Environmental Ethics

The ethics of the environment (or is a philosophical approach, mostly formalized in North America in the twentieth century.
It relates directly or indirectly, the relationship between ideologies, cultures and shares human (individual and collective) with the environment and natural beings Life and utilitarian born in Europe and focus on the rights and needs, but may not be confused with the more holistic approaches to Asian traditional or animist, because it also includes, in its way, the contributions of science and technology and in particular the scientific ecology.
The ethicist who is interested in the status of living natural entities, in this perspective can then assign the equivalent of values intrinsic to the species or natural systems, values that could, would or should eventually grant or recognize these beings nature and (wild or domestic, ecosystems, biosphere) that make it up, and the functions or ecological services and amnitaires they render.
This approach is therefore based or the rights and duties of man vis--vis the cash, the naturalness and boundaries imposed by man between himself and what he sees as the nature or environment. It can extend the principles of prevention and care to the living world, including species not considered vital or useful to humans.

Background and History

Ecological thinking or ecology is driven currents and many doctrines. In the years 1960 and 1970, mainly in the United States, philosophers have begun to theorize and formalize the concept of environmental ethics, under the influence of thinkers of the twentieth century, and probably also in response to an anthropocentric ethics they considered incomplete or inadequate.
The concept of environmental ethics embraces concepts and principles still very heterogeneous and does not seem to have been received in the same way in the Anglo-Saxon and Latin. She traded in the world with common problems such as deep ecology, the feminist ethics, ecology and social policy. In France, the book by Luc Ferry has discredited these currents that the author likens to an authoritarian anti-humanism, which seems to have dampened the trading and distribution, but it was expressed in various forms, and was one of the motivations of some actors Grenelle Environment .
Considered complementary or not, most of these doctrines are interested to understand or explain, upstream sources and justification of different causes of degradation of the environment by man.
While scientific knowledge of ecosystems spread, ecological thinking and some philosophers assigning importance have given priority to increasing the understanding of chains of causes and consequences. This thought is concerned with natural adaptive systems, genetic scales to that of the biosphere by integrating human and its impacts and its modes of thought and action. With environmental ethics, the philosopher seeks to redefine the relationship of man with nature , taking into account the overall perception and interdependence of all local activities.
The thought of going green - even in its scientific field - is often a thought that wants to ethics, which has been described as cothocratique (source?) By some of his detractors (in that it does not place the man the center of the world), which would be defined as a set of relevant ecological knowledge (source?).
It seeks to solve some problems of culture in its relations with non-human in its relation to short and long-time genes and evolution. She proposed to rethink the relationship between man and Nature of a philosophical perspective.
The value of facts, it retains and recognizes the extent and severity of environmental pollution and the environmental crisis. It seeks to understand the roots, probably deeper than the economists suggest explanations of irrational exploitation of renewable resources slowly.

It evolves with time when ecological thought and discourse environmentalist are increasingly visible in the culture, media and decision-making and construction. Environmental ethics in science recognizes the scalable systems and handles the actual pollution. It focuses as much or more to the facts and what is, than the causes, ideologies and crises. A territory also occupied by environmentalism, environmental ethics directs the speech to the deeper meaning of our actions. It gives equal importance to the thinking that the object thought, which may alter the ways to do with the environment.

Four main approaches to environmental ethics can be enumerated

• the deep ecology
• the ecocentric
• the political ecology
• the cothologie

The completion of the Three Gorges Dam in China Central involved a million people, for hydropower generation. Large dams also have major impacts on the environment

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Philosophical

For Aristotle , the plant and animal are only means for humans. Descartes justifies this use of nature by its character entirely mechanistic: the animal is a "machine" to the operation remarkable. Conversely, Montaigne calls into question the privileged place of man in nature: when I play with my pussy, he says, who knows if it takes me as a hobby more than I am of it ?

From a philosophical standpoint, the environmental ethic derives from principles ethical and other general defined by the philosopher German Hans Jonas and the ecologist Rene Dubos (think global, act local).
Going back further into the history , one can find the philosophers of natural right as John Locke , Samuel von Pufendorf , and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

Beliefs of the relations between modern humans and the environment

Most modern thinkers do doctrinal moral value or as free beings endowed with reason, that is to say to men, they said.

For Rousseau , of course the animal is a "smart machine", but his character to be sensitive not to the man to see it as a simple thing to abuse and unnecessary . The difference between man and animal, for Rousseau, is only quantitative in terms of intelligence. What essentially distinguishes man is his capacity for abstraction, its freedom to act or not act, but also his ability to perfect the technology over its life (education) and to perform this transfer from one generation to another (story).

Kant bases his ethics on the will and freedom. The animals, which lack them, he said, are therefore only of things and not people: men can use them as means .

