Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability 1 CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 28 ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDVIEWS, ETHICS, AND SUSTAINABILITY Objectives

1. List four basic beliefs common to the human-centered, planetary management worldviews. List and contrast four different schools of thought within the planetary management worldview. Evaluate past human performance in managing the planet.

2. Compare the inherent value of a species, as described by life-centered worldviews, to the more utilitarian value of a species, as described by human-centered worldviews. Distinguish between biocentric and ecocentric worldviews. Compare basic beliefs of an earth-wisdom worldview and a planetary management worldview.

3. Summarize the basic beliefs of deep ecology.

4. Distinguish between ecofeminism and social ecology. Evaluate where you stand.

5. Summarize guidelines that emerge from environmental ethics.

6. Summarize how Earth education and a focus on simpler living can contribute to a more sustainable future.

7. List four strategies to empower your environmental knowledge and awareness. List six common traps to be avoided in moving toward a more sustainable future.

8. List four phases of an earth-wisdom revolution. From the elements in this chapter, design your own worldview and personal plan to implement the goals of that worldview.

Key Terms (Terms are listed in the same font style as they appear in the text.) environmental worldviews (p. 631) deep ecology worldview (p. 635) environmental ethics (p. 631) quality of life (p. 635) human-centered (p. 631) ecofeminism (p. 635) earth-centered (p. 631) androcentrism (p. 636) universalism (p. 631) life-centered people (p. 636) utilitarianism (p. 631) ecological identity (p. 637) consequentialism (p. 631) voluntary simplicity (p. 638) relativism (p. 631) principle of enoughness (p. 638) rationalism (p. 631) environmentally ethical consumption (p. 638) nihilism (p. 631) gloom-and-doom pessimism (p. 639) instrumental value (p. 632) blind technological optimism (p. 639) utilitarian value(p. 632) fatalism (p. 639) intrinsic value (p. 632) extrapolation to infinity (p. 639) inherent values (p. 632) paralysis by analysis (p. 639) anthropocentric (p. 632) environmental revolution (p. 640) biocentric (p. 632) biodiversity protection revolution (p. 640) biocentric worldview (p. 632) efficiency revolution (p. 640) planetary management worldview (p. 632) solar-hydrogen revolution (p. 640) no-problem school (p. 632) pollution prevention revolution (p. 640) free-market school (p. 632) sufficiency revolution (p. 640) spaceship-earth school (p. 633) demographic revolution (p. 640) earth-centered (ecocentric) (p. 634) economic and political revolution (p. 640) environmental-wisdom worldview (p. 635)

Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability 1 Learning log: Answer the following questions for extra-credit on the unit test

1. Define the boldfaced terms in this chapter. (OMIT)

2. Describe the Biosphere 2 experiment and the lessons it taught us.

3. Distinguish between environmental worldviews and environmental ethics.

4. Describe the role of the philosophies of universalism, utilitarianism, consequentialism, relativism, rationalism, and nihilism in helping us decide what is right and wrong environmental behavior.

5. Distinguish between (a) instrumental values and intrinsic values and (b) anthropocentric instrumental values and biocentric intrinsic values.

6. What are the four major beliefs of the planetary management environmental worldview? Describe the (a) no-problem, (b) free-market, (c) responsible planetary management, and (d) spaceship-earth variations of the planetary management worldview.

7. What are the four major beliefs of the stewardship environmental worldview?

8. Explain why some analysts believe that in the long run the planetary management and stewardship environmental worldviews will not work.

9. What are (a) the four major beliefs of the environmental wisdom worldview and (b) the eight major beliefs of the deep ecology environmental worldview?

10. Summarize the major beliefs of the ecofeminist environmental worldview.

11. Describe Carlos Davidson’s tapestry metaphor as it relates to environmental degradation and environmental worldviews.

12. List seven components of ecological literacy and four questions that should be answered to determine one's ecological identity.

13. Explain why some people believe it is important to learn more about the earth from direct experience with nature.

14. What is voluntary simplicity?

15. List six ethical guidelines for living more sustainably.

16. List seven basic needs beyond our basic physical needs.

17. Describe six mental traps that can lead to denial, indifference, and inaction about environmental (and other) problems. Which, if any, of these traps have you fallen into?

