Which Beings Deserve Ethical Consideration? – From the Sentience Criterion to the Life Criterion

Utilitas ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-204
Author(s):  
Shigeo Nagaoka
Keyword(s):  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Ethical Consideration ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Sentient Beings

There are a variety of arguments regarding which entities on earth have intrinsic value and therefore deserve ethical consideration. The thesis that only human beings have intrinsic value has waned considerably in recent years, mainly thanks to the efforts of animal liberationists. There now seems to be wide agreement that ethical consideration should be extended to entities beyond human beings. Disagreements are concerned with how far it should be extended: to animals with similar capacities to humans, to all sentient beings, or to all living beings, or even to the whole ecosystem?

scholarly journals Singerian Vegetarianism and the Limits of Utilitarianism: A path towards a Meaning Ethics

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 46-57
Author(s):  
Gabriel Vidal Quiñones
Keyword(s):  
Ethical Consideration ◽  
Peter Singer ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Moral Significance ◽  
Sentient Beings ◽  
Conceptual Resources

Correction: On 10th January 2017 the first author's name was changed  from Gabriel Vidal Vidal Quiñones TO Gabriel Vidal Quiñones on the website. The PDF was correct.The advent of the technological era put us in a radically different position against nature, because the whole biosphere can now be affected by our actions. Therefore, even though non-humans always had moral significance, only recently we start to realize their importance. So, we recognize them as morally significant much more than before. This brings a renewal to, and makes more patent than ever, the discussion over vegetarianism, since it challenges our view on the relation between human beings and other sentient beings. In Utilitarianism and Vegetarianism, Peter Singer tries to answer the question through the conceptual resources of utilitarianism. In contrast, we shall try to show that the issue of vegetarianism can start to be solved better in an ethical consideration that transcends the merely prescriptive.  

scholarly journals The “Intrinsic Value” of Cultural Heritage as Driver for Circular Human-Centered Adaptive Reuse

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3231
Author(s):  
Luigi Fusco Girard ◽  
Marilena Vecco
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Adaptive Reuse ◽  
Living Organism ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Model Concept ◽  
Investment Decision Making ◽  
Instrumental Values

By referring to the European Green Deal, this paper analyzes the “intrinsic value” of cultural heritage by investigating the human-centered adaptive reuse of this heritage. This implies questions such as how to improve the effectiveness of reuse, restoration, and valorization interventions on cultural heritage/landscapes and how to transform a cultural asset into a place, interpreted as a living ecosystem, to be managed as a living organism. The autopoietic characteristic of the eco-bio-systems, specifically focusing on the intrinsic versus instrumental values of cultural heritage ecosystem is discussed in detail. Specifically, the notion of complex social value is introduced to express the above integration. In ecology, the notion of intrinsic value (or “primary value”) relates to the recognition of a value that “pre-exists” any exploitation by human beings. The effectiveness of transforming a heritage asset into a living ecosystem is seen to follow from an integration of these two values. In this context, the paper provides an overview of the different applications of the business model concept in the circular economy, for a better investment decision-making and management in heritage adaptive reuse. Matera case is presented as an example of a cultural heritage ecosystem. To conclude, recommendations toward an integrated approach in managing the adaptive reuse of heritage ecosystem as a living organism are proposed.

scholarly journals Religious Epistemologis: Evidentialisme dan Eksklusivisme Humanist

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 11-20
Author(s):  
Muliadi Muliadi
Keyword(s):  
Human Beings ◽  
Sentient Beings

This article seeks to explain about the spiritual model as an effort that is passed and taken by humans in understanding and achieving Something Absolute, namely God. The method used is reflective analysis, which describes deeply and comprehensively the potential inherent in human beings that is used in understanding the existence of self and God. Human definitions are very diverse, including: socio-political beings, thinking beings, sentient beings, even godly beings. All of these definitions reinforce that humans are creatures. While the object sought by humans is something that is outside and inside him. In its search, humans exploit the potential of knowledge inherent in themselves, starting from the simplest with empirical experience, then rationalist knowledge, to religious-spiritualist knowledge. With the perfection of potential and knowledge achieved, human beings are placed in two functions that must not be broken, namely to strengthen their pertical and horizontal relationships. This pertikal relationship is a form of exclusivity with his Lord, while his horizontal form is sincere dedication because he is with his fellow humans and his nature.                                                             

scholarly journals Human Rights without Objective Intrinsic Value

Labyrinth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 10
Author(s):  
Víctor Cantero-Flores ◽  
Roberto Parra-Dorantes
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Rational Explanation ◽  
In Virtue Of ◽  
Problematic Feature

