FEMINISM AND THE

ENVIRONMENT
by
BALDUGO, ERWIN
CUNAHAP, AUGUST JHON
ESPINOSA, ELIAS
I. Rationalism and the Ethical Approach
II. Rationalism, Rights, and Ethics
III.Rationalism and Deep Ecology
IV.The Problem in terms of the Critique of Rationalism
V. Instrumentalism and the Self
VI.Ecofeminism
Introduction
Judith Plant (Women and Nature)

• Women is linked with nature.

• “mother earth.”
• They took care the day-to-day life.
• Earth is giver and supporter of life.
• Men returns to home which awaits in readiness
• Women is passive yet sensitive.
 • Biased from gender
and nature.

Photo courtesy: https://www.iucn.org

Discussion

I. RATIONALISM AND THE ETHICAL APPROACH

• Targets Ethics as a center on the new view of

nature.
• Criticized by feminists.
Paul Taylor “Respect for Nature”
• Tried to defend Bio-centric ethical theory.
• Rejects the western tradition.
• Connects with Kant’s ethical framework.
Kantian ethics
• “Reason and emotion dichotomy.”
• The essential feature of morality is distanced from
emotion and particular fondness.
• Morality is universal.
• Reason is the touchstone of morality.
• Morality is duty-bound.
• Respect is moral.
• Moral respect held as a matter of moral principle.
• As ethically obligatory, not pursued disinterestedly
and inclination.

Seeking inclination is not moral respect but

affection and love.
• Respect for nature doesn’t preclude feelings of
care and concern.
• It is neither contrary to “respect for nature.”

As long as the person understands that the

actions fulfilling would be obligatory even
the absence of desire, is a genuine respect.
Taylor claimed
o Inclination or desire is irrelevant to immorality.
o Reason and emotion is sharply separated.
o Respect for nature is a cognitive matter.

Desire
Care
Love
personal and particular.
Affection “Feminine”
 Feminine emotions are;
 unreliable
 morally irrelevant
 inferior domain

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Criticisms
 Implicit gender bias.
 Bio-centric ethical theory is solely rational (Philosophical inadequacy)
 Creates a dualistic account of the self.
 It Perpetuates the supremacy of reason.
 Morality is viewed and based on the rules of abstract reason.
 Generalized moral
concern
Division
between Feminine and
Masculine
Care and concern for
particular others
 Capacity to;
1. Care
2. Sympathize The index of our
3. understand the sensitivity
of the situation
moral being
4. Take responsibility for
others
• Taylor forgot the elements of
respect which are not reducible
on duty or obligation.
Elements of Friendship
(Expression of selfhood, relation of self & others.)
Question to ponder
What faculty do we employ in exercising
morality?
II. RATIONALISM, RIGHTS, and ETHICS
Tom’s Regan’s The Case for Animals 1986 “Rights of Equality”

• Animals as a subject of a life

• Must treated equally

Mill‘s Notion

• Duty and Responsibility to protect

Tom’s Regan’s The Case for Animals 1986 “Rights of Equality”

 Ultimate elimination of animals experimentation in science

 The abolition of commercial animals agricultural in its entirely
 The abolition of commercial recreational hunting and trapping
III. Rationalism and Deep Ecology
-The discontinuity problem is neglected by the ethical stance.
-A significant exception to its neglect within environmental philosophy found in
deep ecology and problem within ethics.
-Deep ecology is compatible with the Feminist philosophical framework,
emphasizing the self, connectedness, and merger. 
-They can neglect rationalism assumption.
-The problem,
The discontinuity between human and nature that emerges [Dualism]
Deep ecology locates the key problem area in Human nature relations in the separation
of human and nature,  and it provides a solution for this  in terms of Identification of
self with the nature.
Identification a corresponding accounts of self are various shifting and not always
compatible.
3 different accounts/Identification

1.The Indistinguishability Account 

2.The Expanded Self
3.The Transcended or Transpersonal Self
1.The Indistinguishability Account 

 Rejects boundaries between self and nature

 Humans are one strand in the biotic web not the source and ground of all value.
 Warwick Fox “ We can make no firm ontological divide in the field of
existence… there is no bifurcation in reality between the human and nonhuman
realms...to the extent that we perceive boundaries, we fall short deep ecological
consciousness”(Fox 1984, 7).
 John Seed “ I am protecting the rain forest” develops into “ I am part of the rain
forest protecting myself. I am that part of the rain forest recently emerged into
thinking.” (Seed et al, 1988, 36).
 a further problem with the indisguishability thesis, that we need
to recognize not only our human continuity with the natural
world but also its distinctiveness of the needs of things in nature
from ours. 
 Does not allow for this, although it is a very important part of
respect for nature and of conservation strategy.
 Deep ecology propose to heal thru “unifying process”— a
metaphysics that insist that everything is indistinguishable.
 The basis of discontinuity could be taken to be value in human
character, society and Culture.
 Embrace the indisguishability metaphysics.
The Expanded Self

