L8 | MAN AND HIS ENVIRONMENT

• JOHN DONNE

  • NO MAN IS AN ISLAND, ENTIRE OF ITSELF; EVERY MAN IS A PIECE OF THE CONTINENT, A PART OF THE MAIN.
  • as human persons, we interact not only with our fellow human beings but also with the other living and non-living elements in our environment
• ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY

  • Branch of philosophy that is concerned with the natural environment and humanity’s place within it.
  • Major issues tackled by environmental philosophers are:
  • humanity’s role in the natural world
  • interaction between nature and human activities
  • humanity’s response to environmental challenges.
• PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS REGARDING ENVIRONMENT

  1. ANTHROPOCENTRISM
  2. BIOCENTRISM
  3. ECOCENTRISM
  4. DEEP ECOLOGY
  5. GAIA HYPOTHESIS
• ANTHROPOCENTRISM

  • belief that humans are the central and most significant species on the planet, and they are free to transform nature and use its resources.
  • considered the primary cause that drives changes in the environment.
• ANTHROPOCENTRISM

  • regards humans as separate from and superior to nature 
  • holds that human life has intrinsic value while other entities (including animals, plants, mineral resources, and so on) are resources that may justifiably be exploited for the benefit of humankind
• CORNUCOPIAN POINT OF VIEW

  • rejects claims that Earth’s resources are limited or that unchecked human population growth will exceed the carrying capacity of Earth and result in wars and famines as resources become scarce.
• • Cornucopian philosophers argue that either the projections of resource limitations and population growth are exaggerated or that technology will be developed as necessary to solve future problems of scarcity
  • In either case, they see no moral or practical need for legal controls to protect the natural environment or limit its exploitation.
• BIOCENTRISM

  • humans are not the only significant species on the planet, and that all organisms have inherent value
• R.A 8485

  • “The Animal Welfare Act of 1998”
• ECOCENTRISM

  • places a great value on ecosystems and biological communities. 
  • believes that humankind is part of a greater biological system or community and that we have a significant role as stewards or guardians of nature. 
  • promotes the idea that order and balance in nature brings about stability and beauty.
• DEEP ECOLOGY

  • Sees the natural world as being maintained by the interrelationship among living organisms and that every living thing on the planet is dependent on each other for survival
• DEEP ECOLOGY

  • argues that non-vital human interference with or destruction of the natural world poses a threat therefore not only to humans but to all organisms constituting the natural order.
• DEEP ECOLOGY

  • core principle is the belief that the living environment as a whole should be respected and regarded as having certain basic moral and legal rights to live and flourish, independent of its instrumental benefits for human use.
• GAIA HYPOTHESIS

  • proposes that living organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic and self regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet
• RELATED LAWS

  1. KYOTO PROTOCOL IN 1997
  2. EARTH DAY
  3. CLEAN AIR ACT OF 1999
  4. ECOLOGICAL SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT ACT OF 2000
  5. WILDLIFE RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION ACT
• KYOTO PROTOCOL IN 1997

  • various nations committed to reduce their green house gas emissions in order to curb global warming
• EARTH DAY

  • first instituted in April 22, 1970
  • global effort to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire action among communities
• LOUIS ARMSTRONG

  • WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD
• MICHAEL JACKSON

  • EARTH SONG
• ASIN

  • MASDAN MO ANG KAPALIGIRAN
• GENEVA CRUZ

  • ANAK NG PASIG
• R.A. 8749

  • CLEAN AIR ACT OF 1999
• R.A. 9147

  • WILDLIFE RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION ACT