ns5 lecture 1: environmental ethics
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MODULE 1PERCEPTION OF NATURE, WORLD VIEWS &
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE NATURE?tmacfitness.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE NATURE?hdw.eweb4.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE NATURE?www.smashingmagazine.com
www.naportals.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE NATURE?www.smashingmagazine.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
MAJOR PERCEPTIONS OF HUMANS TO NATURE
• Everything is connected!
• man is just a part of the bigger picture
• Nature is fragile!
• nature has delicate balance
• Nature is durable!
• nature as a sturdy system
• Nature is capricious!
• nature is unpredictable www.thegreatillusion.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS AND WORLD VIEWS
fye2011.blogspot.comMarilen M. Parungao-Balolong
WHAT IS ETHICS?
“A discipline dealing with what is good and bad, with moral duty and
obligation”
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
SUBSECTIONS OF ETHICSSocial Ethics Ethics which guides human
behavior towards each other
Professional Ethics Ethics which guides professionals
within its group and toward society
Environmental Ethics Ethics which guides human behavior
towards the earth
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
COMMON SCENARIOHOW DO YOU APPROACH THE
FOLLOWING ISSUES RELATED TO VALUES?!
1.Skin Color!2.Gender!3.Religion!4.Education
www.intermix.org.uk
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
LETS’S TRY THE FOLLOWING? WHAT IS YOUR REACTION?
• Some animals have more feelings than others, and we should care for those with the most feelings first!
• I have mourned the loss of a plant!
• It is okay to pick just one flower in class!
• It is okay to pick just 50 flowers in class
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
LETS’S TRY THE FOLLOWING? WHAT IS YOUR REACTION?
• I have secretly set insects free from the house so they will not be killed!
• Would pick a bouquet of wild flowers, even if they would die because of it!
• I would harm myself in defense of a forest ecosystem (i.e. chaining myself to a tree)!
• The death of a household pet has been more traumatizing than the death of humans
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
LETS’S TRY THE FOLLOWING? WHAT IS YOUR REACTION?
• I have no problem with eating meat!
• Will eat meat, even if I don’t know how the animal was treated during its life!
• I would kill a deer for a source of meat!
• I would kill a deer just to help control population
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
LETS’S TRY THE FOLLOWING? WHAT IS YOUR REACTION?
• I would kill a deer for a trophy!
• It is better to test cosmetics and medicine on non-humans before humans than the other way around!
• The world would be better without mosquitoes!
• The world would be better without dogs and cats!
• The world would be better without humans
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
THE ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICAL VALUE SYSTEM
• Biocentrism!
• Ecocentrism!
• Anthropocentrismwww.scienceclarified.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
BIOCENTRISM• Humans are members of the Earth’s
community!
• All species are integral elements in a system of interdependence!
• All organisms are centers of life, each pursuing its own good!
• Humans are not inherently superior to other living things
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
eco110rope.wordpress.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
ECOCENTRISM
• Expansion of biocentrism by including abiotic components of the environment!
• It cares less about individual life forms but emphasizes interaction between them and fosters a system approach
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
eco110rope.wordpress.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
ANTHROPOCENTRISM
• Emphasizes human domination over nature and views non-human environment as a bundle of natural resources to be managed and exploited for maximal human gain!
• The ecosystems have only instrumental value, not intrinsic worth
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
eco110rope.wordpress.com
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
ONE THING IN COMMON…
All three value systems have the human stewardship for
the natural world in common, however they
differ sharply as to whom they do it
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
PROBLEMS OFTEN ARISE WITH ANTHROPOCENTRIC VIEW…
Overpopulation
Preoccupation with possession, power and
ambition
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
HOW COULD IT WORK?Adopt Ecocentric Values
Re-connect emotionally to the natural world !
Live simply so others may simply live !
Welcome opportunity to conserve the earth’s resources
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE in ETHICS
What Is Environmental Justice? The EPA�s Office of Environmental Justice defines Environmental Justice as: The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people, including racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies.
Marilen M. Parungao-Balolong