HPSC20002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Ecofascism, Animal Rights Movement, Deep Ecology
24 May 2018
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DAY 10: MEANINGS OF NATURE
(ANTHROPOCENE)
Environmental Ethics
• Why should we care for the environment?
• Albert Schweitzer: Reverence for Life 1915
o As humans are placed in stewardship, we have responsibility for the ethical use of the world
o Theological argument extending ethical considerations to all creation
• Arne Naess Deep Ecology 1974
o Rejected human in the environment, instead talked about total field (idea ecosystem is everything, and
everything in it has equal rights) - ethical issues for species which aren't human
o Humans are not that important in the sense of all species
o Based on Daoism, Vedanta and forms of radical Christianity
o Living beings have own intrinsic value, worth and an ethical person must protect that worth
o Accused for underpinning of ecofascism in animal rights movement
• Deep Ecology is replaced by Social Ecology (suggesting by Schlosberg 2007)
o Social Ecology: defines value based on social interests: enlightened human self-interest rather than a belief in
the intrinsic value of nature
• Ecofascism is a term used by anti-environmental movements
• Strong ecofeminist trend opposing masculinisation of nature
Environment
• Literally that what is around something
• Biotic and abiotic surroundings of an organism or a population
o Individual and collective
• Social and natural environments - isn't the same term as nature, very restricted and defined
Bio-semiotics
• Semiotic (related to how signs are interpreted) interpretation of organisms
o Neural organisms encode environment and respond to important parts
o Organisms react to outside signals and reshape their environment accordingly
o Requires: Functional cycles (inputs, processing and outputs)
o Requires: Internal representation of the environment in the neutral system of the organism
• Romantic individuals as feedback mechanisms '
Ecosystems
• Defined as community of organisms and abiotic components
o Functional relationship between elements
o By default open, dynamic systems
o Boundaries not unambiguous
o Various methods of identification
• Ecosystems constantly changing
o Resilience and resistance as systemic mechanisms
o Biodiversity as marker of stability
Systems
• 1968, Theory of General Systems - Bertalanffy
o System defined as a set of elements standing in interaction
o Ecosystems are elements (organisms) that are in interactive relationships (in climax equilibrium)
• Contradicts Leopold's land ethic - says life is essentially the maintenance of disequilibria - equilibrium equals death
and constant decay
Complex Adaptive Systems
• Research on systems theory to understand functionalities of systems - developed from cybernetics into independent
field of study
• Idea that systems scaffolds themselves, use natural selection as an example
• Key concepts: complexity, emergence, self-organisation
• Examples of systems: molecular cells, brains, industrial companies, political parties, wars, stock market, computer
networks
Humans in Ecosystems
• Humans have always been part of ecosystems
• With Neolithic revolution humans began changing ecosystems - niche construction - farming
• Later frequent interventions in ecosystems - yet when does frequent intervention in a system become part of a
system - industrialisation
• Where are ecosystems without frequent human intervention??
Anthropocene
Document Summary
Environmental ethics: why should we care for the environment, albert schweitzer: reverence for life 1915, as humans are placed in stewardship, we have responsibility for the ethical use of the world. Based on daoism, vedanta and forms of radical christianity. Living beings have own intrinsic value, worth and an ethical person must protect that worth: accused for underpinning of ecofascism in animal rights movement, deep ecology is replaced by social ecology (suggesting by schlosberg 2007) Social ecology: defines value based on social interests: enlightened human self-interest rather than a belief in the intrinsic value of nature. Ecofascism is a term used by anti-environmental movements. Biotic and abiotic surroundings of an organism or a population. Social and natural environments - isn"t the same term as nature, very restricted and defined. Ecosystems: defined as community of organisms and abiotic components. Boundaries not unambiguous: various methods of identification. Ecosystems constantly changing: resilience and resistance as systemic mechanisms.