For the environment according to Islamic dimension, the perspective is one that sees the environment as a string of symbols to meditate. Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day, humans may benefit from the wealth of this world to the condition sine qua non that happen in any measure and intelligence. The Islam , like other religions, and urges all the faithful follower to move towards more science and to take full advantage of the earth's resources are placed at the service of man, they said. In this context, progress and technological revolutions are encouraged and permitted if done in a functional use, responsible and conscious of environmental impact, according to the doctrines taught.

The simplification and application of an ideology that monotheism creates God made man the lieutenant of the earth and this responsibility requires a real commitment. Thus, in a limited perspective, do not throw rubbish on the floor even when we consider small (cigarette butts, bottle caps, pieces of paper, chewing gum ...), avoiding as much as possible even if the waste especially during ablutions and does not cause suffering to animals and show kindness to them and plant as many as possible of the trees are valued behaviors:

"If the end of the world were to occur while one of you in her hand a plant, then it can be planted before the end of the world, so be it! . Mohammed said: "Every Muslim who plants a plant Environmental ethics in Anglo-Saxon

Environmental Ethics, the ^twentieth century , developed mainly in the Anglo-Saxon under the influence of two sources: the English utilitarian thought and fascination of Americans from Thoreau and John Muir , nature virgin ( wilderness) lost in Europe and found a large scale by the pioneers in the United States.

In the late ^eighteenth century , Jeremy Bentham wondered: animals suffering they ? If so, the prospect utilitarian "the greatest happiness for the greatest number" should consider their welfare as well as that of humans.

In the ^twentieth century , Peter Singer develops this thesis. The dignity of being moral is not born of reason, since we do not ascribe to children or madmen, but the sensitivity and, by extension, the capacity to suffer. By analogy with theories racist or sexist who deny equal consideration of interests of blacks or women, Singer refers to as speciesism (speciesism) conduct which gives more weight to human interests than those of animals.

Tom Regan , utilitarianism cons, places the value of the individual not the maximization of pleasure, but in a fulfilling life that makes the individual a " matter of life "has a value that has to be self-consciousness, desires, and builds its future. Mammals and especially primates fall into this category. This dignity in the Kantian tradition, not to treat it as a means and gives moral rights. He deduces the prohibition to hunt, raise them or eating them.

At these ethical individualists oppose the ethics of the species or ecosystem. The land ethic of Aldo Leopold combines in one "biotic community" the hunter, game and natural environment in which they operate. Hunting is not illegal, but the man should be in the natural world without upsetting contrary to what the farmer or manufacturer, for example. Leopold has greatly influenced the philosopher John Baird Callicott , considered the father of environmental ethics to contemporary United States.

Areas affected by the environmental ethic

The biophysical and human of the environment is a denominator of the three pillars of sustainable development reasonable (with the economic , the ecological and social ). They date back to the widest and highest level of concern ethics on issues such as governance, global and local global justice, the organization of state and local governments , the education , culture and Pilotage companies.

The emergence of principles of natural law in modern culture should have in the future a significant impact on the law , how to apply the precautionary principle and the polluter pays principle, while adapting to human ideals Science economic , ecological and social with the environmental reality.

Given the negative impact caused by human activities on the environment, health and human security, the field of environmental ethics opens application sectors mainly in cultures and humanities.

Situation in several regions of the world

France

The environmental ethic is mounted at the highest level of concern at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg in August 2002. It also recalls the influence of Nicolas Hulot, the President of the Republic , and the general public into the process of the Grenelle Environment Forum.

Reflections have been conducted since 2003 to define an environmental charter. After numerous discussions, the charter was formally adopted and was included on ¹ March 2005 in the French constitution.
The fact that the charter be placed at the highest level of the pyramid of norms legal portends dramatic changes in the law.

But these developments are in some conflict with the aim of a coherent environmental ethic, so the independent researcher Jean-Christophe Mathias shows that the legal concepts used to address this problem are ineffective to solve the environmental crisis Contemporary .

In Australia and the Anglo-Saxon

A charter called Global Greens Charter was adopted by 800 persons in April 2001 in Canberra.

In addition, work normative have been made in Australia for the control of risks. This standard is an international standard (ISO).

Practical application of environmental ethics

The practical application of environmental ethics is the understanding of the convergence of ecological systems and cycles of the species. For the human race is in the adaptation of crops that applications are developed. Conveniently, the footprint represents the balance individual and collective measures for the activities, projects and directions of development proposed.

In the case of crops of ideology, the declination of the principles of philosophical ethics of the environment means to ask for a desired level or to seek quality, and therefore the question of the original natural state environmental consideration; this both in terms of physical and ecosystems and point of view "ethics", ie: which living things live or should live in this environment, with what impacts on it, what or need to stay there? on which surfaces?, etc.. This is the field of naturalness that is beginning to be exploited with scientific tools ( retrospective ecology , maps of potential and naturalness, the importance of functional aspects of ecosystem relationships, including feedbacks between climate and biodiversity).

