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from PART 1 - Theory: thinking about the environment
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Key issues
◗ What are the main theories and debates in environmental philosophy?
◗ Does nature have value independent of human needs?
◗ Are some parts of nature more valuable than others?
◗ On what grounds might humans have duties towards the natural world?
◗ Can environmental philosophy provide the ethical basis for a green ideology?
The central and most recalcitrant problem for environmental ethics is the problem of constructing an adequate theory of intrinsic value for nonhuman natural entities and for nature as a whole.
(Callicott 1985: 257)Environmental politics is suffused with ethical dilemmas. Should we reduce the employment prospects of poor people in order to save an endangered species? Are draconian controls on population growth justified if we are to reduce the pressure on the natural environment? Is it wrong to eat meat? Environmental ethics, by examining questions about how humans ought to think about and act towards nature, provides a link between theory and practice. It is primarily concerned with values. Does nature have value separate from its role in meeting human needs? If so, why? Which parts of nature possess value and are some parts more valuable than others?
There is a strong normative element to environmental philosophy. Many leading contributors are also committed activists whose main objective is to develop a robust environmental ethical theory to underpin green activism. Radical perspectives such as deep ecology question the existence of a clear divide between humans and nature and may even push humans off their pedestal at the top of the ethical hierarchy.
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