creatures have a
good of their own, & have moral standing
accordingly.
Their flourishing or attaining their good is
intrinsically valuable.
Ecosystems are valuable because of the
creatures that depend on them.
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Normative Theory & Biocentrism
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Among normative theories, consequentialist
versions of biocentrism are better grounded
than deontological or virtue-ethics ones, & all
are more coherent than contractarian ones.
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To Consider
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What does the stance of biocentrism involve?
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What are the merits of this stance?
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Further consider what differentiates biocentrism
from anthropocentrism & from ecocentrism.
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Environmental Problems
Causes include:
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Poverty
High technology
Note: the theory that Judaism & Christianity underlie the
problems through their alleged anthropocentrism &
condonement of environmental heedlessness (deriving from
Lynn White) is inaccurate.
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Important Environmental Policies
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Sustainable development (strong rather than
weak sustainability).
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Biodiversity preservation.
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Climate change adaptation & mitigation.
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Climate Change Mitigation
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A responsibility of individuals, households,
corporations & governments.
A global agreement would best be based on
Contraction & Convergence, as proposed by
Aubrey Meyer.
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Exercise
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Consider the responsibilities of each of the
following with regard to the environment:
 Individuals
 Households
 Corporations
 Governments.
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