THE HUMAN PERSON IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT

Environmental philosophy
is the discipline that studies the moral relationships of human beings with the environment and
its non-human contents. Philosophers believe that the human person has the ability to change the
environment to suit his purposes. It will enable them to become aware of their relationship and its
related issues in our society and their impact on the lives of human persons.
“What is the world made of?” “How did the world come into being?” and “How can we explain
the process of change?” were philosophical questions already brought up approximately 600 B.C.E.
(before the common era) in the Western lonian seaport town of Miletus across the Aegean Sea from
Athens, Greece.
The speculation of the pre-Socratic philosophers represents a paradigm shift- a change from
mythical explanation of the origins of the cosmos to a more rational explanation.
Eastern sages probed nature’s depths intuitively through the eyes of spiritual sages which
Greek thinkers viewed nature through cognitive and scientific eyes (Price 2000). These thinkers were
looking for the underlying laws of nature. They wanted to understand the processes of nature by
studying nature itself, not by listening to the stories about the gods.
According to Payne (2010) there are two frameworks where humans can be related.
1. Anthropocentric Model. Based on the anthropocentric model, humans are superior and
central to the universe, thus, it is human centered.

2. Ecocentric Model. It is the ecological or relational integrity of the humans that provides
meaning of our morals and values and it is nature centered. Devoted to preserving the totality
of Earth’s biodiversity and the functioning of its life –supporting system.