1.When identification means not identity but something more like empathy
identification can lead to an expanded self.
2.Arne Naess “The self is as comprehensive as the totality of our
identifications… our self is that with which we identify”
3.For Fox “ This larger self is something for which we strive” Insofar as it is
in our power to do so”
4.Is critique of egoism but enlargement and expansion of egoism.
5. For fox quotes John Livingstone’ s statement “ when I say that the fate of
the sea turtle  or the tiger or the gibbon is mine, I mean it. All that is in my
universe is not merely mine; it is me. And I shall defend myself. I shall
defend myself not only overt aggression but also against gratuities insult.
The Transcended or Transpersonal Self

 The Expanded Self requires that we detach from the particular concerns of
the self, expansion of the self to self also tends to lead the transcendence.
 Inferiorizing such particular, emotional and kinship-based attachments, deep
ecology produce another variant on the superiority of reason.
 Caring relationship and friendship rather than Abstraction and detachment
from relationship
IV. The problem in terms of the critique of Rationalism.
Eco-feminist have produced;

• A dualistically dichotomy polarizes difference and

minimizes shared characteristics.
• Difference along lines of superiority/inferiority.
• Inferior side viewed as means to the higher end of
the superior side. (Instrumentalism)
The task of the superior side is to separate from,
dominate, and control the lower side.

This had happened;

human- nature
masculine- feminine
reason- body
reason- emotion
The challenge of these involves not just a re-evaluation
of superiority or inferiority.

But re-examining and re-conceptualizing the concept

of human, of what it is to be fully, authentically, and
genuinely human.
Humans have both characteristics;

biological mental
• The term “human” is not merely descriptive but an
evaluative term setting out as an ideal.

• The human essence is often seen as lying in maximizing

control over the natural sphere.
Question to ponder

 What is “human” for you?

V. Instrumentalism and the self

• Western view of nonhuman

is always accidentally related
• Shallow Ecology
• Aboriginal people view is
always attach/related to
the nature
• Rejecting an instrumental
view of nature and build
an alternative based on
respect.
Self

• Relationships are not an afterthought to who we are,

nor are they a bonus feature of human nature; they
play an essential role in defining what it is to be
human.
Ecofeminism
•Is concerned with our sense of self and the way we experience the world
rather than with formal value theory.
•Like transpersonal ecology
•Proceeds from a process, relational image of nature and seeks mutualistic
social and ecological relationships based on recognition of the
interconnectedness, interdependence, and diversity of all phenomena.
•Symbolic association of women
•Demonstrating a special convergence of interest between feminism and
ecology
As Simone de Beauvoir observed in her raging
exploration of the “second sex.”
    WOMEN- “LOWER LEVEL”

God
•Ecofeminist as
 
recognizing of oppression
man
in the past and woman
empowerment.
woman

nature
Socialist and Liberal Feminist 
•Cultivating ecofeminist through
-Retrieving nonhierarchical pre-Christian 
-Reviving earth-based traditional praxis [ex. goddess-oriented
culture of old Europe]

Ecofeminist & Transpersonal Ecology Theorist

As the ecofeminist theologian Elizabeth Dodson Gray explains “Embodied
ecospirituality”-remyth Genesis “ To creation based valuing of all parts of
nature.”
“We do not understand who we are.” What hurts my part of my larger system
will hurt me.”
ECOFEMINIST argues that there is something special about women that make
women better place than men
REPRODUCTION- WOMEN- nurturing/caring capabilities

PRODUCTION- MEN-Strong
Joan Griscom says 
•It is important that biology not our destiny
•We need transcend Masculine and feminine stereotypes that
possess “ The human characteristics of gentleness and caring”
Ecophilosophical 
-Ecofeminism is not vulnerable to the critics because
ecophilosophical orientation is almost indistinguishable
from transpersonal ecology. 
-Underpinning of Econtrism
-Ecophilosophical Framework- incorporate the special
perspective and experience of all opposing social groups
not just women.
Source

• Notes and Readings in Environmental Philosophy, Dr. Jean

Peracullo, Ph. D.