Should we use leafblowers? Is killing insects wrong? Is it okay to eat fish? Humans, like all other creatures, depend on their environment for continued survival. However, we have the unique ability to radically reshape the world, both intentionally and unintentionally. Our potential impact raises several ethical issues regarding our relationship to other humans as well as non-humans. This guide serves as a primer to works devoted to discussing these issues.
Should We Address Climate Change…:
Climate change stands to pose significant problems in the 21st and onward. Thus, many think we ought to begin taking serious measures to address it in order to benefit future people. However, others argue that the cost of taking these measures is more significant than what we stand to gain.
“Discussing Scientific Consensus on Climate Change“: How should we talk about what we know?
“Under Discussion: Climate Change”: Several authors consider arguments against addressing climate change and some associated difficulties.
“Climate Change and the Philosophical Pitfalls of Grounding Duty to Future Generations”: What is the nature of our moral relationship to future generations?
…And If So, How?:
Nonetheless, even if we agree that we ought to address climate change, there is considerable room to debate what policies we ought to adopt. Should we reduce emissions globally by a universal amount? Or do some nations have special obligations to address climate change? Is it permissible for wealthy nations to commission developing nations to reduce their emissions?
“Climate Justice and COP27”: What do principles of justice say about how we ought to distribute the burden of addressing climate change?
“Collective Action and Climate Change”: What are the differences between just and fair approaches to climate policy?
“Pick Up My Slack”: Should developed nations have permission to outsource emissions cuts to developing nations?
“Ethical Obligations to Climate Refugees”: Do high-emitting nations have special obligations to aid those displaced by climate change?
Environmental Management:
Human activities have significantly reshaped the world. We have both intentionally and unintentionally introduced invasive species to new environments. Further, we have killed many animals that we perceive pose a threat to human interests, permanently reducing their populations. How should we resolve these problems that we have made? How much of a burden should we place on humans in our attempts to restore ecosystems? On animals? Should we alter the planet itself?
“Reintroducing the Gray Wolf”: How should we navigate the costs of reintroducing a predatory species?
“Wanted Dead”: Should we incentivize people to kill members of invasive species?
“Fixing What We’ve Broken”: Should we intentionally reshape the environment to address problems that humans have caused?
What Beings Count Morally?:
If I bought a new pair of glasses and got rid of my old ones, it doesn’t seem like I did something wrong. But if I bought a new cat and abandoned my current cat, I’ve surely done something terrible. So why the difference? What makes one entity a mere object and another the kind of being we ought to worry about?
“Passing the Mirror Test and the Wrong of Pain”: What is it that makes harming something bad?
“Octopi and Moral Circle Expansion“: What characteristics should consideration be based on?
“Do Insects Matter?”: What makes a creature matter morally and do insects have whatever that is?
“Inconsistency in Animal Abuse”: Is it defensible that we care more about the suffering of some animals than others?
“Considering the Rights of Nature”: Do natural features like lakes and rivers have rights?
Should We Eat Animals?:
Most people eat meat. However, humans can survive and even thrive on vegetarian or vegan diets. Is a vegetarian or vegan diet in some way morally preferable to an omnivorous diet?
“Why It’s Okay to Buy that Steak”: Might the mechanisms of the market change what morality demands of us?
“Just Say No to Christmas Turkey”: Can an action still be wrong even if it causes no harm?
“Meat Replacements and the Logic of the Larder”: Many animals exist only because humans eat them – does this mean we should continue to do so?
“Under Discussion: In Vitro Meat”: Several authors consider how lab grown meat may change the moral calculus around meat consumption.
Pet Ownership:
The obligations we have to our furry (and not-so-furry) friends is a burgeoning topic of moral investigation. Animal companionship has become an important good, but living alongside domesticated animals brings a host of duties and concerns.
“Pet Ownership and the Ethical Perils of Domination“: What must every pet have?
“The Pugly Truth“: What limits on dog breeding might be necessary?
“On the Morality of Declawing Cats“: What kind of policy is in everyone’s best interest?
“Curfews and the Liberty of Cats“: What’s the harm in letting our feline friends roam free?
“The Ethics of Animal Dis-Enhancement“: What is our ultimate goal in limiting animal suffering?