The environment Flashcards
Bentham and the environment
in making decisions about the environment a quantitative utilitarian would have to consider the advant & disadvantages of any policies & their effects on the happiness of both people & animals.
the earth has no intrinsic value only instrumental but we must consider the impact of environmental changes would have on the happiness of people in LEDCs & future generations.
Mill and the environment
this is qualitative as he believed benthams would leaf to the tyranny of the majority. he recognised that love of nature was a higher form of pleasure than the immediate demands of the majority
mill is more anthropocentric as he saw humans able to rise above nature and control it. better to be a human dissatisfied…
pointed out if left nature in charge then the world would quickly turn into wilderness. humanity needs to bring order to natures chaos.
Singers suggested response
at its most fundamental level eg ethic fosters consideration for the interests of all sentient creatures & an aesthetic appreciation for wild places
at a more detailed level it discourages large families, rejects idea of a materialistic society where success is gauged by the no. of consumer goods one can accumulate. it promotes frugality
we must assess our notion of extravagance - not champagne & chauffeured limousines but disposable paper products and meats
Singers view of the environment
utilitarians will take into account the loss that death inflicts on animals the loss of future existence & experiences
the dam example & future generations
arguments for preservation based on the beauty of wilderness are sometimes treated as if they were of little weight as they are merely aesthetic - thats a mistake.
we go to great lengths to preserve the artistic treasures of earlier civilisations but for many wilderness is the source of great feelings of aesthetic appreciation.
Singers criticism of religious ethics and Gaia
Singer criticises the western tradition with its basis in christianity ‘God gave human beings dominion over the natural world, and God does not care how we treat it’
for singer humans don’t necessarily take preference over animals. We are not sacred & to believe this is speciesist.
singer dismisses eco holism ‘We should confine ourselves to arguments based on the interests of sentient creatures.
Kant and the environment
We should act on those maxims that will become universal law. if it is wrong for others to drive short distances then it is our duty to walk.
for Kant, only humans have intrinsic worth as they alone can reason. Animals can be used as a means to an end
However, Kant’s approach isn’t entirely anthropocentric. he explains that treating animals badly will make us cruel. killing for food is acceptable but not for sport. animals should not be overworked.
Kant argues that as nature works rationally & can be understood through reason its our duty to treat it as an end in itself.
Kant links to the aesthetic beauty of the environment to moral goodness. our recognition of beauty is vital part of human existence
The christian conservationist approach
humans are sacred ie made in the image of God.
We must protect the earth for future generations
as man is the pinnacle of God’s creation then we must protect our fellow human beings. Global warming already has a detrimental effect on the lives of many in poorer countries. Organisations like Christian aid campaign for governments to introduce laws cutting carbon emissions
John Hagee’s fundamentalist argument
we live in a fallen world - it will never ‘mend’ instead at the rapture God will create a ‘new heaven and a new earth’
disturbed weather patterns are signs of the end of time according to the bible - they are inevitable & for believers ‘good news’
Stewardship
Creation has intrinsic value…
‘God saw all that he had made & it was good’
‘The heavens declare the glory of the Lord, the skies proclaim the work of his hands’ Psalms
It’s mankind’s responsibility:
The lord God took the man & put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2
Aquinas’ quote about dominion
Since nature makes nothing purposeless or in vain, it is undeniably true that she has made animals for the sake of man
Dominion
Man is made in the image of God
God tells Adam to ‘rule over’ the other animals
God floods the earth because man is sinful. The deaths of all other animals is insignificant
Jesus heals a man by sending his demons onto the Gaderene swine which then jumped off a cliff.
Deep ecology
Arne Naess wrote that every being has an equal right to live & blossom. mountains and rivers has as much dignity as we do
Naess argued that no single life form has a right to destroy the earth’s diversity & richness
humans should consider the impact they have on other species & on the environment as a whole & take only what they need to survive. We must tough the earth lightly.
He suggests that we radically reduce the earth’s population, abandon goals of economic growth and live in small self reliant communities.
The Gaia hypothesis
Lovelock’s argument has a spiritual dimension - he first considered this when working for NASA studying mars. he saw that earth has a kind of soul in the way that is self regulates
he argues that throughout the history of the world conditions have always favoured life. This is because the universe self regulates. If humans are wiped out, life will continue
If we continue to abuse Gaia then we risk our own survival, as we can be destroyed as part of this self regulating process
We cant abdicate responsibility to God. We must take charge before it is too late & we reach the tipping point beyond which its impossible to control events
Conservation ethics (Shallow ecology)
We must care for the environment as we dont want it to change. we dont want animal species to become extinct. we dont want changing weather patterns etc..
Conservation ethics is anthropocentic
Conservation ethics is anthropocentric- we cull successful species in favour of more attractive animals or because theyre damaging those aspects of nature we find useful, we are concerned about global warming as we will suffer from rising sea levels
it is also anthropocentric as it believes that humankind has control over nature - it is our fault that the environment is changing & our responsibility to put it right.
