Life-Centered Perspective
The Justification of a Life-Centered Perspective Santa Cruz is a city known for its beach access and huge redwoods. These redwoods have lately come into an environmental debate regarding their co-existence with the lime kiln, and the subsequent new growth dominance of the redwoods over the kiln. In this 'nature v. culture' debate, arguments range as to whether or not the redwoods should overtake the kiln or be driven back by human intervention. Such human intervention looks to sustain what is to be considered a historical monument in the cement-creating kiln that helped re-build San Francisco in the 1906 quake. But human intervention not only determines the kiln's survival, it also establishes a practice of 'culture's' dominance over 'nature'. This reasoning - that humans are intrinsically more valuable than non-humans - details American idealism, which dominates the social and political arenas that control human society (and, thus nature). In laying out and representing the opposing ethical arguments, an answer will reasonably come forth as to whether or not this dominance of nature by culture is 'right', or whether our dominance over nature is just a manifestation of what humans want for their own interest. In doing s
This is reiterated by as Paul Taylor points out, human actions affecting the natural environment and its nonhuman inhabitants are right (or wrong) by either of two criteria: they have consequences which are favorable (or unfavorable to human well-being, or they are consistent (or inconsistent) with the system of norms that protect and implement human rights (Zimmerman 67). According to Leopold, "the land" refers to the internally related complex of organic and inorganic elements, such as plants, and animals, as well as soil and water. In finding these parallels of the two, Zimmerman warns us of the ecofacism that protrude in Germany, but moreover that the dominance of culture over nature is widespread across societies. In rebuttal, the interests of society may not always coincide with the interests of its parts. Leopold would seemingly argue against anthropocentric practices and the preservation of the kilns. In this sense, the organs that constitute the land serve and support the larger organism, or the 'human purpose' as it has been understood. In doing so, their well-being (as well as our well-being) is something to be realized as an end in itself (Taylor). Most environmentalists regard the 'takings' issue as spurious and are more concerned about the effects of the mentality of superiority, as this mentality of superiority and dominance over nature has taken heart with many individuals within society. Emphasizing that the idea of dominating nature has its primary source in the domination of human by human and through structuring the natural world into the hierarchical Chain of Being, human understanding of nature enables us to form the mentality of control and domination over nature. Let us fight back against human intention and save the redwoods. , the environmental protection law) should be equated with the dominant anthropocentric cultural paradigm of the western cultures oriented towards an un-limited material progress. o, anthropocentric views are reasoned to be unjust and nature is concluded to have equal beings with equal rights. According to this position, humans are intrinsically more valuable than nonhumans, but at least some nonhuman beings have a worth of their own and thus ought not to be treated merely as means for human ends. Subsequent philosophers concerned about environmental issues raise basic questions about humanity's relation with nature.
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Acceptance Essays