18. What are seven major components of an environmental revolution that most environmentalists believe we should bring about during this century?

19. What are the four guiding principles of the Earth Charter?

Outline

28-1 Environmental Worldviews in Industrial Societies A. Beliefs and values of environmental worldviews 1. Environmental worldviews are how people think the world works, where they fit, and ethics. 2. Environmental worldviews can be human-centered or Earth-centered, or some combination of both. B. Philosophers can help in the search for right and wrong environmental behavior. 1. Universalism, developed by Plato and Kant, includes principles of ethics and rules of right and wrong that are unchanging.

2 Chapter 28 2. Utilitarianism, developed by Bentham and Mill, says that an action is right if it produces satisfaction for the greatest number of people. 3. Consequentialism proposes that consequences determine whether an action is right or wrong. 4. Relativism, promoted by Sophists, says that cultures, eras, and situations determine whether an action is right or wrong. 5. Rationalism, developed by Decartes, De Spinoza, and Leibniz, says that right and wrong are determined by analyzing the situation. 6. Nihilism, associated with Nietzsche, says that life is meaningless except to strive to live in what might be right. C. Life forms have instrumental value or intrinsic value. 1. Instrumental, or utilitarian, values life forms because they are useful to the biosphere or us. 2. Intrinsic, or inherent, values life forms because they exist. 3. Anthropocentric instrumental values view life forms as valuable only if they are useful. 4. Biocentric intrinsic values view life forms as valuable because they exist. D. Human-centered views think humans to be the most important species and stewards of the earth. 1. People with a planetary management worldview think humans are the dominant species. a. Humans should manage the earth. b. All other life forms have some sort of instrumental value. c. Problems can be solved with more economic growth and development, and better management and technology. d. The planet should have a free-market global economy. 2. People with the stewardship worldview think humans have an ethical responsibility to care for the earth. a. Humans should make the world better. b. Humans should pay back our debt to the earth by leaving it better than before.

28-2 Life-Centered and Earth-Centered Environmental Worldviews A. Biosphere 2 leaves doubt that we can effectively manage Earth because of our lack of knowledge. B. Life-centered and eco-centered worldviews 1. People with a life-centered worldview believe humans have an ethical responsibility to avoid causing the premature extinction of species. a. Each species has unique genetic information. b. Each species has potential economic good. c. Populations of species are capable of adapting to changing environmental conditions. C. People with the environmental wisdom worldview think that humans are not in charge and should study the history of the earth to determine how it has maintained itself. D. People with the deep ecology worldview think that humans should think about our obligations to all life forms and not reduce the interdependence and diversity of life. E. People with the ecofeminist environmental worldview believe that women should be equal to men in the human quest to develop more sustainable societies. F. Environmental degradation can be slowed by using images of catastrophe and economic and ecologic collapse.

28-3 Living More Sustainably A. Environmentally literate citizens are needed to build a more environmentally sustainable society. 1. This requires an understanding of how the earth works, our interactions with the earth, and the methods we use to deal with environmental problems. 2. This requires an understanding of ecological identity. B. Nature must be experienced directly to complete environmental education. C. Affluenza is the addiction to over-consumption and materialism in developed countries. 1. Symptoms: high debt level, declining health, increased stress, more bankruptcies. 2. Causes: credit cards enable instant gratification, easy money, and selfishness. 3. Solutions: consume less, live more simply, and spend less. D. Effective environmental citizens avoid mental traps that lead to denial and inaction and instead enjoy life and keep empowered feelings. E. The environmental revolution is a positive outlook and a call for leadership, ideas, and solutions to current environmental challenges.

Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability 3

Summary

1. The planetary management worldview is the human-centered environmental worldview that guides most industrial societies. Variations include the no-problems school, the free-market school, the responsible planetary management school, the spaceship school, and the stewardship school.

2. Life-centered and Earth-centered worldviews include environmental wisdom worldview, species-centered, biosphere-centered, and ecosystem-centered.

3. Ethical guidelines that might be used to help us work with the earth include respecting the earth.

4. We can live sustainably through pollution prevention, waste prevention, species protection, and environmental restoration.

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