PHIL 2135 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Security Alarm, Environmental Ethics, Business Ethics
Document Summary
The intersection of business ethics and environmental ethics. The question whether we have ethical duties to the future. Conflict between environmentalism and the need of humans to use the environment. Some approaches or stances to environmental issues and questions. Background considerations: begin with the observation that all living things must use (exploit) the environment in order to live and thrive, all living things (even humans) are part of the earth"s total ecosystem. The paradox of the commons (garett hardin 1962: states that many environmental problems arise out of this paradox, behavior that is usually rational (and most harmless) becomes collectively quite harmful (and thus irrational) when everyone does it. Emphasizes the dangers of collective rather than individual effect. Source of the business vs. environmental conflict: ethical rights of business to exist entails a business right to use the environment, dilemma stems from the fact that our economy and standard of living depends on.
