Environmental Ethics

Volume 5, Issue 2, Summer 1983

Traditional Ethics and the Moral Status of Animals

Most philosophical discussion of the moral status of animals takes place within a context of traditional ethics. I argue that the conceptual apparatus of utilitarianism and rights theory is historically and logically tied to an individualistic, atomistic concept of society. The liberal-democratic tradition is thus an unsuitable framework for understanding, analyzing, and solving environmental problems, including the moral status of animals. Concepts such as stewardship or trusteeship are more appropriate for the development of an environmental ethic.