Two important

environmental concepts
Deep ecology and
Utilitarianism

Deep Ecology
Arne Naess (1973) a Norwegian Philosopher,
describes a philosophical method of inquiry
that sought deeper relationships to the natural
world, that viewed humans are embedded in
nature, rather than separate from nature.
Negative human intervention through the use
of pesticide
sought to combine the ecological awareness
with the Gandhian non-violence principles.

What does deep signify?

Deep experience
Deep questioning
Deep commitment
Ecological wisdom as a way of being,
thinking, and acting in the world.

Deep ecology gave

importance to

Intrinsic value of life including nonhuman

life to be cultivated through the process of
self-realization
Understanding the interconnectedness and
recognizing human dependence on other
life
The ecological self

Eight points of deep ecology

1. all life has value in itself, independent of its
usefulness to humans
2. richness and diversity contribute to lifes wellbeing and have value in themselves
3. humans have no right to reduce this richness
and diversity except to satisfy their vital needs in
a responsible way
4. the impact of humans is excessive and rapidly
getting worse
5. human life-style and population are the key
elements of this impact

Conti..
6. the diversity of life, including cultures,
can flourish only with reduced human
impact
7. basic ideological, political and economic,
and the technological structures must
therefore change,
8. those who accept the foregoing points
have an obligation to participate in
implementing the necessary changes and
to do so peacefully and democratically.

Utilitarianism
It is an ethical doctrine
the greatest good for greatest number.
Jeremy Bentham
Human well-being must be defined by the
individual
Subjective wellbeing as pleasure or happiness
and the absence of pain.
John Stuart Mill disputed stating that whether
all happiness counts equally or whether some
forms of happiness is higher and worth more.

Contemporary Utilitarianism
Peter Singer subjective wellbeing
as preference satisfaction.
What people actually want should be
given importance.

Conventional division
Act utilitarian vs Rule utilitarian
AU each act ought to be judged according to
best option that the agent chooses which would
lead to the greatest well being.
RU the criterion of maximizing wellbeing
should be applied to rules for conduct, which
should then be followed on practice without
consideration of the effect on well being of each
application. E.g. Never tell a lie

About utilitarian
Utilitarians recognize no foundational role for
rights ( though utilitarian may grant them
instrumental usefulness), because it may be
necessary to violate someones alleged rights
for the greater good.
No credibility to act-omission distinction it is
worse to do something bad than fail to stop an
equivalent bad thing, because the rightness
and wrongness of action is simply a function of
the wellbeing it produces.

Environmental Applications
Gifford Pinchot applies it to conservation of
natural resources greatest good for the greatest
number for the longest time.
Emphasizes the thesis of sustainability
Utilitarianism is one of the foundations for welfare
economics and cost-benefit analysis.
Peter Singers (preference utilitarianism )
emphasizes wellbeing of all creatures that were
able consciously experience wellbeing.

 Thank you.