SOR1 – Summarised Notes On Environmental Ethics

Resource Description

ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS 

• Ethics are the explicit reflection on moral beliefs and practices 

DENOMINATION VIEWS

• Different denominations/variants have different views on humans rightful behaviour towards the environment 
• Protestant variants focus their ethical decision making on the literal interpretation of the Bible
• Catholics focus more on what the authorities say and the Church’s stance and also on natural law
• Natural Law = man’s decision making is a combination of scriptural and practical evaluation 
• Environmental Ethics = considers the ethical relationship between human beings and the natural environment

WORLD VIEWS TOWARDS ENVIRONMENT

• Anthropocentric world view? Man is dominating
• Biocentric world view ? everything is equal
• “fill the earth and subdue it: and have dominion….over everything living thing” (Genesis 1:28)
• Environmentalist Lyn White Jnr, heavily criticised the Judeo-Christian traditions for being one of the major vehicles for the destruction of the earth 
• Humans believed they could do whatever they wanted with the environment 
• Protestant variants, such as Evangelical and Pentecostal Churches still hold an anthropocentric world view as they still literally interpret the Bible
• Most Christian denominations fall between Anthropocentric and Biocentric 
• Stewardship principle ? people act as stewards to preserve the environment 
• Creation theology says Christians should appreciate + look after the environment