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Edexcel A Level Ethics - Applied > Environmental Issues > Flashcards

Environmental Issues Flashcards

(57 cards)

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1
Q

What are the 4 key proponents of environmental issues?

A

Sustainability, Waste management, Climate Change and Animal welfare and protection

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2
Q

What does stewardship mean?

A

Supervising / taking care - of the environment

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3
Q

What does dominion mean?

A

Power for the benefit of humans

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4
Q

What does anthropocentric mean?

A

Humankind as the most important element of existence

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5
Q

What does speciesism mean?

A

Human superiority leads to the exploitation of animals

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6
Q

What does ensoulment mean?

A

When something gets a soul

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7
Q

What does theocentric mean?

A

God as the central focus

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8
Q

What was J.S. Mill’s view on environmental issues? (Utilitarianism)

A
  • warned of a world where the population would extirpate from it
  • natural beauty is essential to humans
  • argued for the creation of national parks and green spaces
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9
Q

What are the 3 moral concerns with animal welfare and protection?

A
  1. Is it justifiable/right to experiment on animals?
  2. Is it morally acceptable to create beings deliberately to suffer pain?
  3. Ethical dilemma to ensure profits fro companies
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10
Q

What is an ‘Absolute Dismissal Argument’?

A

Animals are placed ABSOLUTELY outside the bounds of moral considerations

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11
Q

What is a ‘Pragmatic Dismissal Argument’?

A

Animals are accorded moral status, but is not equal to that of humans

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12
Q

What is ‘proportional’?

A

Maintaining that animals should be accorded moral rights when there is a proportional reason

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13
Q

What is Speciesism? Who was it coined by?

A

R. Ryder

The disproportionate moral right given to members of one species - the human species

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14
Q

What is Speciesism argued to be on par with?

A

Racism and Sexism

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15
Q

What does Jeremy Bentham view about animal welfare?

A

The question is ‘can they suffer’ and clearly they do so this must be sufficient to accord them rights?

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16
Q

Animals for food - what is the issue here?

A

Transgenic manipulation - where an organisms’ genome is altered by foreign DNA

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17
Q

What is the intention of transgenic manipulation?

A

To produce a greater meat yeild

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18
Q

What are the issues with transgenic manipulation?

A

The animals can suffer from deformity and life-threatening issues

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19
Q

What is an example of transgenic manipulation?

A

‘Superpig’

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20
Q

What is a criticism against speciesism?

A

Bernard Williams: As human beings, it is natural to give greater weight to the interests of other human beings

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21
Q

What is the problem that sustainability tackles?

A

The earth has finite resources so we must use them appropriately

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22
Q

How does sustainability link to stewardship and dominionism?

A
  • the responsibility of the earth is placed in the hands of humans
  • must protect and preserve life
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23
Q

How can sustainability be combatted?

Study These Flashcards
A
  • hold corporations accountable
  • stop excessive use of finite resources
24
Q

What are the ethical implications of sustainability?

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A

Utilitarianism - the aftermath of a lack of sustainability will affect a greater amount, thus sue the principle of utility

25
What did Freidrich Engles observe?
Conditions in manchester and concluded that capitalist industrialisation had reduced standards of life and expectancy of the poor
26
Who did Engles observe benefitting from overconsumption?
Those controlling factories
27
What is waste?
Discarded or expelled excess matter, can be medical, nuclear, radioactive, household and food
28
What are the ethical implications of waste?
The long-term potential harm, focuses on 2 classes of ethical concerns: intergenerational; and intragenerational
29
What is Intergenerational equity?
- long-term safety considerations rather than long-term surveillance - some waste is unavoidable so it requires special management
30
What is Intragenerational equity?
- resource allocation and public involvement - liability of waste considered when planning new projects - responsibility of waste should lie with those who generate it
31
What is climate change?
A long term shift in temperatures and weather
32
What is the scientific evidence concerning climate change?
- the destruction of rainforests and CO2 emissions left a depletion in the earth's atmosphere - polar caps and glaciers are melting - extreme weather events - sea levels rising - rising population
33
How can climate change be combatted
- Paris Climate Treaty - insulate homes - less car usage - reduce, resue, recyle - hold managers accountable - tax carbon emissions, waste and pollution
34
What is climate fatigue?
Those who disagree with scientists over the causes of climate change - scepticism
35
What are some reasons for climate fatigue?
- leaked emails in 2009 from scientists at UEA, suggests they were manipulating data - in 2009 41% of Americans believed climate change was overexaggerated
36
What are the key religious views on stewardship and conservation?
1) Humans are stewards of God's creation and must have a responsibility to cultivate and care for 2) (Theocentric and Anthropocentric) The world is for the benefit of humans
37
What is a modern Catholic view on environmental issues?
Those that damage God's creation, do not help the poor and threaten the environment are contrary to the vision of the Gospels
38
What do the 5 principles of the Church imply?
A religious moral duty: - creation has value in itself and reveals God - Humans are dependent but responsible - creation reveals human sin - creation participates in human redemption - creation is the world to come
39
What does Aquinas argue for environmental issues?
Basing it on Genesis 1-3, animals are not equal to humans and not made in God's image Humans must glorify God through the environment Animals are naturally subject to man
40
What does Roger Cook argue for environmental issues?
Humans can manipulate nature more than any other species, they have a special responsibility to care for it
41
What does Roger Scruton argue for environmental issues?
Humans are the hights species on the planet and therefore fulfil their nature when protecting the environment
42
Who criticises Aquinas?
Peter Singer - the emphasis on human dominion is not acceptable
43
Who criticises Cook?
Arne Naess - building on Mill's harm principle, some manipulations cause harm to the environment
44
Who criticises Scruton?
Peter Singer - this is a speciesist approach
45
What is Shallow ecology?
Environmental preservation should only be practised if it is human's interests
46
What is Deep ecology?
Humankind is an integrated part of the environment
47
Who criticises Shallow ecology?
Satish Kumar - fails to acknowledge the importance of non-humans on the planet environmental activist and Jain Monck
48
What are some secular views on environmental issues?
Arne Naess, James Lovelock and Peter Singer
49
What are Singer's preferences?
Preference Utilitarianism: - we must give intrinsic value to all sentient life forms - this is the best way of approaching environmental ethics
50
What does Arne Naess argue about environmental issues?
People should live simply and accept that animals, plants and the environment are as a whole with rights
51
How does Mill's harm principle play into environmental issues?
It recognises that humans need their own place as a part of a complex universe - so act in a way that causes minimal harm
52
Which ancient Greek philosopher supports deep ecology?
Aristotle
53
What is James Lovelock's argument concerning environmental issues?
The GAIA hypothesis: - the ecosystems of the world are an entity in their own right - the Earth is a self-regulating complex system
54
What are Lovelock's 4 ways to save humankind?
- megacities - nuclear energy - artificially controlling Earth's temperature - let AI take over
55
What are the normative ethical responses to the environmental problem?
Natural Law: self-preservation and worship of God are 2 primary precepts that support the environment Kantian Ethics: Principle of Universality - do not destroy plants or animals and the principle of humanity, to stop selfish actions Virtue Ethics: (Scruton) it fulfils human nature when they safeguard the environment
56
What ethical theories are accused of being anthropocentric?
Utilitarianism and Situation Ethis
57
What 2 religions can be connected to Deep Ecology?
Jainism and Buddhism

Edexcel A Level Ethics - Applied (5 decks)

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