Taylor And Epstein: The Ethics Of Respect For Nature

This week, the reading selections were quite interesting. We have these two authors, Taylor and Epstein, who truly approach the environmental topic in separate ways. On one hand, we have Paul Taylor defending our environment all the way in the article “The Ethics of Respect for Nature”. In this article, Taylor insists that we switch our current perspectives, regarding the environment, to ones that further zoom in on the sake of nature. In fact, Taylor states that “once we reject the claim that humans are superior either in merit or in worth to other living things, we are ready to adopt the attitude of respect” (330). The tone of the previous statement truly displays how seriously the author is taking this topic. Taylor is very much concerned with the idea of human beings taking our environment for granted and practically ignoring what it offers. He argues that the …show more content…
To go against such mentality, the author contends that “various nonhuman species have capacities that humans lack. There is the speed of a cheetah, the vision of an eagle, the agility of a monkey. Why should not these be taken as sign of their superiority over humans” (323)? This question most definitely halts further comments on that issue. With that being said, Taylor surely believes that we can live in harmony with our environment, but again, only once we adopt an attitude of respect towards nature and obtain a “life-centered system” (320). This mindset that Taylor portrays in the article, I believe, to be important if we want to gain a sense of appreciation for our surroundings and initiate new strategies that improve our environment for the generations to come. On the contrary, Alex Epstein, in the article “Fossil Fuel Power”, puts his focus more on the resourceful aspect of nature. The author tries to convince his readers that using what the environment offers is an essential part in our world’s developmental process. This viewpoint is what Taylor would label