Epistemic Virtue And The Ecological Crisis Analysis

“The fact of the matter is that today, stuff-selling mega-corporations have a huge influence on our daily lives. And because of the competitive nature of our global economy, these corporations are generally only concerned with one thing…the bottom line. That is, maximizing profit, regardless of the social or environmental costs.” —David Suzuki

The only way he could make this possible was by doing it on his own terms. As he made sure his employees were able to come to work when they wanted and dress however they pleased, he also wanted to help the deterioration of the natural world. “I saw the deterioration first with my own eyes, when I returned to climb or surf or fish in places I knew, like Nepal, Africa or Polynesia, and saw what had happened in the few years since I’d last been there” (Sustainability 344). One way he knew that he could reduce this problem, was through the company.

Likewise and the topic of this paper Solomon provides a thorough discussion of the problems of the present global economy. In his essay Solomon provides three mind-wrenching questions that questions and supports his methods of economic reform. The first question of “is it possible to engage in the pursuit of wealth without succumbing to greed and selfishness?” brings the topic of morality when it comes to wealth (108). Sallie McFague brings an argument stating that human beings are people filled with emotions of self-interest and will do whatever it takes to become wealthy. In the grand scheme of things this innate self-interest that is within people makes it extremely tough for countries to follow certain Jewish laws that he provided. McFague’s solution of moving towards an ecological economic system makes it tough on countries as well because it will force them to forget about their self-interest and learn to understand that they are dependent upon each other. McFague states, “ecological economics claims we

It is a general consensus that from an economic perspective that businesses are expected to benefit shareholders and contribute to society through value maximization. Milton Freidman, however, takes this a step further by asserting that this is the basis of moral behavior for businesses and that they act immorally when they diminish profit by trying to assume other “social responsibilities” instead of letting greater population do that on their own. Although this philosophy would ideally maximize both profit and the amount of money that people could contribute to the social cause of their choice, it does not work as efficiently in a society where there a large portion of society is not in a place to focus on social issues. When this situation is viewed from the perspective of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, it is evident that until substantial gains are made in the quality of life in the general population, Freidman’s position will not result in social responsibility. Andrew Carnegie unknowingly takes the hierarchy of needs into account when he counters Freidman’s position in the Gospel of Wealth. In his work, Carnegie argues that the proper way to maximize the efficiency of social causes is for elite businessmen make the choices that many others are

In the introduction of Andrew Light and Holmes Rolston’s book , Environmental Ethics: An Anthology, the authors explain the basic concepts of ethics: more specifically environmental ethics, and how they apply to everyday life. The main concepts discussed include moral agents, moral patients, anthropocentrism, weak or broad anthropocentrism, indirectly morally considerable, and directly morally considerable. These concepts are the foundations to the environmental ethics that Light and Rolston wrote about; however, in regards to the short story written by J. Lanham titled: “Hope and Feathers: A crisis in birder identification,” the two terms most predominately relating to the text are moral patients and moral agents. Lanham, in this text, describes the epitome of what it means to be a good moral agent, as interpreted by Light and Rolston, where others failed.

“In the state of nature, Profit is the measure of Right”(Hobbes). This quote is talking about the nature people, and how they measure if something is “right” based on how profitable it is for them. As Thomas Hobbes did, I believe that people are generally selfish and will only try to benefit themselves as shown in the article “The Dying Girl No One Helped” where a girl was stabbed and no one helped her even though people saw her dying.

In Wealth of Nations, self-interest seems to be synonymous with selfishness, and be the driving force of capitalism and the necessary ingredient for personal and economic wealth. This is, however, and partial and superficial view. Although in Wealth of Nations Smith does declare that human’s primary motive for most actions is self-love, all of their actions are still made within the moral parameters of society, which were created because of sympathy. A man, for example, will not pursue his self-interest at any cost to the people around him. He has to be ethical and fair in his interactions in order to be seen as morally and socially acceptable. In this way an understanding of, and cooperation with the sympathetic nature of society proves to further one’s self-interests. Therefore, to act morally and sympathetically is in fact an act out of self-interest.

