HL.c Ethics

Question 1

Define environmental ethics?

Answer 1

A branch of philosophy that studies the relationships between humans and the natural world, and the moral obligations humans have towards the environment.

Ethics are moral principles that given a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activty.

Question 2

Scenario 1: Endangered Species vs. Local livelihoods

Answer 2

A small, impoverished fishing village depends on fishing for its primary income. The local fish population includes a species recently added to the endangered list due to overfishing. Conservationists and the government want to enforce a fishing ban on this species to protect it. However, the villagers argue that the ban would severely impact their livelihoods, as this particular fish is their main source of income.

Dilemma:
Should the government and conservationists enforce the ban to protect the endangered species, potentially causing economic hardship for the village, or should they allow the fishing to continue, risking the extinction of the species?

Question 3

Scenario 2: Development vs Environmental Preservation

Answer 3

A company proposes a new resort development in a coastal area known for its biodiversity, including coral reefs, mangroves, and a variety of marine life. The development promises to bring economic growth and job opportunities for the local community, who currently face high unemployment rates. However, environmental groups warn that the construction and increased tourism could severely damage the fragile ecosystem, potentially leading to the loss of marine biodiversity and damaging coastal resilience.

Dilemma:
Should the resort development go ahead, benefiting the local economy and creating jobs, but likely harming the environment, or should it be stopped to protect the ecosystem, at the cost of economic opportunities for the community?

Question 4

Define what virtue ethics is?

Answer 4

Focuses on the character of the person doing the action. It assumes that good people will do good actions and bad people will do bad actions. It might be judged that respect, compassion and responsibility are virtuous approaches to the natural.

Question 5

Define consequentialist ethics?

Answer 5

the view that the consequence of an action determine the morality of the action. In consequentialist ethics, actions with good consequences are good actions, and actions with bad consequences are bad actions. Morally good actions are those that result in the greatest common good. The intention of the action does not affect the morality of the action; it is simply a matter of the outcome.

Question 6

Define rights-based ethics?

Answer 6

focus on the actions and whether they conflict with the rights of other. There is debate about what these rights might be. For example, if one believes that ethical rules come from a religious text and the text states that killing animals is wrong, then one might consider killing animals for food to be ethically incorrect because it conflicts with the rights of the animals.

Question 7

Difference between instrumental and intrinsic values?

Answer 7

Instrumental: refers to the worth of something based on its usefulness or utility in achieving a specific goal or purpose. It is valued for the benefits or outcomes it can produce, rather than for its own sake.

Intrinsic: refers to the inherent worth of something, independent of its utility or usefulness. It is valued for its own sake, regardless of any external benefits it may provide.

Question 8

Examples of instrumental and intrinsic values?

Answer 8

Instrumental:
- knowledge
- population of oriental pied hornbills
- health
- decomposers processing waste
- education
- food
- clear air
- biodiversity
- water

Intrinsic:
- music
- time spent in nature
- creative inspiration
- natural beauty
- landscapes
- relationships with family
- personal happiness
- skills and talents

Question 9

Whaling: A war of values

Answer 9

How does the cultural importance of whaling for indigenous communities reflect intrinsic value, and how does this contrast with the instrumental value of whaling in commercial contexts?
Whaling is an intrinsic value for indigenous people as it is part of their culture to gift a whale in traditions. However, for other countries, whaling used for commercial and used to sell meat, making it an instrumental value.

In what ways can the conservation of whale populations be seen as having both instrumental value (for ecosystems and human interests) and intrinsic value (the value of whales themselves)?
Whales play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, nutrient cycling, and biodiversity which supports human interests such as fisheries and ocean health. It also embodies intrinsic values by recognizing that whales deserve protection

Question 10

What are the key arguments for and against using animals in research aimed at improving human welfare? How do these arguments reflect different ethical perspectives?

Answer 10

Diseases can have serious side effects. Unethical to expose people to viruses.
Alternative to humans but not ‘ethical’ as they are living organisms being experimented on.

Question 11

How do you define “moral standing,” and what criteria do you believe should be used to determine whether an entity has moral standing?

Answer 11

Has been seen as binary, believe humans have moral status and other didn’t,
An entity that’s worthy of suffering determines if it has moral standing or not.
Refers to the status of an entity that warrants consideration in moral decision-making. Criteria determining moral standing might include the capacity for suffering, self-awareness, the ability to form social bonds.

Question 12

How does the concept of short-termism affect our role in addressing climate change?

Answer 12

We are the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change.
Leads to the focus on immediate concerns and benefits, often neglecting the long term.

Question 13

What is fallacy?

Answer 13

Is an error in reasoning or logic that undermines the validity of an argument.
Faulty assumptions, mininterpretations, or irrelevant conclusions.

Question 14

What does the appeal to nature fallacy assume about natural and unnatural things?

Answer 14

Something is natural it is good. Assumes things are inherently better than unnatural or man-made things.

Question 15

What is environmental justice?

Answer 15

The principle that all people and communities deserve equal protection from environmental hazards and equal access to healthy environments, ensuring fair treatment and meaningful involvement in the environmental decisions regards of race, color, national origin, or, income.

Question 16

What is the link between social justice and environmental movements?

Answer 16

There is a parallel issue of human superiority over nature with other types of exploitation. Environmental justice can give marginalized groups a voice that can increase the likelihood of local governments acting on their behave.