ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY:

PROBING THE ROOTS OF THE

MAN VS WILD ATTITUDE

Vijay Srinath Kanchi

Librarian & Asst. Professor, Department of Philosophy
Moolji Jaitha College, Jalgaon, 425002 Maharashtra,
India
 Environmental philosophy
Studies the humans place within the natural
environment and about the human -
environment relationship.
Is of recent origin.
Man is leaving indelible ecological footprints.
Nowhere in the human history human beings
were forced to look at the environment with
an attitude to protect it!
 what are the causes for this state of
affairs?
Is it the unrestrained scientific advancement.
is it in the very wrong values we have been
practicing as humans under one modern
civilization?
Why have we not heard of such plight of
nature in all years before this present
civilization?
 ANTHROPOCENTRIC ATTITUDE OF THE
WEST
Hebrew Bible carved the Semitic culture and was
a source book for inspiration for worlds two
great religions Judaism and Christianity.
Aristotle (Politics, Bk. 1, Ch. 8) maintains that
nature has made all things specifically for the
sake of man and that the value of non-human
things in nature is merely instrumental and not
intrinsic.
Man is the measure of all things advocated the
Greek philosopher Protagoras.
 The life is viewed as a one time
opportunity given to the human
beings by the creator and so filling
this life with as many things as
possible has became the sole
objective. Every object is viewed as a
source of pleasure for the human
beings and this approach led to the
exploitation of every natural resource.
 The Eco-Centric view of Eastern
Religions
Hinduism considers man as only a cog in the
wheel of creation.
Puranas describe bhoota bali as the duty of a
grihasta.
Pantheistic view.
In fact the ultimate object of human life is to
realize the unitary nature of the whole
creation.
 Man has only duties and has no rights
whatsoever over others.
Concept of rna.
For a Hindu, his acts of cutting, winnowing,
pounding, sweeping as part of his life as a
householder result in killing of living creatures
and so he is expected to perform acts of
expiation.
ahimsa or non-violence is the supreme
dharma.
Life is meaningful only when it is restrained
and well directed not when it is given
unrestrained freedom.
 Aparigraha or non-hoarding is another
strongly recommended trait.
The greatness of a nation and its moral
progress can be judged by how animals are
treated- Mahatma Gandhi.
This approach of Hindus automatically
safeguarded their surrounding environment.
Buddhism and Jainism are founded on the
building block of non-injury to any creature.
 Eastern Religions
For Buddhists, the highest goal is to be a bodhisattva a
compassionate being who is ever ready to sacrifice his own
life for causing happiness to other living creatures.
A Jina would even cover his mouth with cloth and eat
before the sunset lest he may cause injury to micro-
organisms.
Taoism of China relies on being part of the great flow of the
nature and living in tandem with the creation.
Confucianism also advocated similar principles and over
indulgence is despised.
Shintoism of Japan and Bon religion of Tibet also are nature
based religions that preached such values that are
conducive for the co-existence of all forms of creation.
 Renaissance in Eco-philosophy
Romantic poets of 18th and 19th century that
included Shelley, Keats and Wordsworth were the
forerunners of Eco philosophy.
Return to nature was the clarion call given by
Rousseau.
In 1870 Ernest Haeckel, a German Zoologist who
coined the term ecology to signify the
investigation of the total relations of the (human)
animal both to its organic and inorganic
environment.
 Germination of Eco-ethical ideas
Aldo Leopolds A Sand County Almanac in 1949
: A thing is right when it tends to preserve the
integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community.
It is wrong when it tends otherwise.
This book even today, serves as one of the
cornerstones for modern conservation science, policy,
and ethics.
We abuse land because we see it as a commodity
belonging to us. When we see land as a community to
which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and
respect....A land ethic, then, reflects the existence of an
ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction
of individual responsibility for the health of land.
 Other Significant Influences
Rachael Carson in 1962 authored a book
titled Silent Spring.
Mrs. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Prime Minister
of Norway headed world commission of world
environment and development. In 1987,
under her leadership, Brundtland commission
report titled Our Common Future was
published that introduced sustainable
development as a concept.
 Shifting Scenario
Various governments looked at ecology as a
permanent economy.
Biodiversity act promulgated by various
governments across the globe declares all
organisms have equal rights to live and made
it a legally sanctified proposition.
Some Recent Trends in Eco-philosophy
Eco-Centrism Earth First
Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess introduced
the terms deep ecology and shallow ecology.
Eco-Humanism
Eco-Feminism
Eco-Socialism
 CONCLUSION
We dont inherit the
earth the earth from
our ancestors, we
borrow it from our
children.