Some Reflections on the Modern Environmental Ethics

T. Mohanta¹ , H.A. Ahmed²

Section:Review Paper, Product Type: Isroset-Journal
Vol.3 , Issue.3 , pp.7-9, Mar-2017

Online published on Apr 03, 2017

Copyright © T. Mohanta, H.A. Ahmed . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
The prime objective of this paper is to explain what environmental ethics is and demand for environmental ethics from non-anthropocentric outlook. Environmental ethics (environment + ethics = environmental ethics) is a branch of applied ethics which considers the moral relations between human beings and their natural surroundings. Environmental ethics is a cry against traditional anthropocentric ethics. Environmental ethics emerged as a protest against human mastery over non-human nature is said to bring destruction to the ethical bridge that existed between man and beautiful nature. Thus, man-centred ethics is primarily responsible for environmental degradation as it favours superiority of humans over nature which ultimately led to environmental degradation. This diseased environment needs a proper treatment. Here modern environmental ethics, instead of anthropocentrism or man-centred ethics, hinges that humans have certain responsibilities to the natural world, and it seeks to help people and their leaders become aware of them and to act responsibly when they do things that impact the natural world. We think that modern environmental ethics with its non-anthropocentric approach is an amicable solution to overcome present day environmental crisis in that environmental ethics as a branch of applied ethics tries to save, restore and preserve the dignity of all biotic communities - animate as well as inanimate. It claims equal moral status of all living beings. Therefore, in a nutshell it can be said that environmental ethics with its non-anthropocentric approach is essential for proper curing of the plagued nature.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Anthropocentrism, Degradation, Environment, Ethics, non-anthropocentrism

References :
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