Ethical Dimension, Sustainability, Ethical principals
Ethical principals related to sustainability are critical components for an intention for preparation for future effective contribution to a sustainable society. Everyone will agree that sustainability means cutting energy use, carbon emission reduction and ensuring that the earth is kept green. This is a good idea, but people are not aware whether their support for sustainability is for the right reason. John A. Vucetich and Michael P. nelson, in their article, stated the need of addressing both the scientific and ethical issues as progress to achieve and understand sustainability.
In their view, the definition of sustainability as achieving the needs of human in a social manner without the ecosystem being deprived of their health is a normative definition to the extent that it could mean exploiting as much as one desire without interfering with the ability in the future to exploit and as little as possible to maintain a life that is meaningful. Issues of ethics are vital components in teaching and research for sustainability and according to Nelson and his co-authors, this is sorely lacking in our academic quarters.
The authors challenge the many environmental scientists and engineers who think that sustainability is primarily about documenting and protecting the life of the ecosystem and meeting the human needs effectively. However, people are not aware that the ethical dimension, as a vital dimension of sustainability, has been neglected in debates by sustainability scholars. This lack of the ethical dimension affects the progress made towards sustainability. Just as Nelson said, nobody knows when he will get there if he does not know where we are going. From the perspective of education, it is necessary to cover all aspects of sustainability.
[...] Without developing the ethical dimensions, the meaning of sustainability will not be clear to us; thus, its achievement will remain a difficult task to us. Contribution by the Universities to sustainability requires a deep inclusion of interdisciplinary collaboration, not merely within the five dimensions of sustainability. However, deep interdisciplinary is not represented by this view. For example, an engineer and economist work together to develop more efficient ways of meeting the human needs, an ecologist coordinates with a sociologist in researching the effects of bio- fuel production provide a good example of a deep interdisciplinary collaboration that focuses on the same problem. [...]
[...] The perception certainly limits the general value of assessing the ethical dimension as an aspect of sustainability. However, scholars have come up with explanations of anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric as providing relevant distinctions. The scholars argue to support the reason the goodness of an action raised primarily from motivation and values that motivates the action, and how both anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric will lead to significant different results. Perhaps, researchers on sustainability should come clear on determining whether we should follow the vicious paths of sustainability or a different one. [...]
[...] Thompson (2007; 16) dubbed the philosophical dimension as non-substantive aspect of sustainability. However, the technical dimension is somehow valuable for its ability of precise problem definition, which can be applied easily in cases that may differ in circumstances. We have to understand that the most appropriate primary distinction in sustainability aspects is between the resulting goals of sustainability and the means of achieving sustainability. None of the aspects can be viewed independently. The philosophical dimension may be vital in identifying the various philosophic attitudes on sustainability, but it is unable to motivate sustainable actions more effectively. [...]
[...] Bibliography Douglass, Gordon K. Agricultural sustainability in a changing world order. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press Print. Thompson, Paul B. Agricultural sustainability: What it is and what it is not. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability 5–16. [...]
[...] Issues of ethics are vital components in teaching and research for sustainability and according to Nelson and his co-authors, this is sorely lacking in our academic quarters. The authors challenge the many environmental scientists and engineers who think that sustainability is primarily about documenting and protecting the life of the ecosystem and meeting the human needs effectively. However, people are not aware that the ethical dimension, as a vital dimension of sustainability, has been neglected in debates by sustainability scholars. This lack of the ethical dimension affects the progress made towards sustainability. [...]
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