The current predominant conception of human rights implies that human beings have objective intrinsic value. In this paper, we defend that there is no satisfactory justification of this claim. In spite of the great variety of theories aimed at explaining objective intrinsic value, all of them share one common problematic feature: they pass from a non-evaluative proposition to an evaluative proposition by asserting that a certain entity has intrinsic value in virtue of having certain non-evaluative features. This is a step that cannot be justified. In light of this negative result, we offer a radically different approach to intrinsic value. Our proposal reinterprets the claim that human beings have intrinsic value in terms of a commitment to value human beings intrinsically. This commitment provides both objective practical reasons for, and a rational explanation of, efforts aimed at defending and promoting human rights, without need to appeal to the existence of objective intrinsic value.  

scholarly journals UNDERSTANDING YOGASUTRA: A FRAMEWORK FOR ECOLOGICAL VIRTUE ETHICS

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 270-279
Author(s):  
P.S. Sreevidya
Keyword(s):  
Virtue Ethics ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Research Paper ◽  
Life Forms ◽  
Ethical Principles ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Mind ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Relationship

This is an endeavor to seek the possibilities of the application of ethical principles of yoga in present day of ecological issues. The relevance of this research paper is evident from the fact that ecological issues are not only scientific but also an ethical and this research paper is reliable and informative in the extent that it seeks to challenge the existing relationship between human beings and nature with the description of the present crisis of ecology as a crisis of human-nature relationship. To talk of ecological issues signifies that most of the issues may occur because of the attitude and behavior patterns of man towards environment. The confluence of ethical principles of yoga and ecology offer profoundly relevant response to the ecological issues and brings forth an ecological virtue ethics, which care for all natural entities with main focus of the relationship between man and environment. It offer systematic framework for understanding the traits of character and types of action that cause problems for environment. Yoga approach on ecology is intrinsic in nature, which includes moral expansionism that tries to expand outward from human centered ethics towards animals and sentient life in general. All life forms of plants and animals are interrelated and have an intrinsic value. Ethical principles of yoga give greater importance to the attitude of the mind rather than on postulation of the elaborate theories of what is right and wrong.  So the virtues of yoga ethics would be used as a remedy towards changing an attitude of the common man towards his environment.

scholarly journals Ecology as a New Foundation for Natural Theology

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 660
Author(s):  
Andreas Gonçalves Lind ◽  
Bruno Nobre
Keyword(s):  
Common Ground ◽  
Natural Theology ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Value Of Nature ◽  
Viable Approach ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Universal Reason ◽  
Nietzschean Critique

The erosion of metaphysics that began in Modernity has led to the discredit of the whole project of natural theology as a means to reach God, establish the classical divine attributes, and account for divine action. After the deconstruction of classical metaphysics propelled by thinkers associated with the Protestant tradition and by philosophers affiliated with the Nietzschean critique, it may appear that only an apophatic approach to God would then be possible. However, the attempt to establish a consensual foundation for the theological discourse has not lost its relevance. In this sense, the attempts to revitalize natural theology are most welcome. It would be naive, however, to think that approaches to natural theology based on classical metaphysics will easily gather consensus. This will not happen. The departing point for a renewed and credible approach to natural theology cannot be the theoretical universal reason associated with Modernity, which is no longer acknowledged as a common ground. As such, a viable approach to natural theology has to find a new consensual starting point. The goal of this article is to argue that the emergence of a new ecological urgency and sensibility, which nowadays gather a high degree of consensus, offers an opportunity for the renewal of natural theology. It is our aim: (i) to show the extent to which God grounds the intrinsic value of nature, which, as such, deserves respect, and (ii) to suggest that the reverence for nature may naturally lead contemporary human beings to God.

