School of thought
Environmental Ethics
Movement
Classification
- Period
- c. 1949 CE onward
- Regions
- north america, europe
- Domains
- Ethics , Philosophy of Nature
Overview
Environmental Ethics challenges the anthropocentric assumption that only humans have intrinsic moral value. Leopold's 'land ethic' extended moral consideration to ecosystems, Naess's 'deep ecology' argued that all living beings have intrinsic worth, and ecofeminists like Plumwood linked the domination of nature to the domination of women and indigenous peoples.
Key ideas
- Intrinsic Value of Nature: Nature has value in itself, not merely as a resource for human use. Rivers, forests, and species deserve moral consideration independent of their utility.
- Deep Ecology: Naess distinguished 'shallow' environmentalism (protecting nature for human benefit) from 'deep' ecology (recognizing the equal right of all life forms to flourish).
- Land Ethic: Leopold: 'A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.'
Key figures
Aldo Leopold · Arne Naess · Rachel Carson · Val Plumwood · Holmes Rolston III
Influenced by
- Buddhism
Arne Naess drew explicitly on Buddhist interdependence in framing deep ecology's non-anthropocentric holism.
- Romanticism
- Transcendentalism
References
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Environmental Ethics
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Environmental Ethics (Naess's deep ecology and Buddhist interdependence)
- A Sand County Almanac — Aldo Leopold
- Silent Spring — Rachel Carson
- Ecology, Community and Lifestyle — Arne Naess