Ethics and the Environment ( Types of Environmental Ethics)

Ethics Applied, 1999

"Ethics and the Environment" (Types of Environmental Ethics). Chapter 11 in Paul de Vries, Robert M. Veatch, Lisa H. Newton, Emily V. Baker and Michael Lewis Richardson, eds., Ethics Applied, edition 2 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999), pages 407-437. Online at: http://hdl.handle.net/10217/39003

Twelve types of environmental ethics: 1. Humanistic and naturalistic ethics. 2. A triangular affair: humans, animals, and a land ethic. 3. Biocentrism and respect for life. 4. Deep ecology. 5. Theology and the environment. 6. Expanding communities, concentric circles. 7. Axiological environmental ethics: intrinsic, instrumental, and ecosystemic values. 8. Political ecology and green politics. 9. Sustainable development and sustainable biosphere. 10. Bioregionalism. 11. Ecofeminism. 12. Pluralism, postmodernism, and a sense of place. Variously constructed kinds of environmental ethics need to join as all humans see themselves as Earthlings, with their home planet as a responsibility.