For business and social responsibility that we see the fine analysis of the context space and time is very important. The field called industrial ecology may include an ethical dimension, but not necessarily (it may be a simple desire for more efficient management by ensuring that waste of a process becomes a source of energy or material to another. But the emergence of cosociolabels ( FSC example in the field of wood / paper and forest , or MSC for fishing ) shows a growing interest of some players for a transparent consideration of ethical principles in commerce and management of natural resources, including human rights, knowledge and living conditions of populations indigenous.

This question arises from the presupposition that on one hand the environment and other "life that inhabits it" (or frequently usually) to co-build, benefit from one to another, or least does not harm either: to support harmony.

References

1. Hicham Afeissa Stephen, The community of beings in nature, in April 2010; editions MF series "Out")
2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, article titled "Environmental Ethics" posted on 2002/06/03, revised 2008/01/03, accessed 2010/07/10
3. Bodnan JeanChristophe & Czerwinski Xavier "Economic and Social Ethics: Grenelle of the environment and social justice." PDF, dated February 2008, accessed 2010/07/10
4. Aristotle , Politics, Book I.
5. Michel de Montaigne , "Apology for Raymond Sebond" Testing ( text on Wikisource ).
6. Jean-Jacques Rousseau , Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men ( text on Wikisource ).
7. Immanuel Kant , Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals ( translated by Victor Delbos available at Wikisource): "Beings whose existence depends, frankly, not our will, but of nature, have however, when they are irrational beings, only a relative value, that means, and why they are called things. "
8. Jeremy Bentham, Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation.
9. author of "Politics of Cassandra," Blood of the Earth , 2009
10. See Jean-Christophe MATHIAS, "The precautionary principle: accountability or sham?", in Jocelyne Couture and Stphane Courtois, "Philosophical Perspectives on Globalization", Presses Universitaires du Qubec, 2005

See also

Related articles

• Environmental philosophy

Articles on philosophy and ethics

• Ethics | Applied ethics | Morality
• Philosophy of nature , Naturalness
• John Locke | Jean-Jacques Rousseau | Samuel von Pufendorf
• Aldo Leopold , John Baird Callicott
• Vittorio Hsle
• Hans Jonas | The Principle of Responsibility
• Precautionary principle
• Business Ethics
• Environmental Responsibility
• Bruno Latour

Articles on Environment

• Life sciences and earth. Ecology. environmentalism
• Environment
• Sustainability | Corporate Social Responsibility

Law Articles

• Natural Law
• Environmental Law
• Environmental Charter
• Environmental Crime

Articles on Governance

• Governance | Environmental Perception | Corporate Governance | Stakeholder | Global Greens Charter

Bibliography

• Hicham Stephen Afeissa, Augustin Berque, John Baird Callicott, Catherine Larrre; ecosophy philosophy to the test of ecology; Publishing MF series "Out" 2009.
• Hicham Stephen Afeissa, Environmental Ethics. Nature, value, respect; Ed: Vrin; Key Texts collection; 2010.
• Hicham Afeissa Stephen, The community of beings by nature; editions MF series "Out", 2010.
• Hicham Stephen Afeissa,-What is ecology?; 2009; Vrin; collection philosophical paths.
• Felix Guatari: The three ecologies, Galilee, 1989.
• Luc Ferry: The new ecological order, Grasset, 1992.
• Feature: Ecology, a worldview. The Ecologist No. 12, April-May-June 2004
• Ethics and business. AFNOR. European Commission. SA8000. AA1000. August 2005.
• Ecology File = X. A new equation of knowledge, review Labyrinth - interdisciplinary workshop, No. 30, 2008.
• WILDPROJECT online journal of ecology philosophy. No. 1: Environmental Ethics in France
• Julien Delors, "Ecological research to test the philosophy of the environment," Maze-disciplinary Workshop, 30, 2 (forthcoming 2008).
• Julien Delord, "Towards an Ecology biotech?", In Miquel P.-A. (eds), The life lived, life explained, No. special journal Noesis (Vrin, forthcoming 2008).
• Julien Delord, "The Sauvaget: a principle of reconciliation between man and biosphere", Nature, Science, Society, 13, pp. 316-320, (2005).
• Julien Delord, "Environmental Ethics in Perspective", Social Studies, HS No. 49, July-August 2005, pp. 88-91, (2005).
• Raphael Larrre, "What ethical nature?" In Nature Sciences Socits n 13, pp. 194-197, 2005.

External Links

• Thesaurus Ethics in the Life Sciences (German)

• Philosophy portal

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