Consequentialism is an attractive ethical approach because it provides clear and practical guidance at least in situations where outcomes are easy to predict. This volume works to connect issues in environmental ethics with the best work in contemporary normative theory. Forthcoming in consequentialism and environmental ethics. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act or omission from acting is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. Pdf contested frameworks in environmental ethics researchgate.
Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of ones conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. Pdf environmental ethicsc the study of ethical questions raised by human. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to moral realists because they enable policymakers to. For instance, most people would agree that lying is wrong. Utilitarianism is one of a group of theories that maintain that the rightness or wrongness of an actio n depends on the actions consequences. Consequentialism and environmental ethics 1st edition avram hille.
As environmental ethics continued to grow in the twenty. Hybrid approaches to political and moral obligation are particularly appealing to. As well as introducing the central ideas that relate to environmental and development ethics and how these two areas of ethical study interare related, this unit shows why ethics as a discipline can. Ethical perspectives on the environmental impact of property. Although there are significant challenges for the development of consequentialist environmental ethics, it is in many respects a new field of inquiry, and there is hope. In particular, the contributors use consequentialist theory to address central questions in environmental ethics, such as questions about what kinds of things have value. Consequentialism in environmental ethics oxford handbooks this chapter summarizes consequentialist theory in its application to environmental ethics.
Robin attfield gives an ethical critique of current international environmental problems and negotiations, and explains how international regimes will need to change to be able to cope with global environmental problems. Environmental issues challenge contemporary ethical theorists to account for topics that traditional ethical theories do not address to any significant extent. Deontological ethical theories tend to focus on doing whats right and on moral duties, principles, rules and rights, largely independent of consequences. Article 31, luxembourg, 2012 deborah oughton see debates in holmesrolsten iii, environmental ethics, 1988. In this chapter we explain what the nodifference challenge is, focusing in particular on act consequentialism. The hedonic calculus was his method to determine the amount of pleasures.
Though, most versions of nonconsequentialism allow some ethical relevance of consequences. April 29, 2014 avram hiller, ramona ilea, and leonard kahn eds. Consequentialism an action is the right thing to do in certain circumstances if, of all the actions available in those circumstances, it would produce the best outcome. Apr 30, 2020 robert elliot discussed humancentred, nonhumancentred and consequentialist environmental ethics before this section and virtuebased environmental ethics afterwards. Edited and introduced by stephen darwall, examines key topics in the consequentialist branch of moral theory. Moral assessments of a persons character or character traits e. Bentham originator of utilitarianism equated happiness with pleasure and the absence of pain. Utilitarianism is the best approach to environmental. I dont think any kind of consequentialism works to ground moral values and i want to offer three initial reasons why. This was an empirical observation people desire pleasure and seek to avoid pain. Consequentialism and environmental ethics 1st edition.
Utilitarianism applied to environmental ethics by christopher. Because utilitarians recognize only the intrinsic value of pleasure or desire satisfaction, the commitment to intrinsic value in environmental ethics has also driven a rather deep wedge between environmental ethics and the ethics of utilitarianism. Finally, three different interpretations of moral pluralism in. Two examples of consequentialism are utilitarianism and hedonism. Here the phrase overall consequences of an action means everything the action brings about, including the action itself. Ethics moore and the naturalistic fallacy britannica. Dec 04, 20 in particular, the contributors use consequentialist theory to address central questions in environmental ethics, such as questions about what kinds of things have value. Sep 25, 2008 consequentialism says that right or wrong depend on the consequences of an act, and that the more good consequences are produced, the better the act. Consequentialism and environmental ethics can be read as an attempt to correct this misunderstanding. What sets utilitarianism apart from other types of consequentialism is that it maintains that we must consider the consequences for everyone at least all humans, perhaps all sentient beings, whereas other versions of. Environmental issues challenge contemporary ethical theorists to account for topics that traditional ethical theories do not address to any. I \the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people i the greatest happiness principle \actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they.
Environmental ethics stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. A final section traces a recent history of the use of nonconsequentialist utilitarianism, explaining how the present notion of nonconsequentialist utilitarianism differs from will kymlickas and daniel jacobsons notions. Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the. Robert elliot discussed humancentred, nonhumancentred and consequentialist environmental ethics before this section and virtuebased environmental ethics afterwards.
There are ethical dilemmas we realise, such as a conflict between. Corresponding to each of these views about what makes one outcome better than another is a different version of consequentialism. Consequentialism and the law in medicine philosophical. Reviewed by martin peterson, eindhoven university of technology. An analysis of its essential features shows that the preservation principle should be based on actual consequentialism, for it is. There are two principles often found in environmental ethicsselfrealisation and. The most famous version of non consequentialism is deontology, which holds that one has an absolute duty to obey certain rules. Consequentialism is usually contrasted with deontological ethics or deontology, in that deontology, in which rules and moral duty are central, derives the rightness or wrongness of ones conduct from the character of the behaviour itself rather than the outcomes of the conduct. Ethics four branches 4 applied ethics applied ethics is a part of normative ethics that focus on particular fields the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment brenda almond. Consequentialism ethics general philosophy subjects. It discusses several types of consequentialist theories, including classical utilitarianism, biocentric consequentialism, and ecocentric or holistic consequentialism. Because utilitarians recognize only the intrinsic value of pleasure or desire satisfaction, the commitment to intrinsic value in environmental ethics has also driven a rather deep wedge between environmental ethics. Consequentialism is an ethical system that seeks to root moral values and duties in the consequences ones actions will produce. Though, most versions of non consequentialism allow some ethical relevance of consequences.
