Environmental Ethics Test 2

Human-centered vs. Life-centered ethics

Human- Concern for nature as it might affect humans

Life- healthy existence of living things is a natural state, their well-being is an end-in-itself

Inherent worth

Principle of Moral Consideration

• Principle of Intrinsic Value

-principle of moral consideration

some weight in the deliberation of moral rational agents

principle of intrinsic value

Member of earth, its good, they should be treated with end-in-itself

Attitude of Respect for Nature and how is it Justified

Respect should come from where outside of emotions. Look at everything with a Biocentric outlook.

Biocentric outlook

Interdependence of all living things

• We are all members of the Earth community

• Ecosystems are in a connected web

• Each organism has its own life

• Humans are not above all

Humans equal members of Earth’s community

Animals and we are all part of an evolutionary process. Many species will benefit from our disappearance

-Each organism is teleological

Design of life itself, every living thing has its own purpose

claim of human superiority (in terms of moral value) is wrong

Judgments made by other humans- humans are not superior Ability or merit ≠ intrinsic worth. All living beings possess inherent value regardless of their capacities

Modern philosophy and the “humanistic” perspective (Kant)

: Humans have value because they can think and make moral choices. Everyone deserves respect.

Person or potential person

A being that is a person now or has the capacity to become one in the future

Pleasure and suffering vs. Life

Compares the value of pleasure and avoiding suffering with the value of preserving life itself.

Interest principle (Feinberg) vs. Life principle

Interest Principle: A being has value if it has interests that can be helped or harmed.
Life Principle: A being has value simply because it is alive.

Ethics as community vs. individual interest

Individual Interest: Focuses on what benefits or harms the person. Often based on personal needs.

Community: Consideration includes everyone, thinking of future generations

Ethics as community cooperation

The idea that morality develops becuz ppl must work together to live successfully

The land Pyramid/ Biota

All parts work together/ all living organisms in an ecosystem

How technology changes “natural” evolution

altering environments, moving species, and reducing or increasing biodiversity at a much faster rate than evolution would normally occur.

Land as an energy circuit

the ecosystem as an interconnected flow of energy and nutrients among soil, plants, animals, and decomposers. Native species help keep this circuit functioning, while human alterations can disrupt it in ways that nature may struggle to absorb.

A-B Land approaches

Economic value vs land first (land pyramid)

Leopold's distinction between healthy, well-functioning land (A land) and degraded land (B land). It emphasizes evaluating land by its ecological health, not just its economic productivity

Rightness according to Land Ethic

A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise

Broadening of moral horizons

the expansion of moral concern from individuals, to society, and ultimately to the entire biotic community, including land, plants, animals, and ecosystems.

HUmean/Smithian sentimentalist accounts of ethics (not based on reason)

is the view that ethics is grounded in human emotions, sympathy, and moral feelings rather than reason alone. People act morally because they care about others and emotionally approve or disapprove of actions.

Darwinian vision of community

is the view that all living things are connected through evolutionary and ecological relationships, forming an interdependent community of life.

Elton—ecology as biological community

views ecosystems as interconnected communities of plants, animals, and other organisms whose relationships help maintain ecological stability and function.

Land ethic and 3 scientific cornerstones:

evolutionary

--ecological biology

--Copernican astronomy

1. Evolutionary Biology-

2. Humans are part of the evolutionary process no separte from nature

Ecological Biology-

Ecosystms funcation as interconnected communities

Copernican-

Showed that Earth is not the Center of the Univese

Ecology as holistic (balancing the individual with the community)

the view that ecosystems should be understood as interconnected wholes, requiring a balance between the interests of individual organisms and the health of the larger ecological community.

immediate duties trump more abstract ones

means that direct, concrete obligations to people, communities, or environments we interact with often take priority over broader, less immediate moral responsibilities.

Land ethic as deontological from interior perspective, prudential from exterior perspective

is deontological from the interior perspective because it treats care for the biotic community as a moral duty. It is prudential from the exterior perspective because preserving ecosystems is also in humanity's long-term self-interest.

Reverence for life

all living things deserve respect because they possess a will-to-live. Humans should act with care and minimize harm toward all forms of life.

Will-to-live

is the basic drive of all living organisms to survive and flourish. Recognizing this gives humans a moral reason to respect and protect other forms of life.

How big are we

-industrial vs. developing consumption

--current caloric intake vs. past

refers to humanity's environmental impact measured by consumption levels. Developed nations typically consume more resources per person, and modern diets require more resources than many historical diets, increasing our ecological footprint

Carrying capacity

s the largest number of individuals that an environment can support over time without depleting resources or damaging the ecosystem

Social justice—developed nations vs. developing nations

examines how environmental benefits and burdens are distributed between developed and developing nations, especially regarding responsibility for climate change and access to resources.

Earth2

What Earth becomes when all the effects of climate change become irreversible