There is a class of human interactions with the environment that are, intuitively, morally evaluable but that are hard to criticize on the basis of their implications for sentient creatures. Demolishing landscape features, transforming ecosystems, or manipulating the genomes of organisms need not cause harm to any sentient organism but still seem problematic in some circumstances. One way to evaluate such actions is to make reference to the idea that certain things have “intrinsic value”. However, there are a number of well-known problems with such an approach. This webinar will explore what an “agent-based virtue ethics” has to offer to allow us to make sense of our intuitions about such cases. By asking “what sort of person would do that?” we may be able to explain the importance of demonstrating respect for nature without making reference to intrinsic value.

Topic: What sort of person would do that? Agent-based virtue ethics and respect for nature

Resource Person: Prof. Dr. Robert Sparrow, Department of Philosophy, Centre for Human Bioethics, Monash University, Australia

Will meet you

Time: Jun 11, 2021 10:00 AM Asia/Colombo

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https://learn.zoom.us/j/66703930789?pwd=QmxkNitVU2tnKzlaV2pJRDBpK1pJQT09

Meeting ID: 667 0393 0789
Passcode: 1dCFA4$0