APEX APES 9.1.7 Withgott (7th Edition) Read The Global Community

culture

The overall ensemble of knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned ways of life shared by a group of people.

worldview

A way of looking at the world that reflects a person's (or a group's) beliefs about the meaning, purpose, operation, and essence of the world.

ethics

The academic study of good and bad, right and wrong, and how we ought to behave.

relativist

An ethicist who believes that the moral principles of individuals and societies do and should vary with social context because of the many different human cultures and worldviews.

universalist

An ethicist who believes that there are objective notions of right and wrong that are accepted across cultures and contexts.

ethical standard

A criterion that helps differentiate right from wrong.

instrumental value

The value of something based on the pragmatic benefits of putting it to use; also called utilitarian value.

intrinsic value

The value of something because it has a right to exist and is valuable for its own sake; also called inherent value.

environmental ethics

The application of ethical standards to environmental questions.

anthropocentrism

A human-centered view of our relationship with the environment.

biocentrism

A philosophy that ascribes relative values to actions, entities, or properties on the basis of their effects on all living things or on the integrity of the biotic realm in general.

ecocentrism

A philosophy that considers actions in terms of their damage or benefit to the integrity of whole ecological systems, including both living and nonliving elements.

preservation ethic

An ethic holding that we should protect the natural environment in a pristine, unaltered state.

conservation ethic

An ethic holding that people should put natural resources to use but also have a responsibility for managing them wisely.

environmental justice

The fair and equitable treatment of all people with respect to environmental policy and practice, regardless of their income, race, or ethnicity.

economy

A social system that converts resources into goods (things that are made and bought by individuals and business) and services (work done for others as a business).

economics

The study of how we decide to use scarce resources to satisfy demand for goods and services.

classical economics

The study of the behavior of buyers and sellers in a capitalist market economy; founded by Adam Smith.

neoclassical economics

A mainstream economic school of thought that explains market prices in terms of consumer preferences for units of particular commodities and that uses cost-benefit analysis.

cost-benefit analysis

One of four assumptions of neoclassical economics; a method commonly used by neoclassical economists in which estimated costs for a proposed action are totaled and then compared with the sum of benefits estimated to result from the action.

external cost

One of four assumptions of neoclassical economics; a cost borne by someone not involved in an economic transaction. Examples include harm to citizens from water pollution or air pollution discharged by nearby factories.

discounting

One of four assumptions of neoclassical economics; the economic practice of placing more importance on present conditions than on future conditions.

economic growth

One of four assumptions of neoclassical economics; the increase in an economy's production and consumption of goods and services.

Cornucopian

A person who believes that humans can overcome all environmental constraints and continue economic growth indefinitely.

Cassandra

A person who believes that humans cannot overcome all environmental constraints and that economic growth cannot continue indefinitely.

environmental economics

A school of economics that thinks humans can modify the principles of neoclassical economics to address environmental challenges and thereby achieve sustainability within the current economic systems.

ecological economics

A school of economics that assumes achieving sustainability is possible only through more far-reaching changes because of the principles of nature called carrying capacity and self-renewing cycles.

steady-state economy

An economy designed to mirror natural ecological systems and remain stable through periods of economic growth and shrinking.

nonmarket value

Value that is not usually included in the price of a good or service.

contingent valuation

A technique that uses surveys to determine how much people would be willing to pay to protect a resource or to restore it after damage has been done.

gross domestic product (GDP)

The total monetary value of final goods and services produced in a country each year.

genuine progress indicator (GPI)

An economic indicator that subtracts undesirable economic activity, such as crime and pollution, from desirable economic activity, such as conventional economic activity and contributions made voluntarily and not paid for.

full cost accounting

The accounting system that aims to account for all costs and benefits; also called true cost accounting.

market failure

The failure of markets to account for positive outside effects on economies, such as ecosystem services, or negative side effects of economic activity, such as external costs.

ecolabeling

The practice of designating on a product's label how the product was grown, harvested, or manufactured, so that consumers are aware of the processes involved and can judge which brands use more sustainable processes.

socially responsible investing

The practice of investing in companies that have met criteria for environmental or social responsibility.

greenwashing

The practice of misleading consumers into thinking a company is acting more sustainably than it is.

development

The use of natural resources for economic advancement rather than for simple subsistence or survival.

sustainable development

Development that satisfies our current needs without compromising the future availability of natural capital or our future quality of life.

triple bottom line

An approach to sustainability that attempts to meet economic advancement, environmental protection, and social equity goals simultaneously.

Sustainable Development Goals

A program of 17 broad goals for humanity in striving for sustainable development, set by the international community through the United Nations in 2015.

What kinds of factors can shape people's worldviews?

Factors that can shape people's worldviews include religion, spiritual beliefs, political ideology, and shared cultural experience.

How do anthropocentrism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism differ?

Anthropocentrism is a human-centered view of our relationship with the environment, whereas biocentrism ascribes relative values to actions on the basis of their effects on all living things or on the integrity of the biotic realm in general. Ecocentrism, on the other hand, considers actions in terms of their damage or benefit to the integrity of whole ecological systems, including both living and nonliving elements.

Who is associated with the preservation ethic?

John Muir.

Who is associated with the conservation ethic?

Gifford PInchot