A BRIEF HISTORY

http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/iie/v4n1/homepage.html

A BRIEF HISTORY

• Pragmatic resource conservation

• George Perkins Marsh (1864)

A BRIEF HISTORY

“the operation of causes set in action by man has brought the face of the Earth to a desolation almost as complete as that of the moon.”

A BRIEF HISTORY

• Utilitarian conservation:

• “Forests should be saved notbecause they are beautiful, but Only to provide homes and jobs for people…resources should be used for the benefit of people who live here now.”

“Conservation is the foresighted utilization, preservation and/or renewal of forests, waters, lands and minerals, for the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time.”

A BRIEF HISTORY

• Moral and Aesthetic Nature Preservation

• John Muir – (1838-1914)• President of Sierra Club (1892)

• At the core: Spiritual values

• “Nature’s object in making animals and plants might possibly be first of all the happiness of each of them”

A BRIEF HISTORY

“Why should man value himself as more than a small part of the one great unit of creation? And what creature of all that the Lord has taken the pains to make is not essential to the completeness of that unit - the cosmos? The universe would be incomplete without man; but it would also be incomplete without the smallest transmicroscopic creature that dwells beyond our conceitful eyes and knowledge."

From “A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf” (1916)

A BRIEF HISTORY

• Modern Environmentalism

• 1962: Silent Spring (Carson)

• 1970s: A Decade of Awakening and cleanup

• Earth Day

• The majority of Americans now consider themselves “environmentalists”

A BRIEF HISTORY

• Global Concerns/Environmentalism

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

“A community dedicatedto learning, TCU educatesindividuals to think and actas ethical leaders andresponsible citizens in theglobal community.”

“One who acts as a supervisor or administrator, as of finances and property, for another or others.”

Stewardship

What makes an informed andresponsible decision?

• Ethics: morals (distinction between right and wrong)

values (ultimate worth)

• Environmental ethics:

“Moral relationships between humans and the world around us”

STEWARDSHIP

• Should we continue to clear cut forests for the sake of human consumption?

• Should we continue to make gasoline-powered vehicles, depleting fossil fuel resources, when the technology exists to create zero-emission vehicles?

• Should we continue to dam rivers for water supply for non-essential uses, such as lawn irrigation, knowing full-well the detrimental impacts dams can have?

• Is it ethical for humans to knowingly cause the extinction of a species for the (perceived or real) convenience of humanity?

STEWARDSHIP

Does the company have a moral obligation to restore the landform and surface ecology?

What is the value of a human-restored environment compared with the original natural one?

Does the company have a moral obligation to restore the landform and surface ecology?

What is the value of a human-restored environment compared with the original natural one?

“How much is a scenic river worth?”

Inherent versus instrumental value