Anthropocentrism (Greek άνθρωπος, anthropos, human being, κέντρον,
kentron, "center") is the idea that, for humans, humans must be the central concern, and
that humanity must judge all things accordingly: Anthropos (the term, like “human”, refers to both men and women) must be
considered, looked after and cared for, above all other real or imaginary beings.
Environmentalism
Anthropocentrism has been posited by some environmentalists, in such books as
Confessions of an Eco-Warrior by Dave Foreman and Green Rage by Christopher Manes, as the underlying
if unstated reason why humanity dominates and sees the need to "develop" most of the Earth. Anthropocentrism has been identified
by these writers and others as a root cause of the ecological crisis, human overpopulation, and extinctions of many non-human species.
Anthropocentrism, or human-centredness, is believed by some to be the central problematic concept in environmental philosophy,
where it is used to draw attention to a systematic bias in traditional Western attitudes to the non-human world (Naess 1973). Val Plumwood (1993, 1996) has argued that anthropocentrism plays an analogous role in green
theory to androcentrism in feminist theory and ethnocentrism in anti-racist theory. Plumwood calls human-centredness "anthrocentrism" to emphasise this
parallel.
Defenders of anthropocentrism views point out that maintenance of a healthy, sustainable environment is necessary for human
well-being as opposed for its own sake. The problem with a "shallow" viewpoint is not that it is human centered but that
according to William Grey (1993: 473) "What's wrong with shallow views is not their concern about the well-being of humans, but
that they do not really consider enough in what that well-being consists. According to this view, we need to develop an enriched,
fortified anthropocentric notion of human interest to replace the dominant short-term, sectional and self-regarding
conception."
One of the first extended philosophical essays addressing environmental ethics, John
Passmore's Man's Responsibility for Nature has been repeatedly criticised by defenders of deep ecology because of its anthropocentrism, often claimed to be constitutive of traditional Western moral
thought (see Routley 1980).
Christianity
Some evangelical Christians have also been
critical, viewing a human-centered worldview, rather than a Christ-centered or God-centered worldview, as a core societal
problem.[citation needed] According to this viewpoint, a
fallen humanity placing its own desires ahead of the teachings of Christ leads to rampant selfishness and behavior viewed as
sinful.
Lynn White sees the anthropocentric worldview that is due to Christianity as
a cause of environmental degradation.
Biocentrism
Biocentrism has been proposed as an antonym of
anthropocentrism.
References
- Grey, W. 1993. 'Anthropocentrism and Deep Ecology' Australiasian Journal of Philosophy 71: 463-475 [1]
- Naess, A. 1973. 'The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement' Inquiry 16: 95-100
- Passmore, J. 1974. Man’s Responsibility for Nature London: Duckworth
- Plumwood, V. 1993. Feminism and the Mastery of Nature London: Routledge
- Plumwood, V. 1996. 'Androcentrism and Anthrocentrism: Parallels and Politics.' Ethics and the Environment 1
- Routley, R. and V. 1980. 'Human Chauvinism and Environmental Ethics' in Environmental Philosophy (eds) D.S. Mannison,
M. McRobbie and R. Routley. Canberra: ANU Research School of Social Sciences: 96-189
- White, Lynn Townsend, Jr, "The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis", Science, Vol 155 (Number 3767), March 10,
1967, pp 1203-1207 (html copy [2])
See also
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