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Yohay Carmel Department of Environmental Engineering Technion – Israel Institute of Technology The dual nature of nature ethics Photograph by Laurent Ballista, National Geographic
YohayCarmelDepartmentofEnvironmentalEngineeringTechnion– IsraelInstituteofTechnology
Thedualnatureofnatureethics
PhotographbyLaurentBallista,NationalGeographic
Compassion-basedethics
Compassionisinherentinhumannature.
Painandsufferareconsiderednegative.
*לחברך לא תעשה–שעליך שנוא ) מה(
treat others as you’d wish to be treated
א א"מסכת שבת ל
The ‘golden rule’
Matthew 7:12
The‘goldenrule’extended
AnimalsexperiencepainandsufferTherefore,causingpainandsuffertoanimalsisimmoral
Thisruleshouldapplytoanycreaturethatmayexperiencepainandsuffer.
The‘goldenrule’ethicsextended
killingawhaleisasmorallybadaskillingaperson
(atleast)
Largebrains
Complexsinging
Intricatesocialfabric
Strong,stablefamilybonds,lastinglonger
thanmosthumanbonds
NatureConservation
Ecosystemservices–various benefits
tohumansandsociety
conservationjustificationsincludeconsiderationsthathavenothingtodowith
ethics
Alltheseareabstractconcepts
conservationethicsconcernspecies,ecosystems,habitatsetc.
Conservationethics
Yet,thereexistsonestrongethicaljustificationforconservation
Diversity-basedethicsThemajorethicaljustificationforconservationisdiversity
Diversityhasagreatvalueindeed.
Habitatdiversity
Speciesdiversity
Diversefoodwebs
Morethanasubjectivefeeling:
Adiverseworldisinherentlyricherininformationandthusmorevaluable*
thanahomogeneousworld
*tous,butalsointrinsically
Diversityandcomplexityaretwofacesofthesamecoin
Bothweredevelopedovereons
Eradicationmaybequick
butrecoveryisslow…ifatallpossible
*McShea andBrandon2010
valuingdiversity=valuingtherareThecommonisheretostayanyway
Itistherarethatweareconcernedwith
ItistheinherentvalueofDiversity– thatjustifiesthegreathumaneffort,time,money,andresourcesthatgointo
savingrarespecies
“I'dratherkillamanthanasnake.NotbecauseIlovesnakesorhatemen.Itisaquestion,rather,ofproportion.”
EdwardAbbey
Killing a whale isMuch worse than killing a person
compassion-based ethics
diversity-basedethics
congruence
Should one kill hooded crows?
Moral-based ethics
Diversity-basedethics
contradiction
?
Moral-based ethics
Diversity-basedethics
Decisionincasesofconflictingvaluesystems
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