Environmental Ethics Flashcards
Roger H Crook
-observes that technological advancement and scientific investigation following the industrial revolution has been seen as positive human activity,perhaps paving the way towards a better society:
• e.g. coal, gas, oil
• but there is now a view that this activity is threatening humanity’s long term survival
Environmental Ethics
• concerned with our attitudes towards and our impact on the biological and geological dimensions of our planet, in terms of how that impact affects humanity
• whether it enhances or diminishes the well being and diversity of other forms of life on Earth
• and whether humanity maintains or disturbs the balance between the planet’s different life forms and geological systems
• in addition, Christians and other religious believers have a particular view of their duty and responsibility towards creation
Types of value
• instrumental value: value based on importance to something else
• anthropocentric belief: that humanity is central and most important
• intrinsic value: belief that something is valuable in itself
Shallow Ecology (Conservationism)
• fundamentally anthropocentric, claiming the environment matters only for its instrumental value, it is a means to an end, that end being human survival
• would encourage conservation and values biodiversity, but doesn’t see biodiversity as a valuable principle in itself
• relies heavily on calculations of what is and is not environmentally beneficial to people, leading to a utilitarian approach to the environment which is criticised for being difficult to assess
• shallow ecologists pushed for National Parks, although influx of tourists damages the ecosystem that national parks are designed to save, causing erosion, pollution, etc
• raises question of whether the environment should be restored, and some argue it would be moral to do so, others that it is not cost effective and that change in nature is natural
• principle of conservation for our benefit led to agreements reached in Rio in 1992 and Kyoto in 1997
• believes humans are of intrinsic value
Michael La Bossiere
(Philosopher’s Magazine issue 15)
species should be allowed to die out if their natural habitat ceases to exist
• it is impossible and detrimental to stop change
• animals will either adapt or die out,
• humans are natural, so our activities and their consequences are a part of evolution
Problems with Shallow Ecology
• ignoring issues that do not directly impact humans may cause problems for humans later on
• we want to advance technology, which can have negative indirect consequences
