Environmental Ethics: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #585

by Robin Attfield

Environmental ethics is a relatively new branch of philosophy, which studies the values and principles involved in combatting environmental problems such as pollution, loss of species and habitats, and climate change. As our environment faces evermore threats from human activities these core issues are becoming increasingly important.

In this Very Short Introduction Robin Attfield traces the origins of environmental ethics as a discipline, and considers how it defends the independent value of living creatures, and the need to make decisions informed by the needs and interests of future generations. Exploring the diverse approaches to ethical decisions and judgements, he highlights the importance of making processes of production and consumption sustainable and of addressing human population levels, together with policies for preserving species, sub-species, and their habitats. Along the way Attfield discusses different movements such as Deep Ecology, Social Ecology, the Environmental Justice movement and the Green movement, and also considers the attitudes to the environment of the world's religions, including the approach from the major religions and the contributions of the indigenous religions of Asia, Africa and North America. Analyzing the current threat of climate change, and proposals for climate engineering,
he demonstrates how responsibility for the environment ultimately lies with us all, from states and corporations to individuals, and emphasizes how concerted action is required to manage our environment ethically and sustainably.

ABOUT THE The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Environment, Science, Contemporary

137 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in environmental ethics as a field, this would be a good introduction to see if it is something that you would like to pursue. Additionally, you can pick up the terms that are relevant to the field, which will help you find journal articles and books of a more academic nature in the field. If you already have a background in ethics, you could probably skip this though.

[Izzy Oliver]

Read for Enviro Politics and Christian Ethics

[jzthompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was really frustrating, lots of valuable information but badly structured ('more on this in chapter eight') and pedantically argued ('one does not have to agree with Lovelock's conception of planetary systems to engage...') I struggled with what should have been gripping.

[Roma Itaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Det er desværre en kedelig bog. Jeg søgte en introduktion til de forskellige etiske tanker ift. miljø og menneskets forhold til naturen. Bogen giver også en introduktion til netop dette, men ikke på tilfredsstillende vis. Attfield har nemlig tilmed et stort fokus på at forklare den historiske kontekst for disciplinen, og dermed mister man, især i så kort en bog, mange sider på det, som er mere vigtigt (for det som jeg skulle bruge bogen til). Derudover bruges der også (for) mange sider på at beskrive specifikke fysiske processer, og på at forklare hvordan man har brugt naturens ressourcer i mere kemiske termer. Men sidstnævnte tror jeg bare, er den måde man gør det på inden for dette område - i meget af den litteratur jeg har læst, gør man i hvert fald også dette.

Jeg havde, som man nok kan fornemme, forestillet mig en introduktion med større og mere dybdegående fokus på det filosofiske og etiske. Desværre berører den kun lige overfladen, og man står ikke meget klogere tilbage, ligesom man gør efter at have læst i andre A Very Short Introduction, som ellers er anbefalelsesværdige. Det kan i stedet anbefales, at man gennemgår Stanfords artikel om emnet i deres encyklopædi: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/et...

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An admirably concise overview of environmental ethics covering the highlights of the field and how the three main schools of ethics (plus contractualism) address them. I didn't find any new topics or directions of inquiry, as I was hoping. So this is certainly only a very broad introduction. But the concision comes at the cost of comprehensiveness. I think quite a lot of this is predicated on the reader already being quite familiar with a lot of philosophy and a lot of environmental policy - so I imagine someone relatively new to the topic would be very confused by a lot of it. I was confused myself about several of the assumptions and premises underlying some of the authors' philosophical argumentation, and there's no space to explain those. Still, I imagine that a fresh reader would find many directions to go in from this starting point.

[Marina Alarcón · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro book to ethics in environmentalism, or why and how to best care for the environment from an ethical standpoint.

I liked his comparison of different ethical positions in environmental movements (biocentrism vs ecocentrism vs anthropocentrism; or value ethics vs consequentialism) and which ones are most useful. I also liked his emphasis on considering impact on future generations (of humans and other species) just as much as the present ones.

However, his take on ecofeminism was very disappointing.

Regardless, it’s a good book to understand how the concept of caring for the environment has been evolving, and the different approaches environmentalists have to it.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not have a particularly strong background in philosophy or ethics, however this book has been very accessible.
It was a good thought provoking read, and allowed me to assess some of my views and where they may have developed from.

[Tom Milton · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting overview of some ethical considerations about the environment.
First very short introduction book I have read.
It leaves me wanting to learn more about the individual points briefly covered, perhaps that is the goal.

[Berke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very western view on environmentalism, did not like at all

[Mira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant onderwerp en themas, maar de schrijfstijl maakt het enigszins lastig te volgen

[Maddy Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class defo learned a lot but the structure was a bit all over the place

[Lauren]

read for conservation ethics

brief introduction to environmental ethics. a little dense and too much input from the author

[Marta Johansson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kompakt. Skriven på ett onödigt komplicerat sätt? Saknade vissa filosofiska frågor, som en diskussion om individers vs gruppers ansvar och argumentet att jag inte gör någon skillnad.

[Fiamma]

Author is anti natalist.

[Gaia Bedini · Rating 2 out of 5]

The absence of any reference to Indigenous activism and Indigenous Studies is embarrassing (especially when addressing stewardship). Ecofeminism is relegated to not more than 2 pages while the authors decides to embark on a Pindaric flight over Christianity (without any strong correlation to the topic in my opinion) for more than an entire Chapter. I personally believe that the subject is only studied from one obsolete perspective and fails to grasp the complexities of the matter and new contributions to the subject of environmental ethics (not really new as Indigenous Activism has been loud and present at least since the 60s).

The sentences about educating women to have smaller families and less children also made my blood boil.