Utilitarianism is the most wellknown version of consequentialism, with philosophers like jeremy bentham and john stuart mill arguing. Consequentialism in environmental ethics oxford handbooks. Consequentialism and environmental ethics routledge. Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its nonhuman contents. Consequentialism and environmental ethics published. Consequentialist decision theory and utilitarian ethics peterj.
Utilitarianism is a consequentialist ethical theory and therefore when evaluating ethics and the environment they would look at the end result and not necessarily the action. Evaluative uncertainty, environmental ethics, and consequentialism krister bykvist 8. Edited and introduced by stephen darwall, these readings are essential for anyone interested in normative ethics. Abstract suppose that a social behaviour norm speci. But if telling a lie would help save a persons life, consequentialism says its the right thing to do. At first the scene was dominated by the intuitionists, whose leading representative was the english philosopher g. According to nonconsequentialism, the rightness of an action is not solely determined by its consequences. This chapter summarizes consequentialist theory in its application to environmental ethics. Consequentialism ethics general philosophy subjects wiley.
Feb 20, 2014 utilitarianism is the best approach to environmental ethics discuss environmental ethics surrounds the ethical relationship between people and the world we live in. Consequentialism and environmental decisionmaking 6. On some limitations of consequentialism in the sphere of environmental ethics alan holland 7. Consequentialism c g r a r m s journal of ethics and. For those that dont know, consequentialism is an ethical system that seeks to root moral values and duties in the consequences ones actions will produce. Three dominant ethical theories to ethical decisionmaking, namely the rights approach, the consequentialist approach and the virtue approach serve as. Consequentialism in applied ethics bibliography philpapers. This book articulates and evaluates consequentialist responses to that challenge. Virtue ethics should be regarded as a viable approach to environmental ethics, and it should be considered alongside other, more familiar, approaches such as deontology and consequentialism. From the beginning, and emerging during a time of environmental crises, environmental ethics has. Inherently interdisciplinary in scope, the field benefits from the contributions of professionals outside philosophy, including physicians, lawyers, scientists, and. Consequentialism and constraints consequentialist theories have two elements.
In his principia ethica 1903, moore argued against what he called the naturalistic fallacy in ethics, by which he meant any attempt to define the word good in terms of some natural qualityi. Many contributors focus on ethical theory and consequentialism generally, rather than environmental ethics. Deontological environmental ethics environmental responsibility. We talk about how different theories of causation affect the nodifference challenge. It contrasts consequentialist environmental ethics with deontological, virtue theoretic, and pragmatist alternatives, and it offers.
Utilitarianism is a teleological theory and would look at the purpose or the end goal of an action. Consequentialism says that right or wrong depend on the consequences of an act, and that the more good consequences are produced, the better the act. This unit provides an introduction to the study of ethics and a brief overview of some of the main branches of philosophical thought about ethics. Consequentialist decision theory and utilitarian ethics. It discusses several types of consequentialist theories, including. Consequentialism and environmental ethics crc press book. Consequentialism and environmental ethics avram hiller. For example, if you think that the whole point of morality is a to spread happiness and relieve suffering, or. Consequentialism is an ethical theory that judges whether or not something is right by what its consequences are. Consequentialism i consequentialism in ethics is the view that whether or not an action is good or bad depends solely on what e ects that action has on the world. The consequentialist side of environmental ethics environment. Consequentialism is the view that morality is all about producing the right kinds of overall consequences.
It is the moral subject, which enables the action and its consequences to be performed. An analysis of its essential features shows that the preservation principle should be based on actual consequentialism, for it is only the actual effects of our actions and policies that are important to the main issues of environmental preservation. In other words, an action is moral if it produces consequences that are seen as beneficial in some sense. Jean thomas abstract this article analyzes hybrid philosophical models that combine deontological and consequentialist principles. Additionally, since much of the work in environmental ethics does not come from a consequentialist perspective, this volume provides. Ethical issues raised by abortion and euthanasia are part of the subject matter of bioethics, which deals with the ethical dimensions of new developments in medicine and the biological sciences. Indirect, multidimensional consequentialism alan carter 5. The analysis of moral subject in consequentialist ethics as a kind of nonutilitaristic consequentialism aims to show, that moral subject is of basie importance for it regardeless to the fact, that its analysis focuses predominantly on action and its concequences. Consequentialism collects, for the first time, both the main classical sources and the central contemporary expressions of this important position.
Utilitarianism is the best approach to environmental issues. Portmore the defining feature of consequentialism is that it ranks outcomes the outcomes associated with acts, codes of rules, sets of motives, or something else and then takes. Consequentialism stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Ethics, rationality, and economic behaviour oxford university press. Utilitarianism is the best approach to environmental ethics discussenvironmental ethics surrounds the ethical relationship between people and the world we live in. The most famous version of nonconsequentialism is deontology, which holds that one has an absolute duty to obey certain rules.
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