The Death of the Ethic of Life

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, Philosophy & Social Aspects, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
Cover of the book The Death of the Ethic of Life by John Basl, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: John Basl ISBN: 9780190923891
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: February 1, 2019
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: John Basl
ISBN: 9780190923891
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: February 1, 2019
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Many subscribe to an Ethic of Life, an ethical perspective on which all living things deserve some level of moral concern. Within philosophy, the Ethic of Life has been clarified, developed, and rigorously defended; yet it has also found its harshest critics. Between biocentrists, those that endorse the Ethic of Life, and those that accept a more restricted view of moral status, the debate has reached a standstill, with few new resources for shifting or complicating it. In The Death of the Ethic of Life, John Basl seeks to end this comfortable stalemate by emphasizing a simple truth: the well-being of non-sentient beings, such as plants, species, and ecosystems, is morally significant only to the extent that it matters to sentient beings. Basl first develops a version of The Ethic of Life that best meets traditional challenges: the Ethic, if it is to survive criticism, must be able to explain how it is that all living things have a welfare or a good of their own. The best hope of offering such an explanation is to ground that welfare in teleology or goal-directedness, and then to ground that goal-directedness in the workings of natural selection. While a naturalistic account of teleology is crucial to defending an Ethic of Life, it is also its downfall. This Ethic ultimately entails that not only are ecosystems and collectives morally considerable, but so, too, are artifacts: everything from can openers to computers. Basl shows that evaluation of the resources for distinguishing artifacts from organisms forces us to abandon, for good, the Ethic of Life. The Death of the Ethic of Life provides not only a new answer to a fundamental question in environmental ethics, but a new way to conceive of fundamental concepts and issues in debates over who or what matters from the moral point of view, with wide-ranging implications in the philosophy of technology and bioethics.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Many subscribe to an Ethic of Life, an ethical perspective on which all living things deserve some level of moral concern. Within philosophy, the Ethic of Life has been clarified, developed, and rigorously defended; yet it has also found its harshest critics. Between biocentrists, those that endorse the Ethic of Life, and those that accept a more restricted view of moral status, the debate has reached a standstill, with few new resources for shifting or complicating it. In The Death of the Ethic of Life, John Basl seeks to end this comfortable stalemate by emphasizing a simple truth: the well-being of non-sentient beings, such as plants, species, and ecosystems, is morally significant only to the extent that it matters to sentient beings. Basl first develops a version of The Ethic of Life that best meets traditional challenges: the Ethic, if it is to survive criticism, must be able to explain how it is that all living things have a welfare or a good of their own. The best hope of offering such an explanation is to ground that welfare in teleology or goal-directedness, and then to ground that goal-directedness in the workings of natural selection. While a naturalistic account of teleology is crucial to defending an Ethic of Life, it is also its downfall. This Ethic ultimately entails that not only are ecosystems and collectives morally considerable, but so, too, are artifacts: everything from can openers to computers. Basl shows that evaluation of the resources for distinguishing artifacts from organisms forces us to abandon, for good, the Ethic of Life. The Death of the Ethic of Life provides not only a new answer to a fundamental question in environmental ethics, but a new way to conceive of fundamental concepts and issues in debates over who or what matters from the moral point of view, with wide-ranging implications in the philosophy of technology and bioethics.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book International Differences in Well-Being by John Basl
Cover of the book Ideas and Politics in Social Science Research by John Basl
Cover of the book Fear by John Basl
Cover of the book Sounds of War by John Basl
Cover of the book Neoplatonism in Late Antiquity by John Basl
Cover of the book The Common Law in Colonial America by John Basl
Cover of the book Competing by Design by John Basl
Cover of the book What Women Want--What Men Want by John Basl
Cover of the book The Mystery of Manor Hall Starter Level Oxford Bookworms Library by John Basl
Cover of the book The American People in the Great Depression by John Basl
Cover of the book The Plain English Approach to Business Writing by John Basl
Cover of the book Rebellious Nuns by John Basl
Cover of the book Choice Matters by John Basl
Cover of the book The New American Militarism : How Americans Are Seduced By War by John Basl
Cover of the book Al Qaeda, the Islamic State, and the Global Jihadist Movement by John Basl
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy