- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Preface Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
- Acknowledgments
- Part One Ethics, Conservation, and Animal Protection
- 1 The Infirm Ethical Foundations of Conservation
- 2 Venturing beyond the Tyranny of Small Differences
- 3 Ecocide and the Extinction of Animal Minds
- 4 Talking about Bushmeat
- 5 Conservation, Animal Rights, and Human Welfare
- Part Two Conservation Behavior and “Enlightened Management”
- 6 Why We <i>Really</i> Don't Care about the Evidence in Evidence-Based Decision Making in Conservation (and How to Change This)
- 7 Cautionary Wildlife Tales
- 8 Coyotes, Compassionate Conservation, and Coexistence
- 9 Why Evolutionary Biology Is Important for Conservation
- 10 Reintroductions to “Ratchet Up” Public Perceptions of Biodiversity
- 11 Przewalski's Horses and Red Wolves
- 12 Why Individuals Matter
- Part Three Conservation Economics and Politics
- 13 The Imperative of Steady State Economics for Wild Animal Welfare
- 14 Conservation, Biodiversity, and Tourism in New Zealand
- Part Four Human Dimensions of Social Justice, Empathy, and Compassion for Animals and other Nature
- 15 Anthropological Perspectives on Ignoring Nature
- 16 Nature and Animals in Human Social Interactions
- 17 Conservation Social Work
- 18 The War on Nature—Turning the Tide?
- 19 Consuming Nature
- 20 Children, Animals, and Social Neuroscience
- Part Five Culture, Religion, and Spirituality
- 21 Compassionate Conservation
- 22 Explaining China's Wildlife Crisis
- 23 A Triangular Playing Field
- 24 Conservation and Its Challenges in Kenya
- 25 Is Green Religion an Oxymoron?
- 26 Avatar
- Some Closing Words
- About the Contributors
- Contributors' Contact Information
- Index
The Infirm Ethical Foundations of Conservation
The Infirm Ethical Foundations of Conservation
- Chapter:
- (p.9) 1 The Infirm Ethical Foundations of Conservation
- Source:
- Ignoring Nature No More
- Author(s):
John A. Vucetich
Michael P. Nelson
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
This chapter explores how to approach the three big questions of conservation and the consequences of failing to take them seriously. These questions are: (1) What is population viability and ecosystem health? (2) How does conservation relate to and sometimes conflict with other legitimate values in life, such as social justice, human liberty, and concern for the welfare of individuals and nonhuman animals? How should we resolve such conflicts? (3) Do populations and ecosystems deserve direct moral consideration? It demonstrates that conservation's meaning, purpose, and relationship to the rest of society are inadequately understood. It discusses the ethics of control and consequence; the ethics of virtue; and the purpose of conservation science and education.
Keywords: conservation ethics, ecosystem health, population viability, virtue
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- Title Pages
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Preface Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
- Acknowledgments
- Part One Ethics, Conservation, and Animal Protection
- 1 The Infirm Ethical Foundations of Conservation
- 2 Venturing beyond the Tyranny of Small Differences
- 3 Ecocide and the Extinction of Animal Minds
- 4 Talking about Bushmeat
- 5 Conservation, Animal Rights, and Human Welfare
- Part Two Conservation Behavior and “Enlightened Management”
- 6 Why We <i>Really</i> Don't Care about the Evidence in Evidence-Based Decision Making in Conservation (and How to Change This)
- 7 Cautionary Wildlife Tales
- 8 Coyotes, Compassionate Conservation, and Coexistence
- 9 Why Evolutionary Biology Is Important for Conservation
- 10 Reintroductions to “Ratchet Up” Public Perceptions of Biodiversity
- 11 Przewalski's Horses and Red Wolves
- 12 Why Individuals Matter
- Part Three Conservation Economics and Politics
- 13 The Imperative of Steady State Economics for Wild Animal Welfare
- 14 Conservation, Biodiversity, and Tourism in New Zealand
- Part Four Human Dimensions of Social Justice, Empathy, and Compassion for Animals and other Nature
- 15 Anthropological Perspectives on Ignoring Nature
- 16 Nature and Animals in Human Social Interactions
- 17 Conservation Social Work
- 18 The War on Nature—Turning the Tide?
- 19 Consuming Nature
- 20 Children, Animals, and Social Neuroscience
- Part Five Culture, Religion, and Spirituality
- 21 Compassionate Conservation
- 22 Explaining China's Wildlife Crisis
- 23 A Triangular Playing Field
- 24 Conservation and Its Challenges in Kenya
- 25 Is Green Religion an Oxymoron?
- 26 Avatar
- Some Closing Words
- About the Contributors
- Contributors' Contact Information
- Index