Lecture 1 - Intro (part I; faking nature)

Question 1

Ecomodernism

Question 2

Planetary Boundary approach

Question 3

Shellenberger and Nordhaus

Question 4

old conservationism

Answer 4

nature = fragile
biodiversity
biocentric
industry = enemy
humanity = pest species
doom and gloom
technophobia

Question 5

new conservationism

Answer 5

nature = robust
ecosystem services
anthropocentric
industry = ally
humanity = god species

technophile

Question 6

practical conflicts

Answer 6

landsharing vs landsparing (“half-earth project”)
geo-engineering, nuclear energy, biotech
population control

Question 7

pleistocene rewilders

Question 8

views on nature

Answer 8

independence
“natural”

Question 9

naturalistic fallacy

Answer 9

unnatural is not automatically morally unacceptable and vice versa
natural as a biological concept is not natural as normative concept

Question 10

different views on the value of nature

Answer 10

endangered (fragile/healthy)
robust (“nature will always find a new balance”)
sphere of purity or spirituality (spectacle; educational/ source of inspo;art/ the sublime, awe inspiring/ therapy; rejection ofmodern society)
resource (recreation/reservoir/maintenance)

Question 11

3 groups of environmentalists

Answer 11

intrinsic: well-off city folk who seek wilderness
instrumental: progressives who want to ‘develop’ nature for recreation
relational (environmental justice movement): marginalised groups that battle pollution

Question 12

referrals to nature in morality and politics

Answer 12

often a rhetorical tric
particular views often (mis)used for moral and positions and political goals

Question 13

case: south america millions of hectares of forest -> problematic?

Answer 13

• co2 emission
• wildlife destruction
• livelihood
  …

Question 14

anthropocentrism VS non-anhropocentrism

Answer 14

“humans are always in the center because we always look through a human perspective”
The factual realization is impossible because at this point thought
comes in.

Question 15

human exceptionalism

Answer 15

two problems:

Question 16

sentience

Answer 16

jemery bentham
morally relevant capacities?

Question 17

zoocentrism/sentientism

Answer 17

basis of moral status is consciousness and/or sentience (ability to feel pain/pleasure/enjoy/suffer)

Question 18

speciesism

Answer 18

discrimination based on belonging to a specific species
-> characteristic of being ‘human’ is not a good reason to be favoured
sef-awareness could lead to more (or less) suffering

Question 19

diffferent animal ethical theories

Answer 19

Singer (utilitarian): weigh equal interests equally
Palmer (relational): causal relations determine treatment
Nussbaum (capabilities): flourishing after its own kind
Regan (rights): subjects-of-a-life have inherent value that should be respected

Question 20

biocentrism

Answer 20

All living entities have moral status
Albert Schweitzer
Taylor:
Attfield:
Biocentric outlook

Question 21

ecocentrism

Answer 21

criticize animal ethicists
still in essence anhropocentric
also criticize biocentrists
emphasis on ecological relations and processes
Aldo Leopold: land ethics

Question 22

holism VS atomism

Answer 22

holism: the whole is more than just the sum of its parts

moral holism: wholes (species, ecosystems) have independent moral status

they have their own interests

Question 23

duties to nature

Answer 23

thought experiments: the philosopher’s laboratory
last man argument

central question of nature ethical theories: do we have direct or only indirect duties? does nature have intrinsic value?

Question 24

consequentialism

Question 25

human chauvinism

Question 26

intrinsic value

Answer 26

3 varieties
1. a goal itself
2. possesses intrinsically valuable properties
3. objective value, independent of a valuing being

1st & 3rd often confused
why important to attribute/acknowledge intrinsic value?

Question 27

other valuations of nature

Answer 27

relational values
instrumetal values

Question 28

ecocentrism criticized

Answer 28

misantropic (anti-human)
environmental facism (Tom Regan)
how to solve moral dilemmas?

The brain is only concerned with itself, its own security, its own
problems, its own sorrow, and the other' is also this. The brain is never related to anything. There is no other’. The `other’ is the image created by thought
which is the brain.

Question 29

clashes between animal ethics and ecocentrism in practice

Answer 29

hunting in order to create healthy populations or save ecosystems
keeping individual animals in captivity (zoos) in order to protect endangered species
eating meat (but could that be non-anthropocentric?)

Question 30

compassionate conservation

Answer 30

do no harm
individuals matter
inclusivity
peaceful coexistence

Question 31

specific ecocentric theories: deep ecology

Answer 31

Arne Naess
deep VS shallow ecology
non-anthropocentric and holisitic
a cahnge in world view is needed
identification with nature

Question 32

social ecology

Answer 32

Murray Bookchin
break down existing hierarchies between people

Question 33

Ecofeminism

Answer 33

Val Plumwood (gonna read a text of her), Karen Warren
connection between domination of women and nature
evident in gendered language: mother earth/nature
both are consequences of patriarchy and capitalism
capitalism = intrinsically focused on exploitation, destruction and instrumentalization of animals

Question 34

false dualisms of ecocentrism

Answer 34

val plumwood

Question 35

multispecies justice theory

Question 36

intersectionality

Question 37

intersectional forms of commodification

Answer 37

exoticism of asian and

Question 38

environmental pragmatism

Answer 38

Anthony Weston, Andrew Light
not thinks too much about fundamental questions (nature intrinsic value, etc)
try to reach agreement on practical guidelines
via deliberation
different fundamental values steer deliberation
how do people define nature?