Reconciling Individualist and Deeper Environmentalist Theories? An Exploration

Abstract

This chapter discusses whether an individualist environmental ethic can be combined and reconciled with an ecocentric or holistic ethic. Versions of individualism include anthropocentrism, sentientism and the variety of biocentrism that I favour. In particular, I consider the value-pluralism advocated by Alan Carter, which seeks, with the aid of multi-dimensional diagrams, to honour a large range of currently held (and supposedly incommensurable) values, including both individualist and ecocentric ones. Carter’s description of his own theory accidentally involves contradictions, but even if these are circumvented, there turn out to be problems with endorsing his kind of pluralism, including the absence of reasons or criteria for prioritising values. Arguably, the value of ecosystems depends on that of present and future individuals, and diverse values such as flourishing, achievement, freedom and health can, at least in particular contexts, be prioritised in terms of their value. With the help of arguments adduced by Elinor Mason, I show that, while single-value monistic theories are unsatisfactory, more sophisticated monistic theories for which the values honoured are commensurable are preferable to pluralistic theories such as Carter’s for which they are not.