Environmental and Animal Ethics Practice Flashcards

These vocabulary flashcards cover key theories, concepts, and thinkers from Unit 9 (Environmental Ethics) and Unit 10 (Animal Ethics) of the lecture notes.

Anthropocentrism

A core environmental position where only humans have intrinsic value and nature matters only instrumentally as a resource for human welfare.

Biocentrism

The core idea that all living beings, including individual organisms and plants, have intrinsic value regardless of sentience.

Ecocentrism

A perspective holding that entire ecosystems have intrinsic value, focusing on biodiversity, ecological integrity, and the stability of the biotic community.

Aldo Leopold

Thinker associated with Ecocentrism whose 'Land Ethic' states that an action is right when it preserves the beauty, stability, and integrity of the biotic community.

Deep Ecology

An environmental position that rejects human superiority and advocates for radically reduced consumption and happiness through communion with nature.

Instrumental Value

The value attributed to nature based on its usefulness to humans.

Intrinsic Value

The quality of being valuable in itself, independent of its utility to others.

Moral Patient

An entity that deserves moral consideration or has rights, but does not have duties.

James Hansen

A thinker noted for providing anthropocentric climate warnings.

Winona LaDuke

A thinker known for the indigenous critique of Western ecofeminism.

Utilitarian Animal Ethics

A theory, associated with Jeremy Bentham and Peter Singer, focusing on minimizing suffering and the equal consideration of interests based on sentience.

Sentience

The capacity to suffer, which defines moral relevance in utilitarian animal ethics.

Rights-Based Animal Ethics

A theory proposed by Tom Regan stating that animals have moral rights as 'subjects-of-a-life' and cannot be used merely as means to an end.

Subject-of-a-life

The concept that animals have inherent value and moral rights regardless of the benefits of using them, as formulated by Tom Regan.

Speciesism

The practice of favoring humans solely because they are human, a concept coined and criticized by Peter Singer.

Virtue Ethics (Animals)

An ethical approach focusing on how cruelty corrupts character and how humane treatment builds moral virtue.

Moral Agent

An entity that has moral duties and responsibilities.

Joel Feinberg

The philosopher who argued that animals have rights because they possess an 'inner life'.

Environmental Virtue Ethics

A focus on character formation, humility, restraint, and respect for limits rather than specific rules or consequences.

Emotional Bias

A critique in ethics regarding the practice of protecting popular animals like dolphins while ignoring less charismatic ones like insects.