Environmental Ethics

Environmental Ethics

Final Essay #1

In addition to humans do other sentient beings have intrinsic moral worth and, hence, deserve moral respect?

According to Taylor, in his article titled "Respect for Nature," every organism is a teleological center of life. Every organism has its own goals and purses them according to how they must survive. There are many different types of goals, humans are unique because they can pursue a multitude of different goals. They can pursue happiness, career, family, and many other goals. Animals and plants usually only purse goals, which are survival oriented such as, finding or hunting for their food supply maintaining reproduction, and finding shelter. Muir suggests that humans and all other sentient beings should have predator prey relationships, meaning there should be respect for sentient beings. When an animal is killed there is an understood respect of both the predator and the prey. When a predator preys on the prey it is done with respect for the fact that the predator is perusing its goals. The prey becomes the victim of this goal but according to Taylor it still contains intrinsic moral worth because it has become part of the predator's goal. When an animal contributes to the predator prey relationship both the pradator and the prey have intrinsic moral worth.

The title of intrinsic moral worth can be difficult to determine because every living organism is designed and created differently. According to Taylor not every sentient being deserves moral worth because some must die for the good of the others. Also humans specifically have the ability to kill and harm other species for entertainment. They can kill without moral regard for the