The Man/Nature Relationship and Environmental Ethics
December 19, 2007 by amathew , amathew , Brian Butler | Filed under: Codes of Practice,Literature Review
Bourdeau ; The Man/Nature Relationship and Environmental Ethics; Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 72 (2004) 9 -15The author begins by asking: what is nature, what is the environment? The article defines nature as the whole of the physical world, and that man is in nature but he acts upon it, thereby emancipating himself of it; He is part and apart of nature. The human/nature relationship is the object, in western societies at least, of contradictory representations, says the author. The article goes on to define ethics and how it applies to the environment, and to the future sustainability of the environment. The author defines environmental ethics as applied ethics which examines the moral basis of our responsibility toward the environment. The author concludes that environmental norms are human constructs which are self-imposed by the recognition that the human individual is part of a community of interdependent parts. The author surmises that control of production and consumption patterns must be undertaken so as to preserve the regenerative capacity of natural resources as well as the natural cycles and balances; this can be achieved through a global ethical approach. The author closes with the suggestion that The Earth Charter Document, prepared by Maurice Strong, should be used as a model for rules of conduct and sustainable principles in regard to the planet.