Ethics

• Ethics began with mental cultivation of the mind.
• Anthropocentric Environmental Ethics_ an approach environment is most common of all the paradigms of dealing with the environment.
• Environmental Philosophers_ Singer, Regan, Aldo, Devall, Naes, and Seasons.
• Tamaraws, Philippine Eagle, Tubbataha Reefs enjoys protection of the laws.
• Mappes and Zembaty 1977_ assumes that moral obligation (to the environment) is essentially function of human interest.
• Anthropocentrically_which means things are valuable only because they serve human interest.
• Anthro means human
• Centric means center
• Baxter 1974_says that such an approach is what is expected of human with regards to their relationship with the environment.
• Baxter 1974_ "I have no interest of preserving penguins for their own sake."
• "Optimal Pollution" refers to the concept in environmental economics where pollution is minimized to a level where the marginal cost of pollution reduction equals the marginal benefit of pollution reduction.
• Biocentric Approach_ there's no I and the world thing. Man's capacity for metacognition coupled by his advanced mobility, creates an illusion that he is here contemplating over the world out there.
• Biocentric view_we is inclusive of all life-forms regardless of the level of the development of the components of the nervous system.
• Mappes and Zembaty_ Proponents of biocentric ethic consider all life form to be inherently valuable.
• Environmental Ethics is young branch of applied ethics.
• Pavo, et al_ Environmental ethics is branch of philosophy that emerged as a new response to the growing number of human activities that contribute to the gradual decay of the environment.
• Aldo Leopold_ advocates biocentric ethics. "A Sound County Almanac (1966) A land ethic changes the role of Homo Sapiens from conqueror of the land community to plain member and citizen of it.
• Under umbrella of biocentric ethics is Deep Ecology.
• Deep Ecology was first coined by Naess in this article "The Shallow and the Deep, Long Range Ecology Movement 1973."
• Self-preservation is the first law of life.
• Bernard E. Rollin 1995 challenge anthropocentrism to include animals as object of morality.
• Ramachandra Guha 1993 criticizes biocentric approach as a whole system.
• Ramachandra Guha believes that the real culprits: Overconsumption by the industrialized world and by the urban elites in the third world; and growing militarization.
• Guha uses a common sense in his treatment with environmental degradation.
• Greens and the Chipko should spouse the new cultural values of renunciation and self limitation in relation to the exploitation of the environment for subsistence purposes.
• Guha proposes that such an alternate should also work on "equity as well as economic and political redistribution."
• Richard Dawkins: '"Selfishness of some political figures side lines public interest."'
• It is a necessity that genes always consider its interest for survival purposes
• Selfishness is a necessary attribute of life
• Selfishness, observed by among animals in nature—including our species, has a moral neutrality—that is, either good or evil
• The greatest obstacle of man is no other than nature's mandate to pursue life at all cost—including selfishness
• Richard Dawkins: '"We are built as gene machines and cultured as meme machines, but we have the power to turn against creators. We, alone on this planet, can rebel against tyranny of the selfish replicators."'
• Spiritual frailties- to succumb to the natural tendencies
• Human Act

  Actions that moral norms are applied to, thus, judged as either good or evil
• Attributes of Human Act

  • Freedom
  • Knowledge
  • Voluntariness
• Ignorance

  The absence of awareness or knowledge
• Types of Ignorance

  • Invincible (physical limitation)
  • Vincible (should have avoided with due diligence)
  • Affected (intentionally avoided informing themselves)
• Passion

  Emotions that propel an individual to act
• Examples of Passion

  • Despair
  • Fear
  • Hatred
  • Anger
  • Desire
• Types of Passion

  • Antecedent (instantaneous reaction)
  • Consequent (intentionally aroused)