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Environmental Science: A Global Concern, 7/e
William P. Cunningham, University of Minnesota
Mary Ann Cunningham, Vassar College
Barbara Woodworth Saigo, St. Cloud State University

Environmental Ethics and Philosophy

Chapter Overview

Is an action right if it is in our self-interest and wrong otherwise? Should things be judged to have value only when they are useful to us? Humans have long held that moral and ethical considerations are important arbiters of human behavior-that direct self-interest ought not alone define what constitutes acceptable behavior. Should your chances of having to live in a polluted environment be determined by the color of your skin? Does nature have rights? Environmental relationships have ethical dimensions. In this chapter, you will also learn how science proceeds to answer questions.