Not Business As Usual is a documentary that explores the beginnings of “conscious capitalism” and its unintentional price of success. The film offers an alternative view of businesses by tracking the movement of a few entrepreneurs that aspire to include social and environmental considerations in addition to seeking profit in their businesses. A free market for goods and services, capitalism is substantial. It drives innovation, progress, and prosperity. However, should “profit” be the only metric to measure success?

Many firms are learning that being environmentally friendly and sustainable has numerous benefits. (O.C Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2015). This could enable them to increase goodwill from various stakeholders and also save money in the long term. This will mean that they are being more efficient and less wasteful of resources, which will enable them to be more competitive by satisfying stakeholders. The CEO of

DiCaprio includes several appeals to ethos, logos, and pathos throughout his speech to convey that environmental problems need resolution. Although he is not a scientist, DiCaprio builds his ethos through saying, “I am not a scientist, but I don’t need to be.” He recognizes that resolving environmental damage doesn’t have to fall in the hands of only the science community. Therefore, he takes initiative by presenting himself as a concerned human being with only the thought of making the Earth cleaner. Additionally, he uses logos by stating not only facts but also bringing attention to information that should already be obvious. After talking about way to improve our environment through economy, he states, “The economy will die if our ecosystems collapse.” As the economy relies on the environment for it's resources that later facilitate trade, only a healthy environment can maintain a steady economy. In addition, DiCaprio uses pathos throughout his speech to invoke fear and guilt. Most notably in his speech, he states, “And solving this crisis is not a question of politics. It is our moral obligation...” He points out that despite knowing the Earth is changing in a negative way, people would rather choose to fight each other instead of tackle the environmental problems themselves. And as a result of the human ability’s failure to separate political views aside from bigger problems, the future generations on the Earth will

First, he develops ethos by building credibility and trustworthiness. Not only is he an environmental activist, but an award winning actor as well. The notable man’s success helps appeal to audiences, because if people admire his work in the film industry, then they’ll potentially become more fascinated in his work dedicated to preserving biodiversity and supporting renewable energy. DiCaprio’s ethos is established by demonstrating that he hopes to make a difference. Additionally, he uses logical reasoning in order to appeal to logos. Quoting Abraham Lincoln in the beginning and end of his speech signifies how critical climate change is, because he makes an allusion to the Civil War. DiCaprio incorporates personal experiences into his speech as well, including impressions from some of the countries he visited. While comparing today’s struggle to those of the 19th century, the environmental activist brings to light the importance of protecting this planet. Moreover, an appeal to pathos is created by the use of vivid, emotional evidence. The audience feels sympathy and fear due to the detailed descriptions of the industrial pollution in China, the deforestation of Canada, the glaciers melting in Greenland, the flooding throughout India, and the droughts raging across the United

Environmental worldviews are how people think the world works, where they fit, and how they think ethically and morally. These views can be human centred, earth-centered or a combination of the two(Tucker and Grim, 1994).

In Paul Taylor’s essay, “The Ethics for Respect for Nature,” he argues that… In this paper I will first describe Taylor’s concept of “respect for nature.” I will then explain the part this attitude plays in rationally grounding a biocentric outlook on environmental ethics. Lastly, I will present Rosalind Hursthouse’s criticism of Taylor’s view, and state how Taylor might respond to this criticism.

The inspiration for environmental ethics was the first Earth Day in 1970 when environmentalists started urging philosophers who were involved with environmental groups to do something about environmental ethics. An intellectual climate had developed in the last few years of the 1960s in large part because of the publication of two papers in Science: Lynn White's "The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis" (March 1967) and Garett Hardin's "The Tragedy of the Commons" (December 1968). Most influential with regard to this kind of thinking, however, was an essay in Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac, "The Land Ethic," in which Leopold explicitly claimed that the roots of the ecological

Ethics is the study of what is right and wrong in human conduct. Environmental ethics studies the effects of human’s moral relationships on the environment and everything within it (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2008). The ethical principles that govern those relations determine human duties, obligations, and responsibilities with regard to the Earth’s natural environment and all of the animals and plants that inhabit it (Taylor, 1989). The purpose of this paper is to reveal environmental issues that are threatening the existence of life on Earth, and discus our social obligations to refrain from further damaging our environment, health and life for future generations. I will discus the need for appropriate actions and the ethical