ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES

AND PHILOSOPHY
 Marco Lambertini (2020), Director General
of World Wide Fund International
“We must urgently recognize the links between the
destruction of nature and human health, or we will soon see
the next pandemic. We must curb the high risk trade and
consumption of wildlife, halt deforestation and land
conversion as well as manage food production sustainably.
All these actions will help prevent the spillover of pathogens
to humans, and also address other global risks to our society
like biodiversity loss and climate change. There is no debate,
and the science is clear; we must work with nature, not
against it. Unsustainable exploitation of nature has become
an enormous risk to us all. ”
• Do you agree with the statement of
Lambertini?
• As a nation, do we also face these
problems/concerns?
• What do you think must be done to
address them?
“What should be done is revisiting our
environmental attitudes and ethics”
Ethics, Enger & Smith (2010)
• Ethics is a branch of philosophy
that seeks to define what is
right and what is wrong.
• This discipline helps us
understand what makes certain
actions morally wrong.
Ethics, Enger & Smith (2010)
• Ethical views of people on
certain issues vary from culture
to culture.
• But despite these differences,
commonality in moral stand on
certain issues exists.
 Environmental ethics

• described as “discipline in philosophy

that studies the moral relationship of
human beings to, and also the value and
moral status of, the environment and its
non-human contents” (Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2015).
Three most common environmental
approaches cited by Enger & Smith (2010)
 “Deep Ecology”
• traced its roots in 1973 when a
Norwegian philosopher and
mountaineer Arne Naess introduced the
phrase to environmental literature.
• deep ecologists advocate the
development of a new eco-philosophy
or “ecosophy” to replace the destructive
philosophy of modern industrial society
 “Deep Ecology”
• it proposes a new perspective that
rejects anthropocentrism.
• demands an entirely new worldview and
philosophical perspective on how we
conduct things here on earth.
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

1. The well-being and

flourishing of human and
nonhuman life on Earth
have value in themselves.
Inherent value is a value that an
individual has just by existing
individuals, species, populations,
habitat
The environment should remain
‘natural’
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

2. Richness and diversity of

life forms contribute to the
realization of these values
and are also values in
themselves.
concerning diversity and complexity
From an ecological standpoint, complexity
and symbiosis are conditions for maximizing
diversity.
So-called simple, lower, or primitive species
of plants and animals contribute essentially to
the richness and diversity of life. They have
value in themselves and are not merely steps
toward the so-called higher or rational life
forms.
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

3. Humans have no right to

reduce this richness and
diversity except to satisfy vital
needs.
must be changed in a manner
that still exercises free will but is
based on reason (from Principle of
Sustainable Development)
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

4. The flourishing of human life and

cultures is compatible with a substantial
decrease of the human population.
The flourishing of nonhuman life requires
such a decrease.
The report (United Nations Fund for
Population Activities in their State of World
Population Report, 1984) concludes that if all
governments set specific population targets as
public policy to help alleviate poverty and
advance the quality of life, the current
situation could be improved.
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

5.Present human interference

with the nonhuman world is
excessive, and the situation is
rapidly worsening.
The slogan of “noninterference” does not
imply that humans should not modify some
ecosystems as do other species. Humans have
modified the earth and will probably continue
to do so. At issue is the nature and extent of
such interference.
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

6. Policies must therefore be changed.

The changes in policies affect basic
economic, technological, and ideological
structures. The resulting state of affairs
will be deeply different from the present.
Economic growth as conceived and
implemented today by the industrial states is
incompatible with (1)-(5). There is only a faint
resemblance between ideal sustainable forms
of economic growth and present policies of
the industrial societies. And “sustainable” still
means “sustainable in relation to humans.”
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

7. The ideological change is mainly that of

appreciating life quality (dwelling in
situations of inherent worth) rather than
adhering to an increasingly higher
standard of living.
Naess and George Sessions (as cited in Foundation for Deep
Ecology, n.d) list of eight principles or statements that are basic to
deep ecology

8. Those who subscribe to the foregoing

points have an obligation directly or
indirectly to participate in the attempt to
implement the necessary changes.
There is ample room for different opinions
about priorities: what should be done first,
what next? What is most urgent? What is
clearly necessary as opposed to what is highly
desirable but not absolutely pressing?
• Which do you value the most based on
your belief system? Are you biocentric,
ecocentric, anthropocentric? Or in
between the spectrum?
• How about in terms of the principles of
deep ecology? Do you agree with the
presented principles?
Three approaches or attitudes are commonly
used when talking about environmental ethics
 Alternative Assessment #3
Philosophy Paper/Position Paper
1. The paper should be 3 pages (single space, A4) and should explore the
ethical and/or philosophical dimensions of an environmental issue.
2. The paper proposal should be submitted on or before September 16, 2022.
It should include:
a. a title,
b. characterization of your topic,
c. the major lines of argument you intend to pursue,
d. tentative thesis, and a brief review of one key philosophical article you will
use in your paper (including how you will use it)
 Alternative Assessment #3
Philosophy Paper/Position Paper
• Tie your paper into the central themes of the course. The paper must show that it
was written by someone who took this course. Someplace in your paper you
should (probably) indicate how the various environmental ethics we have
considered (e.g., anthropocentrism, sentience-centrism, individual biocentrism,
holistic ecocentrism) bear on your topic.
• Which of these are you assuming (or rejecting) in your argument, if any, and why?
In other words, what position(s) on the question of moral standing are you
assuming (or rejecting) and what are your reasons? Are you accepting (or
rejecting) individualism or holism, egalitarianism or inegalitarianism? If the issue
you are discussing (and the position you are taking on it) would be illuminated by
addressing these issues, you should do so. Additionally, if an assigned article has
bearing on your topic, you must discuss what it says about it and your response.
 Alternative Assessment #3
Philosophy Paper/Position Paper
6. A tremendous Internet resource is available at the following web
site: http://www.phil.unt.edu/bib/. This bibliography (kept by the
International Society for Environmental Ethics) summarizes articles in
the field and can be searched by keyword.
7. Cite your references using APA format, 6th edition.
 Alternative Assessment #3
Philosophy Paper/Position Paper
Please refer to
Learning Guide
2.1 for the
possible topics :)
Reminder
• We will watch the DAMbuhalang Proyekto by Sandra Aguinaldo
tomorrow
• We will also have a formative assessment tomorrow