Ethics
“The advancement of civilization does not necessarily imply the evolution of more sophisticated ethics” Carolyn Merchant, Radical Ecology
The basis of every dilemma being individual, social or environmental underlies specific ethics. Ethics is not a system of abstract, rather it gives context “to what imperfect human beings living in particular historical, socioeconomic contexts can and should do.” Earlier ethics from the 17th century were associated with a combination of political, religious trends.
The most recent re formulated ethics propose the connection between people and the environment to enhance the quality of life. This section of ethics will provide a brief over view of ethics that have been used throughout our existence.
The purpose is to demonstrate how these ethics have evolved and how the most recent ethics, environmental ethics links the idea of theorist with movements, translating ideas into behaviors and action through activism.
Problems
Dominant Western Worldview (DWW)
“People of plenty” Guided American development and stated that people were different from all other organisms and in charge of their own destiny. This followed Columbus’ discovery of the New World and continued as the age of abundance, progress and industrialization.
Human Exemptionalism Paradigm
Proposed that human societies were exempt from the consequences of ecological principles and environmental constraints.
Ethics
Ego centric ethic (grounded in the self)
• Influenced main stream industrialism of today.
• Rose to dominate in the 17th century in Western cultures.
• Historically associated with the rise of laissez faire capitalism and mechanistic worldviews. Maximize profits through the development of natural resources.
• Claims what is good for the individual benefits society
• Based on philosophy that treats individuals (private or corporate) as separate, but equal.
“Industry is unfettered and unrestrained, because each person works for himself”. J. Hector St John de Crevecoeur
Homocentric Ethics (grounded in social good)
• Extension from the 19th century-scientist to include the fields of thermodynamics, hydrology, electricity and magnetism.
• Underlies social interest, model of politics and the approach of environmental regulatory agencies that protect human health.
• Reflects religious formulations
• Guides choices concerning which research projects to fund, which technologies to implement, and which processes to use for decision making.
• Gives full consideration for non- human nature but its priority is human need. • Underlies politics for social ecologist.
Utilitarian ethic: Jermey Bentham (1789) and John Stuart Mill (1861)
• Origins in human sentience.
“Because people have capacity for suffering, society has an obligation to reduce suffering through policies that maximize social justice for all”. Jeremy Bentham 1789
Ecocentric ethics (grounded in whole environment/ecosystem or cosmos)
• Brought about in 20th century.
• First formulated by Aldo Leopold in the 1930’s and 40’s and published as “The land ethic”
• Looks at the science of ecology for guidelines on how to resolve existing ethical dilemmas.
• Rooted in a holistic view and approach
• Includes that inanimate elements, rocks, and minerals along with animate plants and animals have moral considerbitlity.
• Places homo sapiens a citizen and equal with the rest of its ecosystem instead of conqueror of the land.
Main goals:
1) Maintenance of balance in nature and unity, stability, diversity, and harmony of ecosystem. 2) Survival of all living and non living things as components for a healthy ecosystem.
Examples of cultures that follow this view are: Native Americans, Zen Buddhists, and Shintos.
“Ecocentric ethics makes each individual- whether a mosquito or person, male or female, white or black- equally subordinate to the overarching whole.” Karen J. Warren 1988
Multicultural environmental ethics
• Beyond ecocentric ethics to include environmental justice and cultural diversity and respond to globalization.
• Rooted in partnership
• Built on the connections of biological diversity and cultural diversity
• Addresses issues of race and racism and its connection with problems of globalization, sexism, and naturism.
• Relates environmental ethics to social justice promoting the wealth of nature, human and non human.
• Inhabits many cultural worlds
"All humans are part of a local, bioregional culture and an international global culture; Inhabiting one ecologically seamless biosphere, one planet, washed by one ocean, enveloped in one atmosphere.” Braird Callicott
“The flourishing of human communities is intrinsically tied to the well –being of nature.” The ethic of flourishing by Chris Cuomo.
Partnership Ethics (grounded in the idea of relation)
• A new approach for resolving environmental and cultural problems.
• Relationship between human community and non human community and its connections with economics and ecological exchange.
• Promotes moral grounds for both environmental and social justice
• Enhance quality of life without degrading the local or global environment
• Based on male-female linking (rather than male dominance)
• Promotes an egalitarian political and economic society.
• Has religious dimensions based on humanity’s spiritual relations with nature.
Philosophies such as:
1) Brazilian theologian Ivone Gebara “views the universe as a trinity comprising cosmos, earth, and all peoples interrelated- transforming and adapting to each other as creative forces in which the diversity of earth’s people are immersed.”
2) In Zimbabwe the world views of the Shona is rooted in the relation that all existing and manageable practices follow particular rules.
3) The Kalinga of the Phillippines beliefs are based on interdependence, which means a give and take between people and nature: “we take care of the land and the earth also takes care of us” Rosemary Radford Ruether
posted by the guide @ 12:10 PM
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