Sustainability, Morality and Future Generations

Abstract

Environmental philosophy has brought two topics to the forefront of philosophical discussion. One is the anthropocentrism/non-anthropocentrism debate in ethics, and the other is the question of obligations towards future generations. The deeper motives for focusing on these issues are, of course, intimately tied to the fact that the present generation may well be on its way to introducing practically irreversible and catastrophic damage to the global ecosystem. For the first time, one has to acknowledge that the global system does not have an infinite capacity to repair itself and provide humans with limitless new opportunities for a fresh start.