How I View Ethics

The type of ethics that best describes me is holistic ethics. This is not to say that I disagree with all of the other ethical viewpoints, but to stress the fact that holistic ethics is what I believe to be the decision making process that I use the most. I do not feel that humans should be the bases of all decisions. I feel that the moral responsibilities should be directed towards collections of individuals. The example of selective hunting in DesJardin’s book is great. That is, to say, that I agree with the idea of allowing game to be hunted so long as it is not risking the population (endangered species should not be hunted). I believe this to be a very safe, cost effective, way to maintain stable populations of various species. What I mean by stable populations is that, ecosystems have carrying capacities and some inhabitants may exceed that carrying capacity, putting the entire ecosystem at risk. Overpopulation would result in a shortage of food (the shortage of food can also be viewed as a declining population of a different species). Another example of a, somewhat horrifying, disturbance to an ecosystem (or a planet I suppose) is the human race. The human race is expanding rapidly. Throughout the expansion, humans have been and will continue to deplete the earth of resources such as natural gas, fresh water, and forests. At what point in time must we begin to consider such precious resources as these, as endangered or at a risk of extinction? When this idea progresses into a reality are we to begin managing/regulating the human population?

I feel that humans should not be the center of all ethical decisions. I personally think that environmental conservation efforts are a wonderful thing. I love traveling, some of my favorite places to travel are those which are least affected by anthropogenic factors. I feel that, holistic ethics can help us to avoid making decisions (probably not all of them) that can lead to such anthropogenic disturbances to the world.