The Ethics of Species: An IntroductionWe are causing species to go extinct at extraordinary rates, altering existing species in unprecedented ways, and creating entirely new species. More than ever before, we require an ethic of species to guide our interactions with them. In this book, Ronald L. Sandler examines the value of species and the ethical significance of species boundaries, and discusses what these mean for species preservation in the light of global climate change, species engineering and human enhancement. He argues that species possess several varieties of value, but they are not sacred. It is sometimes permissible to alter species, let them go extinct (even when we are a cause of the extinction) and invent new ones. Philosophically rigorous, accessible and illustrated with examples drawn from contemporary science, this book will be of interest to students of philosophy, bioethics, environmental ethics and conservation biology. |
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adaptation anthropogenic approach argued argument artemisinin artifactual organisms artificial assisted colonization assisted recovery benefits biodiversity biological capacities chimeras climatic and ecological conservation biology difficulty discussed ecological change ecological integrity ecological restoration ecosystem management ecosystem services engineered entity ethical significance example extinct flourishing genes genetically modified genome geoengineering global climate change greenhouse greenhouse gas habitat Homo sapiens human enhancement human nature impacts individual organisms inherent worth instrumental value integral value intrinsically invasive species involves justified living things management goals mitigation moral status Moreover native species natural historical value natural value nonhuman nonsentient normative significance objective one’s people’s Pleistocene re-wilding possess possible posthumans problematic processes reason recipient system relevant response Sandler significance of species significantly social species boundaries species concept species conservation species preservation strategies subjective final value subjective value sufficiently synthetic biology technologies teleology transhumans translocation type of value value of species valuers virtue welfare economics whitebark pine