Lesson 7 - Human Person in Environment Flashcards
Discipline in philosophy that
studies the moral relationship
of human beings, values, and moral status of the environment and its
non-human contents.
“environmental ethics”
basic question of environmental ethics
“what are
those entities that should
be given moral
consideration or value?”
2 views of philosophers and ethicists
Human and non-human views
type of value that has an
inherent worth in itself—valuable or good for its own sake.
Intrinsic value (Preservation of life, dignity, happiness, etc.)
type of value that serves as a means towards achieving a certain
end—a means to an end/particular purpose.
Instrumental value (ex. money, power, law, etc.)
Attribution of Moral Consideration and the Corresponding Approaches:
HUMAN - ANTHROPOCENTRISM
NON-HUMANS – PANTHOCENTRISM
LIVING ORGANISMS – BIOCENTRISM
HOLISTIC ENTITIES or COMMUNTIES – ECOCENTRICISM
human beings as the center of moral
consideration
Anthropocentrism
from Judeo-Christian Tradition (Genesis 1:26-29)
Anthropocentrism
Earth and other natural resources are
instruments for man to explore, conquer, to make use of it and benefit from
Anthropocentrism
viewed MAN as superior because of
his/her unique capacity as a rational being.
Plato and Aristotle
claimed that man is the measure of all things
Protagoras
"only human beings are moral due to his special ability towards self-consciousness and deliberation."
Protagoras
Barbara Mackinnon believed that…
This good need not be defined narrowly in terms of the satisfaction of individual interests of a limited sources—prudential anthropocentrism/what you use, you replace/
- as stewards we keep the balance and beauty of nature
in her book “Ethics: theory and
Contemporary Issues”:
“Our own good requires that we have due and wise regard for animals and environment”.
Barbara Mackinnon
instead of dominion over nature, we
are mere stewards responsible for keeping the balance and beauty in
nature.
Recognizes duties towards
the environment
an Australian philosopher; “Animal Liberation”
Peter Singer
concept of “Animal Liberation” - PANTHOCENTRISM
moral consideration must extended to
higher forms of animals or intelligent animals like dogs and chimpanzees, who are sentient—have the capacity to feel
pain.
“To give preference to the life of a being, simply because that being is a member of our species would put us in the same position as racists who give preference to those who are members of their race”.
Peter Singer
Two Arguments/Reasons why animals have moral consideration
1. They are sentient being and they could feel pain. - “all the arguments to prove man’s superiority cannot shatter this hard fact; in the animals are our equals."
2. They possess inherent or intrinsic value. - They are an end in themselves—should not be regarded as a means of man’s selfish ends.
Viewed that not only humans
and animals, but also plants
should be morally considerable.
BIOCENTRISM
BIOCENTRISM includes…
Preservation of biodiversity with
its plants and animals.
Protection for all living organism including animal rights
in Paul Taylor’s “Ethics of Respect for
Nature”
“all living things should be considered as “teleogical centers of life”
—every living organism has its own telos, or goal or purpose to fulfill in this world.
in Kenneth Goodpaster’s “On Being
Morally Considerable”
being sentient is just a means of attaining a living organism’s goal of being alive or having life.
moral consideration in Hinduism
Panthocentrism
benefactors in Biocentrism
Plants
Animals
Humans
Regard ecosystem as holistic
entities that should be given
moral consideration.
ECOCENTRICISM
Leopold’s “land ethic” implies that…
“a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends to do otherwise”
in Callicott’s “The Conceptual
Foundations of the Land
Ethic”
the land ethic morality is the next stage of man’s ethical evolutionary development—moving towards seeing things less individualistically, but in a more holistically.
Rolston’s “Challenges in Environmental Ethics” emphasizes
the need for ecological conscience for
environmental ethics to take a foothold.
“environmental ethics is not a
muddle; it is an invitation to moral
development”
Rolston
- All ethics seeks appropriate respect
for life, but respect for human life is
only a subset of respect for all life.
is the overall totality (ecosystem) that has moral consideration; you cannot remove anything for every being has a purpose that makes the ecosystem function
Ecocentrism
Theories in Radical Ecological Philosophy
DEEP ECOLOGY
SOCIAL ECOLOGY
ECOFEMINISM
a theory against the traditional and conventional view of the environment.
