Environmental Ethics is only applicable for students enrolled in Higher Level (HL) ESS.
Guiding questions
- To what extent do humans have a moral responsibility towards the environment?
- How does environmental ethics influence approaches to achieving a sustainable future?
Knowledge statements for HL ESS only
HL.c.1 Ethics is the branch of philosophy that focuses on moral principles and what behaviours are right and wrong.
HL.c.2 Environmental ethics is a branch of ethical philosophy that addresses environmental issues.
HL.c.3 A variety of ethical frameworks and conflicting ethical values emerge from differing fundamental beliefs concerning the relationship between humans and nature.
HL.c.4 Instrumental value is the usefulness an entity has for humans.
HL.c.5 Intrinsic value is the value one may attach to something simply for what it is.
HL.c.6 The concepts of instrumental and intrinsic value are not exclusive.
HL.c.7 An entity has “moral standing” if it is to be morally considered with regard to how we ought to act towards it.
HL.c.8 There are three major approaches of traditional ethics: virtue ethics, consequentialist (for example, utilitarian) ethics and rights-based (deontological) ethics.
HL.c.9 Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the person doing the action. It assumes that good people will do good actions and bad people will do bad actions.
HL.c.10 Consequentialist ethics is the view that the consequences of an action determine the morality of the action.
HL.c.11 Rights-based ethical systems focus on the actions and whether they conflict with the rights of others. There is debate about what these rights might be.
HL.c.12 Some people hold the view that whatever is natural is correct or good. This position is contentious and is described as the “appeal to nature” fallacy.
HL.c.13 Environmental movements and social justice movements have developed from separate histories but are increasingly seeking common goals of equitable and just societies.
Pages for the current ESS syllabus will remain active through the last exams scheduled for 2025.
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