Lesson 7 - Human Person in Environment Flashcards
(64 cards)
Discipline in philosophy that
studies the moral relationship
of human beings, values, and moral status of the environment and its
non-human contents.
“environmental ethics”
basic question of environmental ethics
“what are
those entities that should
be given moral
consideration or value?”
2 views of philosophers and ethicists
Human and non-human views
type of value that has an
inherent worth in itself—valuable or good for its own sake.
Intrinsic value (Preservation of life, dignity, happiness, etc.)
type of value that serves as a means towards achieving a certain
end—a means to an end/particular purpose.
Instrumental value (ex. money, power, law, etc.)
Attribution of Moral Consideration and the Corresponding Approaches:
HUMAN - ANTHROPOCENTRISM
NON-HUMANS – PANTHOCENTRISM
LIVING ORGANISMS – BIOCENTRISM
HOLISTIC ENTITIES or COMMUNTIES – ECOCENTRICISM
human beings as the center of moral
consideration
Anthropocentrism
from Judeo-Christian Tradition (Genesis 1:26-29)
Anthropocentrism
Earth and other natural resources are
instruments for man to explore, conquer, to make use of it and benefit from
Anthropocentrism
viewed MAN as superior because of
his/her unique capacity as a rational being.
Plato and Aristotle
claimed that man is the measure of all things
Protagoras
"only human beings are moral due to his special ability towards self-consciousness and deliberation."
Protagoras
Barbara Mackinnon believed that…
This good need not be defined narrowly in terms of the satisfaction of individual interests of a limited sources—prudential anthropocentrism/what you use, you replace/
- as stewards we keep the balance and beauty of nature
in her book “Ethics: theory and
Contemporary Issues”:
“Our own good requires that we have due and wise regard for animals and environment”.
Barbara Mackinnon
instead of dominion over nature, we
are mere stewards responsible for keeping the balance and beauty in
nature.
Recognizes duties towards
the environment
an Australian philosopher; “Animal Liberation”
Peter Singer
concept of “Animal Liberation” - PANTHOCENTRISM
moral consideration must extended to
higher forms of animals or intelligent animals like dogs and chimpanzees, who are sentient—have the capacity to feel
pain.
“To give preference to the life of a being, simply because that being is a member of our species would put us in the same position as racists who give preference to those who are members of their race”.
Peter Singer
Two Arguments/Reasons why animals have moral consideration
1. They are sentient being and they could feel pain. - “all the arguments to prove man’s superiority cannot shatter this hard fact; in the animals are our equals."
2. They possess inherent or intrinsic value. - They are an end in themselves—should not be regarded as a means of man’s selfish ends.
Viewed that not only humans
and animals, but also plants
should be morally considerable.
BIOCENTRISM
BIOCENTRISM includes…
Preservation of biodiversity with
its plants and animals.
Protection for all living organism including animal rights
in Paul Taylor’s “Ethics of Respect for
Nature”
“all living things should be considered as “teleogical centers of life”
—every living organism has its own telos, or goal or purpose to fulfill in this world.
in Kenneth Goodpaster’s “On Being
Morally Considerable”
being sentient is just a means of attaining a living organism’s goal of being alive or having life.
moral consideration in Hinduism
Panthocentrism
