Taylor

Question 1

Deontological approach

Answer 1

respect for nature - life centered

Question 2

All individual living things have inherent value

Answer 2

(177)

the good of a comunity is talked about as the average good of the individual members (179)

Question 3

three main parts of Taylor’s ethic of respect for nature

Answer 3

1. 4 part biocentric outlook belief system
2. ultimate moral attitude of respect
3. prima-facie rules of duty

Question 4

2 basic ideas necessary for biocentric outlook (178-179)

Answer 4

• good of a living thing
• inherent worth
• these ideas are closely tied to the i mportant point 3 of the four-part biocentric outlook

Question 5

Good of a living thing

Answer 5

1. can be benefited or harmed
2. the good is the full development of its biological powers (178)
3. can act as a being’s interest without it taking an interest in its well being (179)
4. is biological good defined in terms of surviving long enough to reproduce?

Question 6

inherent worth

Answer 6

principle of moral consideration

• every individual living thing, as a member of earth, is worthy of some moral consideration (180)
• principle of intrinsic value

Question 7

principle of intrinsic value

Answer 7

the realization of an organism’s good is intrinsically valuable (180)
- the good of the organism is prima-facie worthy of consideration

Question 8

attitude of respect for nature

Answer 8

• ultimate moral commitment (180)

- three traits of respect attitude (181)

Question 9

three traits of respect attitude (181)

Answer 9

1. disposition towards organism’s good
2. views actions that promote o’s good as obligatory
3. feelings of care for conditions favorable to organisms

Question 10

justifiability of the respect attitude

Answer 10

biocentic outlook is a belief system that cannot be proven

but it is a coherent philosophical world-view using scientific ideas (182)

Question 11

4 part biocentric outlook

Answer 11

1. humans are members of earth’s community of life
2. the natural world as an organic system
3. individual organisms as teleological centers of life. relates back to i nherent worth
4. the denial of human superiority

Question 12

humans as members of earth’s community of life

Answer 12

• humans are animal species
• all living things bound by genetic laws
• humans are very recent arrivals (184)
• human destruction might be good for the rest of nature

Question 13

Natural World As Organic System

Answer 13

• Biosphere is a complex unified web of interconnections.
• Ecological equilibrium crucial to well-being of animals and plants.
• See the important passage—holism is not a moral norm (p. 185).

Question 14

Teleological Centers of Life

Answer 14

• Deep understanding reveals “perspective” of other living things (186).
• Organisms have a biologically definable good..
  Example: the botanist!

Question 15

Taylor argues against 2 broad ways of asserting human superiority:

Answer 15

1. comparative merit judgements

2. greater inherent worth of humans

Question 16

comparative merit judgements

Answer 16

moral and non-moral

Question 17

the denial of human superiority

Answer 17

merit judgements: humans are superior because they excel in some capacity (187)
- what is the problem with this approach

Question 18

Humans have superior non-moral abilities that merit their superiority (187-188)

Answer 18

1. humans have distinctively human capacities such as reason, artistic abilites, and autonomy/choice
2. these capacities, when fully exercised, lead to the best kind of life possible (most superior life)
3. almost all animals and plants completely lack these capacities
4. therefore, humans are superior to, or better than, animals and plants

Question 19

valuable characteristics

Answer 19

• cheetahs don’t need reason, but excel in speed. dogs have excellent olfactory abilities
• cactus plants can live for long periods of time without water
• some trees can live hundreds of years

Question 20

Moral superiority? (188)

Answer 20

humans are morally superior to other living things because they have the capacity to be moral agents. they make moral choices, and make moral improvements

Question 21

Taylor’s reply

Answer 21

• animals and plants cannot be morally deficient (immoral)
• can’t apply moral standards to beings who lack moral capacities (217(
• so, the moral superiority argument is based on a conceptual confusion

Question 22

humans simply have greater inherent worth

Answer 22

• inherent worth different than merit (188)

- equality is key

Question 23

equality within human ethics:

Answer 23

reject idea that social class makes one a more valuable human

Question 24

3 traditions that defent greater inherent human worth

Answer 24

1. greek tradition
2. cartesian tradition
3. chain of being

Question 25

greed traditon

Answer 25

human reason (189) - humans have rational capacities other animals lack - assumes human life as valuable, does not prove it

Question 26

cartesian tradition

Answer 26

souls (190) - humans have immaterial souls lacking in other living things - how do we know about such souls? - why does being immaterial mean more valuable? - human perspective

Question 27

chain of being

Answer 27

closer to god (in his image) (190) - how does one know these claims? - if pure faith, then how could it be incumbent on those outside the traditon to believe it?

Question 28

connections

Answer 28

attitude of respect comes from denial of human superiority (191)

Question 29

Moral rights/competing claims

Answer 29

- Taylor does not want to say that all living things have rights. Why? - How do you settle conflicts between humans and other living things?

Question 30

Rules of conduct towards nature

Answer 30

1. the Rule of Nonmaleficence 2. the Rule of noninterference 3. the Rule of Fidelity

Question 31

the rule of nonmaleficence

Answer 31

do no harm

Question 32

the rule of noninterference

Answer 32

hands off

Question 33

the rule of fidelity

Answer 33

moral agents should not betray the "trust" placed in them

Question 34

Priority principles

Answer 34

1. principle of self-defense 2. principle of proportionality 3. principle of minimum wrong 4. principle of distributive justice 5. principle of restitutive justice

Question 35

The Principle of Self-Defense

Answer 35

a person is morally permitted to harm others in order to defend his/her life. Only take measures necessary to remove the threat.

Question 36

The Principle of Proportionality

Answer 36

Greater weight ought to be given to the basic interests of any organism than non-basic interests.

Question 37

The Principle of Minimum Wrong

Answer 37

When humans seek their special values (such as art, knowledge, etc), they should strive to minimize the wrong done to other organisms.

Question 38

The Principle of Distributive Justice

Answer 38

Competing basic interests should be satisfied fairly.

Question 39

The Principle of Restitutive Justice

Answer 39

Humans have an obligation to restore imbalances that they created between their interests and the basic interests of organisms.

Question 40

the key

Answer 40

the key issue is what constitutes a "basic" and "non-basic" interest