Applying Virtue Ethics to Environmental Issues

Ronald Sandler has suggested four ways in which Virtue Ethics may be applied to environmental issues:

1. Extend standard interpersonal virtues to the environment. Each interpersonal virtue is normative for a particular range of activities, interactions and that range is its sphere or field of applicability. For example, the field of honesty is the revealing or withholding of truth; the field of temperance is bodily pleasures and pains; and the field of generosity is the giving and withholding of material goods. Extentionist seek to expand the range of certain interpersonal virtues to include non-human entities by extending fields of value. For example, If compassion is an appropriate virtue to have towards a suffering human being and there is no relevant moral difference between human suffering and the suffering of non human animals then one should extend compassion to non-human entities who suffer.

2. Agent benefit – what establishes particular character trait as constituting environmental virtue is that it typically benefits its possessor. The environment produces material goods – such as clean water and air – as well as aesthetic good, recreational goods and a location to excercise and physically develop. Thus people should cultivate virtues which allow the continued flourishing of the environment. In many ways this view of Virtue Ethics promotes enlightened self interest without egotism.

3. Human excellence – what establishes a particular character trait as constitutive of environmental virtue is that it makes its possessor a good human being. What it means to be a good human being – to flourish as a human being – is understood naturalistically. That is, it is understood in terms of the characteristic features of the life of members of the human species. Human beings are social animals so excellence as a human being involves promoting the social function of a group. One could add an excellent human being will take his eco-conscience seriously an act in ways to promote the environment.

4. Individual examples – by examining the life work and character traits of individuals who are recognised as environmental role models. By examining the life, work and character of exemplars of environmental excellence we may be able to identify particular traits that are conductive to that excellence. Sandler recommends the lives of John Muir, Rachel Carson and Aldo Leopold – absolutely no idea who they are but they must be good and green!

? Which is the most useful approach?

? How do they relate to religious views?

? Are there any problems with a virtue ethics approach to the environment?