Eco Ethics: What can Biology tell us about how we should live? - Paperback

by Robert Stevens (Author)

Biology has much to tell us about how we should live. Modern Biology reveals that all living beings are organised for a purpose. All living beings, in common with human artifacts, are good for something - that is they are valuable. Since all living beings are equally organised for a purpose they are equally valuable. To say that a being is valuable is to say that we should do no harm to it without justification. The only justification for doing harm to a living being is that it is necessary to our own flourishing or the flourishing of someone or something we care about. Human flourishing does not consist in getting what we want but getting what we need for good health - both mental and physical. Part of good mental health is having a sense of connection with all living beings. Morality and ethics are distinct. Morality is focussed on our obligations to human beings as members of a society. Ethics is concerned with how we should respond to all living beings including humans.

Author Biography

Rob Stevens is a Research Manager in the New South Wales Department of Education. He has a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from Adelaide University and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Macquarie University. He also has a Masters of Education from Sydney University. Most of Rob's career has been in policy and research positions in public sector education organisations. Rob has written extensively in Philosophy and Education. Rob has had a lifelong interest in Biology and Philosophy. Eco-Ethics is a synthesis of this. Rob enjoys reading, walking, film and participating in Sydney's "café society". He initiated a long running non-fiction book club. He has long been part of the Lotus Buds (Buddhist) Sangha in Sydney. He lives with his wife, Tamara, and Zeno the cat in the inner west of Sydney.