Summary of Environmental Ethics

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

Religious approach to environmental ethics:
Dominion ­ the foundation for a Christian approach to the environment; the view of the natural
world often shows that it is very anthropocentric.
Singer points out that the view shown by both Aristotle influenced by Aquinas that humans are
the only morally…

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
The phrase "deep ecology" was coined by the Norwegian philosopher Arne Næss in 1973. Deep
ecology seeks to develop this by focusing on deep experience, deep questioning and deep
commitment.
These constitute an interconnected system.
Each gives rise to and supports the other, whilst the entire system is,…

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
The planet is characterised as a unified, holistic living entity with ethical worth, of which the
human race is of no particular significance in the long run.

Shallow ecology;
The only value that non-human animals and plants have is extrinsic, instrumental to the benefit of
humankind.
They are…

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

Virtue Ethics;
Aristotle believed in a hierarchy in nature, with humans at the top.
This suggests he would support a conservationist approach to environmental ethics -
looking after the environment because it benefits humans.
Put another way, environmental damage, pollution, global warming etc. has no place in a…