DEEP ECOLOGY
assumes that all living things possess equal value and intrinsic worth regardless of their usefulness or utility to other beings.
DEEP ECOLOGY
human being should look at the self as an extension of nature, where the human ego would be identified with nature.
Arne Naess
- Respect and care for self is
tantamount to respect and
care for nature—self-realization.
“the poor are not all concerned with
intrinsic value of nature and its
species or the quality of life;
survival is their main concern.”
Ramachandra Guha of India, a critique against naess
Tagged the deep ecologist as elitists and cultural imperialists for their attempt to preserve wilderness for the benefit of the rich and well-off society.
Ramachandra Guha of India
against domination of existing
hierarchical structures in society that pre-empt the full development of the full
nature of an individual
SOCIAL ECOLOGY
in social ecology…
individual - social network - institutional - community - public policy
theory where man and woman are equal
SOCIAL ECOLOGY
“until human beings cease to live in societies that are structured around hierarchies as well as economic classes, we shall never be free of domination”
Murray Bookchin
- the very notion of the
domination of nature by man stems
from the very real domination of
human by human
Believes that ecological problems rooted from social problem:
Political - power relations
industrialist society - reduced human as machines
Believes that ecological problems rooted from social problem:
Political - power relations
industrialist society - reduced human as machines
A reaction against male
domination and the
corresponding women
oppression.
ECOFEMINISM
Believed that in our relationship with the environment is rooted on male-centered viewed in nature.
ECOFEMINISM
against to the existing patriarchal relations as well as capitalist system supporting exploitative economic structures to the detriment of women and nature.
ECOFEMINISM
serves as a social and
political agenda for the
benefit of both women and
nature
ECOFEMINISM
believes that a society characterized by a mentality that tolerates the oppression of women is directly linked with its tendency to tolerate the abuse of the environment and degradation of nature.
ECOFEMINISM
Features of the Ecofeminist View:
- Historical, typical causal
connection - Prototypical patterns of
domination - Conceptual Connections - if they dominate women, what more to the nature
- Symbolic Connections - language degrading women and nature
Environmental resource owned by many or no one
Common Resource
One of the major environmental challenges of the world today
Climate Change
threat to the world’s basic need
Climate Change
Environmental Challenges: number of species have already
been extinct ever since
Preservation of Endangered
species: The Continuing
Challenge
Environmental Challenges: rising global population combined with economic
growth in emerging markets
will trigger growing demand
for portable water and food.
Water Scarcity: the
Emerging Challenge
Environmental Challenges: Developments that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet
their own needs.
Sustainable Development:
The Future Challenge
Emphasized a more primal obligation that we have to recognize; an obligation to protect the environment from oneself.
Peter Wenz
what is our duty according to Peter Wenz?
to protect the environment from any and
every threat or a duty to bring
aid
leading proponent if global environment initiatives to bring about environmental sustainability on a global level.
United Nations (Global Initiatives)
Environmental Program and
Protocols:
Kyoto protocol (2005) Montreal Protocol (1987) Basel Convention (1989) Global Marshall Plan (1990)
reduce carbon dioxide emissions
Kyoto protocol
Protection of the Ozone Layer, aimed to reduce ozone depletion by phasing out products that contain substances responsible for such; Chlorofluorocarbons, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and Hydrofluorocarbons.
Montreal Protocol
Protection of the Ozone Layer, aimed to reduce ozone depletion by phasing out products that contain substances responsible for such; Chlorofluorocarbons, Hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and Hydrofluorocarbons.
Montreal Protocol
aimed at controlling ‘transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal’ to protect developing countries to become dumping sites for toxic waste of developed countries.
Basel Convention
proposed by Albert Gore former US Vice President, envisions the attainment of sustainable development by making wealthy nations with advanced economies help Third World nations by bringing and sharing their advanced green technologies.
Global Marshall Plan
