conservation.contextualism

We see the sustention of life within the smallest aspects of single cell organisms, however where do large heterotrophic organisms fit in the regulation of Earth's system?  Is the human race a supplement or an inhibitor to Earth's growth?  Human environmental perception could be into two scopes, shallow & deep ecology  Shallow ecology is the classification of individuals who view the world's change as a malleable factor, to be reached by conservation and protecting the land from pollution.  A noble ideal indeed, however this preservation is for human sake of aesthetic value, or the preservation of life for humans to flourish in for the future.  Its counterpart, Deep Ecology, offers a deeper impact in preservation.

            Deep ecology embodies the individuals who recognize the interdependent relationship and influence between themselves and their environment, fully aware of their duties within the biosphere and "advocated biosperical egalitarianism"(1) 

            The medium that must be sought for such correct distinctions, for environmental philosophers have tend to associate themselves with anthropocentrism or biocentrism… or nonanthropocentrism. These two broad distinctions leave little room for the concept of human obligations in the sustaining of the natural environment.  It is argued that anthropocentrism is the key to realization of Earth ethics, recognizing mankind's fragility in the grasps of it's environment, to display that Earth has been made to sustain our life, or that we have evolved to thrive within these conditions.  However, Earth has been evolving ever since its own creation, atmospheric compositions have always been fluctuating, and geological features have always been emerging and changing.  Why would these natural processes, that have shaped the surface that we now thrive on, come to a halt with our presence?

The concept of Contextualism is defined as "a broadly applicable term for ethics that places significant weight upon the context of the situation in which the action is performed" (1).  The moral agents in decision-making face many factors of which to take into consideration.  When dealing with environmental ethics, the abstract methodology is staged by morality, of which factor decisions based on logical, theological, and metaphysical notions. However to derive conclusions from these notions comes through the collaboration of human thoughts, knowledge of our culture and other cultures.  According to Marietta, the significant effect of contextualism on ethics is to make morals less abstract.  Contexts of thought are always specific, implying a certain situational effect on some community.  Our history displays mankind actions emphasized in the context of his cultural community as well and his anthropogenic community.  However seeing the current alterations that have taken place on Earth, showing us all our fragility upon its surface, perhaps it is best to place greater emphases on the environmental community when contextualizing our actions.

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(1) Marietta, Don.  For People and the Planet: Holism and Humanism in Environmental Ethics.  Temple University Press, Philadelphia 1995