Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [environmental-philosophy]

philosophical approaches to the non-human world or the environment of human beings

This tag covers both descriptive (concerning how things are) and normative (about how things ought to be) philosophical approaches to the nonhuman world, thought about it, and representations of it. This can include environmental ethics but also topics like the metaphysics of nature.

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My CO2 emissions in the light of Russia burning thousands of tons of it a day

According to the news, Russia is burning off, or "flaring," about 4.34 million cubic meters of gas a day because it does not sell it to Europe. That's apparently an equivalent of 9,000 tonnes of CO2. Is not any CO2 I could ever emit by driving a…
user14511
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Why should almost extinct animals be protected from going extinct?

The feeling that it's "sad" if a species dies out seems to be coming from an aesthetic point of view how the world should be. But is there a rationality behind it? The only rational reason I was able to come up with is that more variety gives more…
Nikolaj-K
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How can we defend conservation on a species level?

Background Many conservation measures in environmental biology such as the IUCN red list or measures against invasive species are done on the level of species rather than on the level of individuals. Often, individuals of a invasive species are…
COOLSerdash
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What is the scope of Utilitarianism?

Utilitarianism can be used to explain all kinds of environmental protection measures quite well. For example, it can be used to justify why individual factories must clean their wastewater and not simply dispose of it in the nearest lake from which…
user63056
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What philosophies are current ecologist trends based upon?

This [1] site (there are probably hundreds) lists several ecological-preservation-environmental french certifications. Looking at the contents of some of them, it would appear that they agree on certain principles, which are not necessarily valid in…
RodolfoAP
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Kill the last of a species to save one child?

On 30 May 2016 a gorilla was killed after a small child fell into its enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo. The type of gorilla was a Western Lowland Gorilla, which are endangered. Now, what if the situation was this: The gorilla was the last male of the…
RoastBeast
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Which fallacy is it to justify doing something because the effect of one's own actions is small?

I had a debate with a friend regarding his uprooting of interesting plants in a woodland. He argued that it's a big forest and he only took a few plants, so doesn't cause much damage. He also believes that it's his right to forage 'as nature…
Ken J
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What are some arguments for that humans are more important than animals?

Imagine a man has fallen into a tiger cage. The tiger specimen is in danger of extinction. You can: Kill the tiger and save the man. Do nothing and let the tiger kill the man. By killing the tiger, you are endangering the existence of the tiger…
user18724
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Ethics of Genetically Modified Organisms

I had a conversation with old friend of mine regarding genetically modified food (specifically transgenic crops/animals), and their stance was that It's just wrong to put stuff from one animal/plant into another Right now, I see no way of…
Lucas
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Has the concept of bodily integrity been discussed in the context of the human-nature relationship?

Human rights and many constitutions protect humans' bodily integrity. The concept is regularly linked to personal autonomy, freedom of movement and choice (Wikipedia). The idea that the origin and scope of human action are that centred on the human…
sba222
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Gaia and entelechy?

James Lovelock controversially proposed the Gaia hypothesis in the 1970s which outraged certain sensibilities because of its implicit teleology (I recall being outraged by it when I read about it thirty years in an article in New Scientist as it…
Mozibur Ullah
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Do climate ethics exist beyond the earth?

We will be placing a manned base on the moon within the decade, if plans work out correctly. We already have a manned space station. We are making plans for a manned mission to Mars as well. The definition of ecology precludes any consideration for…
Vogon Poet
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How much acceptable is the idea that humans dominate other species on earth?

When we say that humans dominate other species on earth, it looks like a one-sided story written by humans themselves. Because we don't have any understanding how animals or insects look at that dominance. Do we know for sure, that all the animals…
Vishwas
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Is it ok to exterminate species if it is 'invasive'?

I have watched video on youtube where guy pours molten aluminium into fire ant colony to make casing. In the comments below there's huge discussion on is that a right thing to do. Main argument on the opposing side is that ants do not feel pain -…
Matas Vaitkevicius
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How do people against speciesism see production chains?

Sorry in advance if this type of question isn't permitted here. This is a genuinely curious question, not teasing anyone. And I know, the following text is pretty messy, but so are my thoughts about the topic right now. I've been puzzled these days…
Jp_
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