PHIL 2750 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Counterexample, Deontological Ethics, Environmentalism
1 Aug 2018
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Problem: standard moral theories (ex: uilitarianism and deontology) do not seem to be able to accommodate environmentalist concerns. Either reject environmentalism or revise our theories. Must a concern of the environment be centered on human beings? . Even if we widen this circle to senient beings, this may not account for value of ecosystem: ecosystem is the deining trait of the environment, the ecosystem as a whole (species) Should we preserve species because we are unaware of what value that species may hold: seems to be based on previous experience. Sober: ignorance is not a reason for anything. I don"t know means there is no evidence for or against the argument counter-example: the raionality of lying on airplanes. Environmentalists think that you shouldn"t take any chances/risk if you don"t know (ex: don"t kill all species if you don"t know the risks of their exincion and the beneits)
