Ethics and the Anthropocene Crisis:On the Moral Consideration of Nature

摘要

This reflection on the moral consideration of nature begins with two classic arguments of environmental ethics which,while alerting to the growing human pressure on the environment,show the need to rethink the relation of humans and natural world.In my view,Aldo Leopold’s land ethic,seconded by John Baird Callicott and Holmes Rolston III,is the approach in environmental ethics which not only postulates a broader comprehension of the universe of moral concern,but also lays the ground for a new ethical paradigm wherein the human,as a responsible member of the biotic community,has the duty to preserve the integrity,the balance and the beauty of the latter.