Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
40 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Biocides
|
Rachel Carson makes this term famous and her favorite example is DDT. Biocides are chemical pesticides which kill or harm living organisms directly through poisoning. Biocides may also have a secondary effect through runoff or spreading through wind. Animals being killed will disrupt the ecosystem and food web
|
|
|
Maldevelopment
|
Maldevelopment is a term used by Shiva in explaining the negative effects that development has on the environment and women. Development as she says brings about maldevelopment as it promotes a lifestyle in which the purpose of production is only to produce capital and profit. Maldevelopment creates a society which rejects the work of nature (and women) and the idea of working as a form of sustenance. Development also promotes male-female inequality as technology and production continue to be profitable through exploitation and dominance over women. Environmental aspects are those which Shiva ties to the relationship of women and the environment, how development squanders both.
|
|
|
Poverty of Subsistence vs. Poverty of Deprivation
|
Shiva uses this term to differentiate between a type of perceived poverty (subsistence) and an actual lacking of sufficient goods to live (deprivation). Poverty of subsistence sees examples in those who live unfrivolous lifestyles, such as those who build their own homes or make their own clothes or eat only what they need. Shiva explains that in our eyes this is the same as living without basic needs. We encourage a life of more than we need to sustain ourselves and this is in turn having a massive effect on the environment.
|
|
|
Large scale evolution as a bush vs. a ladder
|
An idea put forth by Stephen Jay Gould which seeks to explain the perceived paradox of species existing without linear evolution. To explain this Gould suggests that a proper evolution analogy would be to compare it to a bush, rather than a latter. This is to say that evolution is a result of branching, not of transformation in a single line. "A branch on a bush is an objective division...One species becomes geographically isolated from the rest of the species and this fragment changes to become a new species". Gould uses this to support his argument in favor of species being definable.
|
|
|
Species Definition as Historical vs. Functional
|
The historical definition of species conforms to the ideas of Stephen Jay Gould, that individual species are branches on a bush. The Functional Criterion suggests that a species is a population of (at least) potentially reproducing organisms sharing a common gene pool. Gould mentions that exceptions exist for the Functional definition, however, reproduction is the most consistent and measurable way to determine if individuals are of the same species.
|
|
|
Keystone Species
|
A term used by E. O Wilson to define a species whose disappearance would bring down other species and trigger a ripple effect through the demographies of the survivors. Wilson uses this to explain that biodiversity cannot continue to diminish without having an effect on humanity.
|
|
|
Exemptionalism
|
E. O. Wilson describes this as the idea that things defined as exceptional are often thought to be above general principles and rules. Humans see ourselves as exemptional to many environmental changes. This leads Wilson to believe that we will suite our culture to a environmentally impoverished world or even that artificial environment is within the reach of technology.
|
|
|
Speciesism
|
Implimented by Richard Ryder, Speciesism is an assigning of values to an organism based on their species membership. Speciesism implies that it is more wrong to kill or harm one species than another. This idea is explained by Russow in defense of her idea that we have a duty to species.
|
|
|
Aesthetic Value
|
To say something has Aesthetic Value means that it has worth based upon how it looks. Russow defends asthetic value, suggesting that a beautiful animal, maybe a horse or a tiger has value the same way that fine art has value, because just looking at it evokes feeling.
|
|
|
Tragedy of the Commons
|
The tragedy of the commons states that if a resource is held in common that everyone will use as much of the resource as would be in their best interest. For instance, having four cows on a share plain where your neighbor has five cows, one would put a fifth cow as this is practical business wise. Unfortunately, as the use of these resources is not measured or restricted they face the probability of being overused as a result, because no one would sacrifice their portion of the resource.
|
|
|
Malthusian Dilemma
|
A population theory expressed by Malthus suggesting that our Earth has a finite amount of resources which is able to support only a finite population. Malthus believes that population will be kept in check through natural disasters, war, disease, ect. If this is true, Hardin argues this makes it impossible to reach the greatest happiness for the greatest number, an idea held by Bentham.
|
|
|
Invisible Hand
|
The invisible hand is a theory of Adam Smith's which seeks to describe the seemingly natural force which guides free-market capitalism through competition for scarce resources. It is a combination of self-interest, competition and supply in demand.
|
|
|
Privatization
|
Hardin proposes this notion, which seeks to improve or rid the possibility of the Tragedy of the commons through making all resources private property. He says this is unjust, but the only answer.
|
|
|
Labor Theory of Property
|
Proposed by Locke and discussed by Hardin. People have no right to private property other than their own bodies. In with bodies included is their labor, and if one is to labor with their land or other resource it then becomes their property.
|
|
|
Lockean Proviso
|
Established by John Locke, this is the idea that when one implements the Labor Theory of Property, one must also leave "as much as is good for others". This limits the capitalistic idea that one has a right to anything they set labor to.
|
|
|
Maximization
|
An economic theory that suggests that humans will act so to obtain the most preferred. Freeman believes that we humans are Maximizers. Maximization causes a reckless handling of natural resources, as we have a greater seek for maximization than we would preservation.
|
|
|
Substitutable vs. lexicographic goods/services
|
Freeman mentions this in V&P. Lexicographical goods are those which we prefer to any other good. So, if we prefer food to clothing, we would choose a bundle that has the most food, rather than compromise for a bit of clothing. Substitutable goods are those which can be interchanged and are no more preferred than another.
|
|
|
Pareto optimality
|
Pareto optimality is when an economy has reached a state where it is impossible to rearrange consumption and production activity so as to make one person better off without making another person or persons worse off. Freeman wrote about this stating that this is the most efficient an economy can get. In order to reach this state, all goods that matter to individuals must be capable of being bought and sold, and all such markets must be perfectly competitive in the sense that there are large numbers of buyers and sellers.
