Literatur | Philosophie | Sprache
Siro Caruso, 2005 | Schmitten (Albula), GR
Throughout the history of environmental ethics, it has been debated over whether a radical new approach to ethics is necessary to address environmental issues or whether existing ethical systems suffice. Similarly, this paper examines the compatibility of six early modern philosophers with recent environmental ethics; this question arises from the fact that, on the one hand, environmental issues weren’t present during the early modern era, which, on the other hand, had a great impact on contemporary philosophical thought. Thus, the study examines the strengths and shortcomings of these six philosophers in relation to environmental ethics, as well as how their systems can be extended to provide answers to ethical questions concerning recent environmental issues more adequately. The six philosophers discussed are Baruch Spinoza, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Introduction
The study aims to assess whether certain early modern philosophers prove useless within the context of environmental ethics or can provide useful arguments. To do so, it answers the following questions: (I) What are the strengths and shortcomings of the early modern philosophers with regard to recent environmental ethics and (II) how can their philosophical systems be extended to answer ethical questions concerning recent environmental issues more adequately?
Methods
“In Dialogue with Nature” seeks to examine the compatibility of six early modern philosophers with the recent field of environmental ethics. To that end, it examines how their theories can be used to justify general environmental aims, such as conservation or intergenerational ethics, but also how they can be constructive for the theories of established names and movements in environmental ethics, such as Aldo Leopold, Deep Ecology or Environmental Pragmatism. To do so, it incorporates original ideas and connections and, most importantly, compares a wide range of scholarly literature on the topic. The list of the early modern philosophers comprises six canonical thinkers, i.e., Locke, Hume, Spinoza, Kant, Bentham, and Rousseau. The basis for analysing each early modern philosopher is centred on a reading of key works and relevant secondary literature.
Results
The critical analysis showed, firstly, that early modern philosophy needn’t be discarded in light of the current environmental crisis. All the philosophers on this list were able to ground an environmental ethic in diverse ways if you focus on certain aspects and, if need be, extend their system. Thus, these traditional philosophers can be helpful to address climate crises, despite them being a distinctively contemporary issue. Second, notions of ecocentrism and intrinsic value for all parts of the natural world are nonetheless foreign to the six philosophers. Third, however, the study clearly shows that there can be arguments for adopting an ethical attitude toward nature without there being this notion of intrinsic value. The case of Kant furthermore shows that an anthropocentric view can even imply an ethical attitude toward nature. Namely, animal cruelty and the wanton destruction of the environment can be considered violations of our direct duty to moral perfection. These points suggest that a new approach to ethics isn’t strictly necessary to develop an environmental ethic.
Discussion
Early modern philosophy and contemporary environmental ethics appear to belong to two very distinct eras of philosophy. For this reason, I risked being anachronistic by seeking to assess the compatibility of the two. However, whether a new approach to ethics is necessary for environmental ethics has been a debate for decades. Thus, it must be asked if traditional Western philosophy has something to offer environmental ethicists. Through an eclectic selection of topics in environmental ethics and an extensive array of secondary literature, I was able to answer this question with a wide, though by no means comprehensive, range of ideas.
Conclusions
Despite environmental crises being a contemporary issue, early modern philosophers can provide numerous arguments in line with environmental ethics and therefore prove to be useful in contemporary philosophical discourse on environmental questions. Nonetheless, this project only considers a limited number of early modern philosophers; an analysis of further thinkers and works would naturally enrich the study.
Würdigung durch den Experten
Mgr. David Rozen
Siro Caruso erforschte die Anwendbarkeit der Ideen klassischer Philosophen der Moderne im Kontext der Klimakrise und untersuchte, wie die heutige Umweltethik auf ihnen aufbaut. Durch eine sorgfältige Analyse der wichtigsten Primär- und Sekundärliteratur konnte er überzeugend die problematischen Aspekte der modernen Philosophie aufzeigen und gleichzeitig mögliche Wege vorschlagen, wie viele dieser oft kritisierten und abgelehnten Ideen neu interpretiert werden können, um aktuelle – und im Neuzeitalter unbekannte – Arten von ethischen Problemen, die sich aus der Klimakrise ergeben, anzugehen.
Prädikat:
hervorragend
Sonderpreis «Zukunft schreiben» gestiftet vom Ökozentrum
Schweizerische Alpine Mittelschule Davos, Davos-Platz
Lehrer: Dr. Gian Paolo Giudicetti
