Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Outsider Ethics and Marginalized Aesthetics †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Outsider Ethics and Marginalized Aesthetics. Answer: Introduction: Environmental ethics like other ethical studies, is a segment of philosophy which studies moral connection of the human beings to the natural environment surrounding them as also value the moral status of the non-human and non-living components. The chief factor of environmental ethics bases on the concept that other living beings are the part of the nature just as the human beings. All the plant species and animals other than the human beings are part of the earths environment hence it cannot be denied that they have rights also. The food web indicates how close the human beings are dependent upon the other factors of the nature. This is the reason why the guiding principles and ethical values include all these matters living in the environment. By destroying the partakers of the natural environment, the human beings are denying their right to live. Hence this act of human is unethical and unjust. Respecting the natural resources and non-human entities and recognition of their right to live is the primary focus of environmental ethics. Issues in natural resources mainly revolves round the problem related to the environment not because of the natural reason but for the human actions. The excessive consumption of natural resources, constant deforestation, fast increasing pollution in land, air and water and harming animals are the most consulted issues of environmental ethics (Thompson 2017). These issues are the threat not only to the non-human components of nature but affecting the lives of the human beings directly. Consumption of natural resources the natural environment has become the storehouse of resources from where the human beings are constantly robbing according to their needs. It is reserve of natural resources which are vita for serving the ecology of the environment. The unscrupulous depletion pf these resources is detrimental for the existence of life on earth. The constant exploitation of the natural resources has no limit but there is no way to replenish the within a short period. This method of replenishment is out of expertise of the human being but the undue usage of resources is fast increasing and living it to be an important issue of environmental ethics. Deforestation is another vital issue which has attracted attention of the environmentalist. The industrial processes along with urbanization are leading to the destruction of forests where the industrialist as well as the governments are destroying the forests living millions of animal and bird species without shelter and hungry. Moreover, the illegal mining processes are disrupting the ecological balance in some areas but no one is taking responsibility to restore these depleted resources. Environmental pollution is the chief result of the human action. The rising human population is the chief cause of increasing environmental pollution. The more human population is growing; the more natural resources are being demanded by them. Due to overpopulation the carrying capacity of the planet is exceeding. As mentioned before, due to urbanization a lot of trees are being cut down to build accommodation of the people for which the natural habitats if the animals in forest as well as birds are getting harmed. Huge constrictions are being built at the cost of the natural environment. The case studies associated with the mass killing of aquatic animals for food and increasing water pollution by the oil tanks, disclose the fact that the aquatic animals are in grave danger. However, the companies like clean cargo working group has been working to measure and improve the environmental performance of the ocean shipping (Bsr.org 2018). Harming animals has different aspects to discuss. First of all, the increasing pollution level is lowering the scope for sustenance of the animals. Water, soil and air wherever there is a presence of life, pollution is curbing their lifespan. Secondly, the increasing population is increasingly reducing the share of food of these animals which is ultimately killing them out of hunger. Last but not the least, the animals entering in the human territory for food are being killed along with the animals served as food items. As the recent data have revealed the climate change due to increasing pollution has been reducing the biodiversity (Wwf.panda.org 2018). Inherent values of environmental entities include two types of values namely, instrumental and intrinsic. The actual point of the study of environmental ethics is whether the non-human species have only an instrumental values or they also have intrinsic value like human beings. As Aristotle stated that the nature has made all the things only to serve the interest of man. This conforms with the aspect that the human beings only have the intrinsic value in the environment. From the anthropocentric viewpoint, the human is the superior who only have the right to use the natural resources and utilize the living beings to serve own propose (Wheeler 2017). These views however, never supported the destruction of biodiversity or environmental pollution but state that human must control over exploitation of the natural element only because these harm the human beings directly. Moreover, cruelty to the animals is wrong not for any ethical reason but the reason of resulting insensitivity. Accord ing to these perspectives, cutting of trees have no such ethical ground but feeling them will result to shortage of food for human being. According to the critics of anthropocentric views and Judeo Christian thinking, these theories separated the human beings from the nature which leads the human beings to exploit natural elements without realizing the intrinsic value of nature. As opposed to these views, there has been a new perspective where the environment is in the center of the universe. This eccentric view opines that the entire ecosystem is the most important even more valuable than the human beings. As this view believe that there is no difference between the non-human and the human beings in the nature. This means that the human being has no special place in the ecosystem and like all other plants, birds, animals and other natural components, the human being has similar inherent value. The concept of non-human rights argues that the humans as well as some of the animals have their rights to survive but the plants and other non-human components do not have certain rights (Npr.org 2018). This ideology is concerned with the fact that the matters which has rights are accepted to have existence whereas the plants are deprived of that acceptance and have no rights. On the contrary some critics feel that the plants have intrinsic value in the environment hence they must be entitled with respect and not only rights (O'Riordan 2014). The moral responsibility of the human beings is to secure the lives and safe sustenance for their next generation. Constant exploitation of non-renewable energy is causing the environmental degradation. These energies are fast reducing hence will to be available to the future generation. Hence there should be a perfect balance between the needs and the availability of the resources so that the future generation also can use them. Moreover, the moral obligation of the human beings is to secure the survival of the non-human entities by reducing pollution and protecting the species from extinguishing. Ethics and religion is closely connected to each other. Different religion has their own version of the origin of human beings and their utility in the environment. Every religion has different perspective to protect the interest of the environment as well as preserving nature. It is because of the fact that all of the elements of nature both living and non-living are created by the supreme power. In some religions such as Hinduism, certain animals and plants are worshipped for being sacred of a specific deity. The concept of nature worship is a way to conserve the natural environment which lay importance on both the human as well as non-human beings. Radical ecology is a further step from environmental ethics. It states that the ethics may not be sufficient to extend ethics to the non-human elements present in the environment and vital for bring in changes to survive and function. A number of ecologists are recommending the development of eco-philosophy though which the non-human elements will have intrinsic worth which is not dependent on the utility of the human beings. This principle believes in reducing the human intervention in the non-human environment which usually leads to destruction of biodiversity. The increasing ecological consciousness will obligate the people to protect the environment effectively. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a need of increasing ethics and morality to preserve the natural environment of the earth. There are different issues of the environmental ethics which needs to be solved immediately. The pollution due the actions of the human beings are causing global warming and climate change. This is the reason why a number of bird and animal species are being extinguished. However, the ecologists, environmentalists and biologists are trying to theorize these problems and change the course of actions through eco-philosophy. Establishing the rights of the non-human elements can be a solution to these problems. References: Bsr.org (2018).Environment | Topics | Case Studies | BSR. [online] Bsr.org. Available at: https://www.bsr.org/topics/case-studies/Environment [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. Npr.org (2018).Recognizing The Right Of Plants To Evolve. [online] NPR.org. Available at: https://www.npr.org/2012/10/26/160940869/recognizing-the-right-of-plants-to-evolve [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018]. O'Riordan, T. ed., 2014.Environmental science for environmental management. Routledge. Thompson, P.B., 2017.The spirit of the soil: Agriculture and environmental ethics. Taylor Francis. Wheeler, A., 2017. Outsider ethics and marginalized aesthetics: The value of contemporary environmental philosophies for designing sustainable architecture. Wwf.panda.org (2018).How many species are we losing?. [online] Wwf.panda.org. Available at: https://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/biodiversity/biodiversity/ [Accessed 26 Mar. 2018].

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