The Ethics of Species: An Introduction

Description

We 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. Cover The Ethics of Species Series Title Copyright Dedication Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 1.1 Why an ethic of species? 1.2 Species as forms of life 1.3 Overview 2 The value of species 2.1 Types of value 2.2 Instrumental value 2.3 Subjective value 2.4 Objective value 2.4.1 Natural historical value 2.4.2 Inherent worth 2.4.3 Individual organisms 2.5 Conclusion 3 The conservation biology dilemma 3.1 In situ preservation and ecological restoration 3.2 Global climate change 3.3 The challenge of adaptation 3.4 The dilemma 3.4.1 The end of in situ preservation? 3.4.2 The end of native species prioritization? 3.4.3 The end of restoration? 3.5 Conclusion 4 Assisted colonization 4.1 Environmental value analysis 4.2 Instrumental value and species translocation 4.3 Subjective value and species translocation 4.4 Natural historical value and species translocation 4.5 Against assisted colonization 4.6 Pleistocene re-wilding 4.7 Conclusion 5 Shifting goals and changing strategies 5.1 Reconsidering species preservation 5.2 Less impacted systems: in defense of parks and reserves 5.3 Manipulated and engineered landscapes 5.4 The value of species and climate change mitigation 5.5 The value of species and geoengineering 5.6 Conclusion 6 The (in)significance of species boundaries 6.1 Interspecific hybrids and chimeras 6.2 Arguments from nature 6.3 Argument from incremental change 6.4 Arguments from the nonexistence of fixed species boundaries 6.5 Argument from repugnance 6.6 Arguments from the integrity of the organism 6.7 Consequential concerns 6.8 Virtue-oriented concerns 6.9 The value of (non-Homo sapiens) species boundaries 6.10 Conclusion 7 Homo sapiens in particular 7.1 Homo sapiens and moral status 7.2 Human enhancement technologies 7.3 The normativity of human nature 7.4 Human nature, human enhancement, and human flourishing 7.5 Conclusion 8 Artifactual species 8.1 Artifactual organisms 8.2 Natural value and artifactualness 8.3 Inherent worth and artifactualness 8.4 Subjective value and artifactualness 8.5 Conclusion 9 Conclusion References Index