Environmental Ethics
There are many diverse perspectives within environmental ethics, but their main difference lies in how they place value on nature or aspects of nature. There are two types of value that play vital parts in this discussion. First, we have instrumental value that describes the value of something in how it can be used or useful, usually in relation to human wants or needs. The second is intrinsic value, which is the value something has for its own sake, regardless of whether it’s useful to humans or not. So with that in mind, let’s now turn to ecocentrism.
What is Ecocentrism?
The perspective of ecocentrism focuses on the interests of all species and natural features of Earth’s ecosystems, refusing to place any aspect or species above the others. Much of the supporting information for this ethic comes from ecological sciences and their study of interspecies relationships, natural processes, and the interrelationships between natural features and biological organisms.
Ecocentrists focus on the intrinsic value of all these entities in their own right while acknowledging their instrumental value to one another as part of the natural process. The term itself preferences the ecosystem as the most important unit or source of value. This stands in stark opposition to anthropocentric views that place human wants and needs as more valuable and important than all other natural entities.
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