|
|
|
Laissez faire vs. interventionism
|
Laissez faire translates essentially to "let it be" and suggests that the economy is self contained and will right itself, reaching an equilibrium naturally through free market. Interventionism is the idea that the economy may need to be acted upon by the government if it appears to have a need. Such an instance could be the federal bailouts the government offered in the USA a couple years ago.
|
|
|
Cost-Benefit Analysis
|
Mentioned by Freeman. A measure of what it would take to achieve a certain goal and what that goal provides in return. The customers willingness to pay for a good determines how much it is worth. It is important in concerning policy implementation in the environment, how a policy is beneficial to the environment compared to how it operates economically.
|
|
|
Discounting
|
Freeman. Economic term used to account for economic values in future generations where us in the present won't see the cost/benefit of the future generation. Freeman thinks that far enough in the future we will care little or nothing about the consequences of our actions.
|
|
|
Willingness to pay
|
Sagoff. Having a diamond coated bike lock would insure that your bike won't be stolen, however, people would be much more willing to pay for those diamonds inside of some jewelery. In the environment its a measure of how much someone is willing to sacrifice to prevent something bad from happening, or ensuring something good will happen.
|
|
|
Legislators vs. consumers
|
Sagoff. Legislators must justify their decisions with reasons, while consumers do not need to justify their reasoning. Today we value our role as customers more than legislators and are possibly implementing policies with the same viewpoint.
|
|
|
Resources vs. services
|
Simon. Customers care about the service provided rather than the resources needed to provide them. This is bad for resources and Simon suggests this as part of his argument that resources are finite.
|
|
|
The Optimistic Induction
|
Simon. Perceptions of land and resources have been falsified in the past. He believes that we can use discoveries to expand beyond current resources. This is in Simon's argument for infinite resources.
|
|
|
Growth vs. Development
|
V&P as a preface to Partridge. Growth is an expansion or literally something getting bigger, it is often measured through GNP. Development is an increase in well-being of a state. Sustainable development is defined as meeting the needs of current people without inhibiting the needs of future generations.
|
|
|
Posterity Problem
|
Partridge. Moral discussions of the future have been avoided up this this point because we had no way of accurately measuring consequences of certain acts. Now we have the technology to measure how the environment will be effected in the future and should be more concerned for it.
|
|
|
Just Forbearance
|
Partridge. Moral considerability of future generation sis difficult because we do not know that they will exist or what they will need. Therefore we should restrict our actions and use of resources. This should prevent us from using what we have excess of.
|
|
|
Communitarianism
|
Partridge. We are morally bound to future generations through a shared membership in a community. There are three things that define community, all of which involve interaction, culturally, morally and physically. The environment is also part of the community.
|
|
|
Dysfunctional Habits of Consumption
|
Claxton believes that our society has become consumption addicted. This has become a psychological problem, it cannot be fixed with technology.
|
|
|
Voluntary simplicity
|
Claxton. Changes in personal lifestyle are vital for planetary well-being. We need a reorientation of life, from 'having' to 'being'. Change in the amount that we will consume will come about through either "making the unconscious conscious" by using until we clearly do not have enough, or by choosing simplicity. Claxton prefers the second.
|
|
|
Mindfulness
|
Claxton. The shared awareness of the immediate present. Advocates his idea of voluntary simplicity.
|
|
|
Time-Dependence Claim
|
Parfit The question of whether or not we would be the same person were we conceived at a different time, even if it were the same egg and sperm. Partiff believes that we would be a different person. The extrapolation of this is that there are certain actions which we do that will cause different people to exist in than future than if we were not to have done the action.
|
|
|
Same People Choices vs. Different People Choices
|
Parfit. These are choices which will effect future generations. Most of our moral thinking assumes same people, while Parfit says that this is wrong and that in fact more often than not we are making different people choices with a same people mindset.
|
|
|
Non-Identity Problem
|
Parfit. Being that an action is immoral only if it has bad effects on someone, there still remain actions that are immoral, yet may not have any bad effects on individuals. These actions however may lead to a set of different existing people in future generations, whose lives are still worth living. In this case, it supports satisfying the current generation in terms of resources, as future generations will be different people with different needs.
|
|
|
Repugnant Conclusion
|
Parfit. The idea that a fraction of quality of life is worth sacrificing if it means an increase in population. If you can have much more people who are only slightly less happy, you would in turn opt for much more people. This in theory would lead to a huge population of miserable people and suggests that we would prefer such an outcome.
|
|
|
Reason vs. the Passions
|
Hume. Reason is limited to discovering truth or falsity. Passions include emotions and desires of an individual. Morality cannot be based on reason because it is practical, it motivates actions. Therefore morals cannot be true or false because passions cannot be true or false. This questions any Socratic statement which involves how we ought to treat the environment.
|
|
|
Moral Naturalism
|
Hume. States that we can derive moral conclusions from facts about the environment. Human nature he says is endowed with sympathy for the environment. Moral conclusions can be based upon nature.
|
|
|
Naturalistic Fallacy
|
Moore. This occurs when someone attempts to establish an ethic based upon the idea that what is natural is "good". Moore claims that defining good is nearly impossible, much like defining a color, you can say what things are good, but cannot relate this back to the term.
|
|
|
Ignorance Argument
|
Elliot Sober. An argument to those who propose that nature be saved for its future instrumental value, rather than used for its current value. Sober suggests that we are ignorant of the true value of these resources in the future and so cannot make a policy based on an unknown.
|
