ENWC201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Spotted Owl, Pollination, Ecocentrism
15 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Values
•
Human Population Growth
•
Increasingly there is a balance between:
Economic considerations
○
Ethical considerations
○
Sustainability considerations
These are all the values
§
○
•
Values
Spotted owl and timber
Which do you value more
§
○
Age contributes
To peoples views
Redwood tree that is ~2300-2700 vs human baby
Choice between longevity of species
®
□
§
○
Human population growth
○
Increasingly there is a balance between:
Economic considerations
§
Ethical consideration
§
Sustainability considerations
§
○
See the same things, but have different values
○
Instrumental/utilitarian - things that we get from our ecosystems
Goods
Direct products pulled from out ecosystem
Timber, meat, etc
®
□
§
Services
Pollination, water filtration
□
Things that help us survive
□
§
Information
Info we get to support our own livelihoods
□
Armadillos to study leprosy, etc
□
§
○
Intrinsic/inherent - when we feel like things have values in their own sense -
don’t need to impact our lives
Ex polar bears
§
○
We have a little bit of both intrinsic and inherent
○
These are ethics about our natural world
Ethics are based on our intrinsic and utilitarian values
§
○
•
Ethics
Ethics - "a limitation on freedom of action"
○
Constrain self serving behavior
○
Help to define what is right and wrong and why
○
Aldo Leopold
○
Three environmental approaches to environmental ethics:
Anthropocentrism
All environmental responsibility is derived from human centered
ethics and done in the interest of human benefit
□
Grow as many trees as possible in our environment to provide wood
for our floors
□
§
Biocentrism
Life centered environmental ethics□
All life forms should have some ethical value□
We want to get what we can to use our of our ecosystems, but we
still want to protect other life forms on the planet
□
We have intrinsic and utilitarian value for them□
§
Ecocentrism
Environment deserves direct moral consideration, not consideration
derived from human or animal interest
□
"the land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to
include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land" -
Aldo Leopold
Aldo leopold
®
□
§
○
•
Back to Values
Instrumental/Utilitarian
Anthropocentric
§
○
Intrinsic/Inherent
Biocentric- ecocentric
§
○
NOT mutually exclusive
○
•
Ethics
Ethics can differ for everyone. May differ culturally
○
Some issues are/should be agreed upon globally
Right to life, liberty and security
§
A global environmental ethic?
We all share the world and all need to value it□
Ex climate change□
§
○
How do we change our ethics, how do we move towards a global ethic?
○
Where do we get our ethics
Culture, friends, religion, etc
§
"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it, and have
dominion over the fish and over the fowl of the air, and over every living
thing that moveth on Earth"
§
○
Religion and Environmental Ethics
Religious environmental ethics are instrumental to conserving biodiversity
§
A broad shared environmental ethic is needed that is not based on faith
§
People get some of their ethics from religion
§
○
Leopold's Land Ethic - Ecocentric
The next step in the evolution of ethics
§
"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and
beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise"
§
○
Having a global ethic is the next step
○
•
What is our ethic in the US?
Strong biocentric ethic
○
•
Individual Environmental Ethics
Ethical changes start with the individual
○
Individuals want the environment cleaned up but don’t want to change lifestyle
○
Broad ethics can be enforced - laws
○
•
Laws
Laws should match the ethics of a community
○
They may be changed if they do not
○
Not all ethical issues can be legislated
○
Many environmental issues are not
○
Has lost a lot of biocentricity
○
•
It can be difficult to find a "win-win" situation
Asking people to make choices between two things they value
○
•
In the long run;
We will be forced to have more environmental ethic because it is going to start to
affect us
○
•
Ethics and Values
Saturday, May 12, 2018
6:31 PM
Values
•
Human Population Growth
•
Increasingly there is a balance between:
Economic considerations
○
Ethical considerations
○
Sustainability considerations
These are all the values
§
○
•
Values
Spotted owl and timber
Which do you value more
§
○
Age contributes
To peoples views
Redwood tree that is ~2300-2700 vs human baby
Choice between longevity of species
®
□
§
○
Human population growth
○
Increasingly there is a balance between:
Economic considerations
§
Ethical consideration
§
Sustainability considerations
§
○
See the same things, but have different values
○
Instrumental/utilitarian - things that we get from our ecosystems
Goods
Direct products pulled from out ecosystem
Timber, meat, etc
®
□
§
Services
Pollination, water filtration
□
Things that help us survive
□
§
Information
Info we get to support our own livelihoods
□
Armadillos to study leprosy, etc
□
§
○
Intrinsic/inherent - when we feel like things have values in their own sense -
don’t need to impact our lives
Ex polar bears
§
○
We have a little bit of both intrinsic and inherent
○
These are ethics about our natural world
Ethics are based on our intrinsic and utilitarian values
§
○
•
Ethics
Ethics - "a limitation on freedom of action"
○
Constrain self serving behavior
○
Help to define what is right and wrong and why
○
Aldo Leopold
○
Three environmental approaches to environmental ethics:
Anthropocentrism
All environmental responsibility is derived from human centered
ethics and done in the interest of human benefit
□
Grow as many trees as possible in our environment to provide wood
for our floors
□
§
Biocentrism
Life centered environmental ethics□
All life forms should have some ethical value□
We want to get what we can to use our of our ecosystems, but we
still want to protect other life forms on the planet
□
We have intrinsic and utilitarian value for them□
§
Ecocentrism
Environment deserves direct moral consideration, not consideration
derived from human or animal interest
□
"the land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to
include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land" -
Aldo Leopold
Aldo leopold
®
□
§
○
•
Back to Values
Instrumental/Utilitarian
Anthropocentric
§
○
Intrinsic/Inherent
Biocentric- ecocentric
§
○
NOT mutually exclusive
○
•
Ethics
Ethics can differ for everyone. May differ culturally
○
Some issues are/should be agreed upon globally
Right to life, liberty and security
§
A global environmental ethic?
We all share the world and all need to value it□
Ex climate change□
§
○
How do we change our ethics, how do we move towards a global ethic?
○
Where do we get our ethics
Culture, friends, religion, etc
§
"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it, and have
dominion over the fish and over the fowl of the air, and over every living
thing that moveth on Earth"
§
○
Religion and Environmental Ethics
Religious environmental ethics are instrumental to conserving biodiversity
§
A broad shared environmental ethic is needed that is not based on faith
§
People get some of their ethics from religion
§
○
Leopold's Land Ethic - Ecocentric
The next step in the evolution of ethics
§
"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and
beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise"
§
○
Having a global ethic is the next step
○
•
What is our ethic in the US?
Strong biocentric ethic
○
•
Individual Environmental Ethics
Ethical changes start with the individual
○
Individuals want the environment cleaned up but don’t want to change lifestyle
○
Broad ethics can be enforced - laws
○
•
Laws
Laws should match the ethics of a community
○
They may be changed if they do not
○
Not all ethical issues can be legislated
○
Many environmental issues are not
○
Has lost a lot of biocentricity
○
•
It can be difficult to find a "win-win" situation
Asking people to make choices between two things they value
○
•
In the long run;
We will be forced to have more environmental ethic because it is going to start to
affect us
○
•
Ethics and Values
Saturday, May 12, 2018
6:31 PM
Values•
Human Population Growth•
Increasingly there is a balance between:
Economic considerations
○
Ethical considerations
○
Sustainability considerations
These are all the values
§
○
•
Values
Spotted owl and timber
Which do you value more
§
○
Age contributes
To peoples views
Redwood tree that is ~2300-2700 vs human baby
Choice between longevity of species
®
□
§
○
Human population growth
○
Increasingly there is a balance between:
Economic considerations
§
Ethical consideration
§
Sustainability considerations
§
○
See the same things, but have different values
○
Instrumental/utilitarian - things that we get from our ecosystems
Goods
Direct products pulled from out ecosystem
Timber, meat, etc
®
□
§
Services
Pollination, water filtration□
Things that help us survive□
§
Information
Info we get to support our own livelihoods□
Armadillos to study leprosy, etc□
§
○
Intrinsic/inherent - when we feel like things have values in their own sense -
don’t need to impact our lives
Ex polar bears
§
○
We have a little bit of both intrinsic and inherent
○
These are ethics about our natural world
Ethics are based on our intrinsic and utilitarian values
§
○
•
Ethics
Ethics - "a limitation on freedom of action"
○
Constrain self serving behavior
○
Help to define what is right and wrong and why
○
Aldo Leopold
○
Three environmental approaches to environmental ethics:
Anthropocentrism
All environmental responsibility is derived from human centered
ethics and done in the interest of human benefit
□
Grow as many trees as possible in our environment to provide wood
for our floors
□
§
Biocentrism
Life centered environmental ethics
□
All life forms should have some ethical value
□
We want to get what we can to use our of our ecosystems, but we
still want to protect other life forms on the planet
□
We have intrinsic and utilitarian value for them
□
§
Ecocentrism
Environment deserves direct moral consideration, not consideration
derived from human or animal interest
□
"the land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to
include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land" -
Aldo Leopold
Aldo leopold
®
□
§
○
•
Back to Values
Instrumental/Utilitarian
Anthropocentric
§
○
Intrinsic/Inherent
Biocentric- ecocentric
§
○
NOT mutually exclusive
○
•
Ethics
Ethics can differ for everyone. May differ culturally
○
Some issues are/should be agreed upon globally
Right to life, liberty and security
§
A global environmental ethic?
We all share the world and all need to value it□
Ex climate change□
§
○
How do we change our ethics, how do we move towards a global ethic?
○
Where do we get our ethics
Culture, friends, religion, etc
§
"Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth, and subdue it, and have
dominion over the fish and over the fowl of the air, and over every living
thing that moveth on Earth"
§
○
Religion and Environmental Ethics
Religious environmental ethics are instrumental to conserving biodiversity
§
A broad shared environmental ethic is needed that is not based on faith
§
People get some of their ethics from religion
§
○
Leopold's Land Ethic - Ecocentric
The next step in the evolution of ethics
§
"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and
beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise"
§
○
Having a global ethic is the next step
○
•
What is our ethic in the US?
Strong biocentric ethic
○
•
Individual Environmental Ethics
Ethical changes start with the individual
○
Individuals want the environment cleaned up but don’t want to change lifestyle
○
Broad ethics can be enforced - laws
○
•
Laws
Laws should match the ethics of a community
○
They may be changed if they do not
○
Not all ethical issues can be legislated
○
Many environmental issues are not
○
Has lost a lot of biocentricity
○
•
It can be difficult to find a "win-win" situation
Asking people to make choices between two things they value
○
•
In the long run;
We will be forced to have more environmental ethic because it is going to start to
affect us
○
•
Ethics and Values
Saturday, May 12, 2018 6:31 PM