scholarly journals The Place of Human Beings in the Natural Environment - Aristotle’s Philosophy of Biology and the Dominant Anthropocentric Reading of Genesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-225
Author(s):  
Giulia Mingucci
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Philosophy Of Biology ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Western Tradition ◽  
Philosophical Debate

In a seminal essay from 1967, historian Lynn White, Jr., argues that the profound cause of today’s environmental crisis is the anthropocentric perspective, embedded in the Christian “roots” of Western tradition, which assigns an intrinsic value to human beings solely. Though White’s thesis relies on a specific tradition – the so-called “dominant anthropocentric reading” of Genesis – the idea that anthropocentrism provides the ideological basis for the exploitation of nature has proven tenacious, and even today is the ground assumption of the historical and philosophical debate on environmental issues. This paper investigates the possible impact on this debate of a different kind of anthropocentrism: Aristotle’s philosophy of biology. The topic is controversial, since it involves opposing traditions of interpretations; for the purpose of the present paper, the dominant anthropocentric reading of Gen. 1.28 will be analyzed, and the relevant passages from Aristotle’s De Partibus Animalium, showing his commitment to a more sophisticated anthropocentric perspective, will be reviewed.

scholarly journals Listening to Horses

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 207-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Dashper
Keyword(s):  
Moral Responsibility ◽  
Human Activities ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Multispecies Ethnography ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Animal Use ◽  
Vulnerable Subjects ◽  
Human Participants ◽  
Sentient Beings

The involvement of nonhuman animals in human sport and leisure raises questions about the ethics of animal use (and sometimes abuse) for human pleasure. This article draws on a multispecies ethnography of amateur riding in the United Kingdom to consider some ways in which human participants try to develop attentive relationships with their equine partners. An ethical praxis of paying attention to horses as individual, sentient beings with intrinsic value beyond their relation to human activities can lead to the development of mutually rewarding interspecies relationships and partnerships within sport. However, these relationships always develop within the context of human-centric power relations that position animals as vulnerable subjects, placing moral responsibility on humans to safeguard animal interests in human sport and leisure.

The recovery of tradition

2019 ◽  
pp. 61-78
Author(s):  
Lenore T. Ealy
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Corporations ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Human Action ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Family ◽  
Shared Culture ◽  
Edward Shils ◽  
American Society ◽  
American Civil Society

Scholars have increasingly conceptualized American civil society as a realm of mediating structures that humanize our lives by shielding us from the power of society’s megastructures (whether the State or multinational corporations).  This focus on structural position and the work of “mediation” has tended to crowd out an alternative exploration of the family, faith communities, clubs, and voluntary associations rooted in an exploration of their custodial and creative functions in relationship to the traditions through which American society persists.  This chapter draws upon Edward Shils’ seminal work, Tradition, to argue that the essential function of these social institutions is to renew the patterns of belief and conduct that guide human action and enable the re-enactment of such patterns across generations.  It highlights the importance of Shils’ understanding of the intrinsic value and authority of traditionality in light of the ultimate frailty and insufficiency of rationality by itself in enabling human beings to solve the important problems that confront them individually and as participants in a shared culture. 

Valuing Wild Nature

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Cafaro
Keyword(s):  
Wild Species ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Important Goal ◽  
Environmental Movements ◽  
Per Se

Preserving wild nature has been an important goal of the conservation and environmental movements throughout their existence. The reasons given for preserving wild species and wild places sometimes focus on the benefits to human beings and sometimes on the intrinsic value of wild things themselves. In either case, more or less emphasis may be given to wildness per se as a direct value-conferring property. Though nature lovers have won many battles, overall we are losing the war to preserve the wild. Little wild nature will remain a century from now unless humanity consciously and forcefully commits to limiting our numbers and our economic demands on the biosphere. For those who place a high value on wild nature, creating societies that preserve wildness on the landscape remains a key, ineliminable component of a proper environmentalism.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document