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Chapter 7 The Challenge of Environmentalism Singer’s Utilitarian Environmentalism • Singer argues for the liberation of animals by comparing the bias against animals: – Which he calls “speciesism,” with biases against blacks and women • Animals have interests because they have a capacity for suffering and enjoyment © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Regan’s Kantian Environmentalism • Tom Regan proposed a Kantian environmentalism – What is fundamentally wrong with our treatment of nonhuman animals is that it: • Implies that they are simply resources for our use • Problems with Singer’s and Regan’s views – Biased © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Biocentrism • Biocentrists need a good argument that nonhuman living beings have moral status • The possession by human beings of the distinctive trait of rationality • In human ethics, being powerful and being morally right are not the same thing © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Principles of Conflict Resolution • A Principle of Human Preservation – Actions that are necessary for meeting one’s basic needs or other human beings are: • Permissible even when they require aggressing against the needs of individual animals and plants – Or even of whole species or ecosystems • A Principle of Disproportionality © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Principles of Conflict Resolution – Actions that meet nonbasic or luxury needs of humans are prohibited when they: • Aggress against the basic needs of individual animals & plants or whole species or ecosystems • A Principle of Human Defense – Actions that defend oneself and other human beings against harmful aggression are: © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Principles of Conflict Resolution • Permissible even when they necessitate killing or harming individual animals or plants: – Or even destroying whole species or ecosystems • A Principle of Rectification – Compensation and reparation are required when the other principles have been violated © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Individualism and Holism • According to holists the good of a species, or the good of an ecosystem: – Or the good of the whole biotic community can trump the good of individual living things • According to individualists, the good of the individual living thing must be respected © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. An Objection From a Somewhat Alien Perspective • The moral defensibility of the Principles of Human Preservation, Disproportionality: – Human Defense, and Rectification • These principles capture the moral requirements we can reasonably require human beings to accept • How do you distinguish basic from nonbasic needs? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Conclusion • Traditional ethics has been challenged as biased against nonhuman living beings – Should endorse a version of biocentrism • The Principle of Human Defense, the Principle of Human Preservation • The Principle of Disproportionality, and the Principle of Restitution © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.