Approaches to the Environmental Ethics

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Discussion
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Two different approaches to the environment are Harmony’s and Victor’s perspectives. According to Harmony, humanity should live in balance with the surrounding nature and preserve its heritage for future generations, which is opposite to the anthropocentric Victor’s view. The ethical approach Victor expresses is the one that humanity has used for centuries, which made the planet convenient for people, but it also led to the gradual destruction of the environment.

Discussion

Victor’s approach is based on utilitarian ethics that supposes the use of the environment in people’s interests. It is possible to state that this perspective is dominant in the Western world and shares the values of the Christian religion, while Harmony’s view is pagan (Hand, 2020). Human domination over nature is among the principles described in the Bible (Hand, 2020). As Victor states in the dialogue, nature is the instrument people should use and change according to their needs. The environment, in turn, does not expect ethical treatment from humanity, and animals do not think in moral categories as people.

The benefit of Victor’s approach to the environment is the progress humanity makes. People managed to achieve their level of life in the developed countries because they sacrificed their environment to their needs and focused on industrialization. Therefore, the utilitarian approach to nature is the primary factor contributing to economic development, a crucial issue in human well-being (Bassham, 2021). Most people will only sacrifice their convenient lives to preserve nature if they understand the need for sustainability in theory. At the same time, the utilitarian view of the surrounding nature leads to its destruction, and the problems with the ecosystem are already vivid. For instance, the natural disasters in the regions devastated by people are the results of the actions that the anthropocentric culture justifies (Northcott, 2007). Therefore, Victor’s approach to hands-off biocentrism as the way of doing environmental ethics has practical and evident negative consequences.

Harmony’s approach of expanding the community of care in the context of interacting with nature allows for reducing the harmful effect of human civilization on the environment. Its significant merit is the chance to stop the ecosystem’s destruction and preserve the planet for future generations (Northcott, 2007). At the same time, this approach does not allow people to develop an industry because it is not sustainable in most cases. As it was already mentioned, few people will agree to preserve the environment instead of supporting their conditions of life. They will not decide to move from the urbanized area to the village and will not refuse electricity and buy mass-market clothes.

Conclusion

Both views on the environment have merits and drawbacks, making these perspectives equally worth attention. Harmony’s view on expanding the community of care is the radical response to Victor’s hands-off biocentrism. Even though utilitarianism destroys nature, most individuals will not agree to change their lives according to the examples described by Harmony. The expansion of the community of care will stop the progress of humanity, which is a severe concern for civilization.

References

Bassham, G. (2021). Environmental ethics: The central issues. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

Hand, K. (2020). Alien oceans: The search for life in the depths of space. Princeton University Press.

Northcott, M. (2007). A moral climate: The ethics of global warming. Orbis Books.

Click Here To Order Now!

Approaches to the Environmental Ethics

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)