Environmental ethics - Utilitarianism
- Created by: Alasdair
- Created on: 22-05-17 09:52
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- Utilitarianism and environmental ethics
- Outline
- Greatest happiness preserving Earth because people live longer
- More happiness created when more generations can enjoy clean environment
- X individual people will want to look after world
- Cause too much disruption = unhappiness
- Each situation needs to be weighed up according to hedonistic calculus
- Most benefits (happiness) against cost (pain)
- Singer:
- Some unspoilt regions are difficult to recreate and restore.
- Singer called these 'World Heritage' inherited from ancestors and must be given to our children
- Is the pain in poor countries because of the environmental crisis
- E.g. spread of malaria, drought,
- Justify happiness in rich countries
- e.g. running three cars
- Bentham
- Utility
- Usefulness of environment for human benefit
- Alright to use fossil fuels, chopping down forests for houses)
- Usefulness of environment for human benefit
- Greater good + net benefit
- = greater good for humans over environment
- General welfare
- Better serves
- Hedonistic calculus
- Future generations = sustainability
- Greater good
- Utility
- Mill (quality)
- Higher + lower pleasures
- Return to nature
- Learning through and about nature
- Connection enjoyment of nature
- Beauty of nature
- Rule utilitarianism
- Greater good is something rules universalise
- Common good to all
- Universalisation
- World
- Planet
- Evaluation
- General
- Greater good for humans
- Bentham considers future generations
- Look at usefulness of environment for humans
- Have both those considerations - allows you to make judgements on what is good for environment and for humans (neither deep nor shallow)
- Human development is threatened
- Bentham
- Has a moral duty to preserve the environment
- Treating animals with dignity and some sense of value allows environment/ecosystems to be protected
- No demand for change in mindset
- Broad approach = put whatever you want first (weakness)
- Don't know what future generations will want
- Treating animals with dignity would have implications for future medical research
- The broad approach allows you to put whatever you want first
- General
- Outline
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