Surveys and Perspectives Integrating Environment and Society
www.surv-perspect-integr-environ-soc.net
1993-3800
1993-3819
1
1
2008
10.5194/sapiens-1-51-2008
http://www.surv-perspect-integr-environ-soc.net/1/51/2008/
http://www.surv-perspect-integr-environ-soc.net/1/51/2008/sapiens-1-51-2008.html
http://www.surv-perspect-integr-environ-soc.net/1/51/2008/sapiens-1-51-2008.pdf
51
57
2008-06-18
The transformative value of ecological pragmatism: an introduction to the work of Bryan G. Norton
H.-S. Afeissa
afeissa.hs@wanadoo.fr
Académie de Dijon, France
In the space of only a few years, Bryan Norton has become one of the
essential actors of environmental ethics through his launching of what has
become one of its dominant trends: environmental pragmatism. Environmental
pragmatism refuses to take a stance in the dispute between the defenders of
<i>anthropocentrist ethics</i> and the supporters of <i>nonanthropocentrist ethics</i>.
Instead, Norton prefers to distinguish between
"strong anthropocentrism'' and "weak- or extended- anthropocentrism'' and
develops the idea that only the latter is capable of not under-estimating
the diversity of instrumental values that humans may derive from the natural
world. The practical difference between these two kinds of theories is
considerable.
Light, A. and Katz, E. (Eds.): Environmental Pragmatism, London & New York, Routledge, 1996.
Norton, B.: Linguistics Frameworks and Ontology: A Re-Examination of Carnap's Philosophy, La Haye, Mouton Publishers, 1977.
Norton, B.: Environmental Ethics and Nonhuman Rights, Environ. Ethics, 4, 17–36, 1982a.
Norton, B.: Environmental Ethics and the Rights of Future Generation, Environ. Ethics, 4, 319–337, 1982b.
Norton, B.: Environmental Ethics and Weak Anthropocentrism, Environ. Ethics., 6, 131–148, 1984.
Norton, B. (Ed.): The Preservation of Species. The Value of Biological Diversity, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1986a.
Norton, B.: Conservation and Preservation: A Conceptual Rehabilitation, Environ. Ethics, 8, 195–220, 1986b.
Norton, B.: Why Preserve Natural Variety?, Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1987.
Norton, B.: Toward Unity Among Environmentalists, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991.
Norton, B.: Ecology and Opportunity. Intergenerational Equity and Sustainable Options, in: Fairness and Futurity. Essays in Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice, edited by: Dobson, A., Oxford, Oxford University Press, 118–150, 1999.
Norton, B.: Searching for Sustainability. Interdisciplinary Essays in the Philosophy of Conservation Biology, New York, Cambridge University Press, 2003.
Norton, B.: Sustainability. A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management, Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2005
Oksanen, M.: Sustainabilty: A Book Review, Environ. Value., 16, 272–277, 2007. \hspace*-4mm\bf Selective bibliography[1mm] \hspace*-4mm\bf Papers
Making the Land Ethic Operational: Toward an Integrated Theory of Environmental Management, in: Beyond the Large Farm : Ethics and Research Goals for Agriculture, edited by: Thompson, P. B., and Stout, B. A., Boulder, Westview Press, 137–160, 1991.
Epistemology and Environmental Values, The Monist, 2, 1992, 208–226, 1992.
A New Paradigm for Environmental Management, edited by: Costanza, R., Norton, B. G., and Haskell, B. D., Washington, Island Press, 23–40, 1992.
On What We Should Save: The Role of Culture in Determining Conservation Targets, in: Systematics and Conservation Evaluation, edited by: Forey, P. L., Humphries, C. J., and Vane-Wright, R. I., Oxford, Clarendon Press, 23–40, 1994.
Where Do We Go from Here? [with Gene Hargrove], in: Ethics and Environmental Policy. Theory Meets Practice, edited by: Ferré, F., and Hartel, P., Athens & London, The University of Georgia Press, 234–252, 1994.
Applied Philosophy versus Practical Philosophy: Toward an Environmental Policy Integrated According to Scale, edited by: Marietta Jr., D. E. and Embree, L., Boston-London, Rowan & Littlefield, 125–148, 1995.
Why I Am Not a Nonanthropocentrist: Callicott and the Failure of Monistic Inherentism, Environ. Ethics, 4, 341–58, 1995.
Democracy and Sense of Place Values in Environmental Policy [with B Hannon], in: Philosophy and Geography. Philosophy of Place, Vol 3, edited by: Light, A. and Smith, J. M., Boston-London, Rowan & Littlefield, 119–145, 1998.
Pragmatism, Adaptive Management, and Sustainability , Environ. Value., 8, 451–466, 1999.
Democracy and Environmentalism: Foundations and Justifications in Environmental Policy, in: Democracy and the Claims of Nature. Critical Perspectives for a New Century, edited by: Minteer, B. A. and Taylor, B. P., Boston-London, Rowan & Littlefield, 11–32, 2002.
Epistemology and Environmental Values, in: Land, Value, Community: Callicott and Environmental Philosophy, edited by: Ouderkirk, W. and Hill, J., New York, SUNY Press, 123–132, 2002. \hspace*-4mm\bf Concerning Norton
Callicott, J. B.: On Norton and the Failure of Monistic Inherentism, Environ. Ethics, 18, 219–221, 1996.
Elliott, K.: Norton's Conception of Sustainability: Political, Not Metaphysical?, Environ. Ethics, 1, 3–22, 2007.
Hickman, L. A.: Pragmatic Paths to Environmental Sustainability, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 20, 365–373, 2007.
Holly, M.: A Review of Bryan G. Norton's \textitSustainability: A Philosophy of Ecosystem Management, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 20, 335–352, 2007.
Preston, Ch. J.: Epistemology and Intrinsic Value: Norton and Callicott's Critiques of Rolston, Environ. Ethics, 4, 409–428, 1998.
Steverson, B. K.: Contextualism and Norton's Convergence Hypothesis, Environ. Ethics, 2, 135–150, 1995.
Westra, L.: Why Norton's Approach is Insufficient for Environmental Ethics, Environ. Ethics, 3, 279–297, 1997.
Saner, M. A.: Biotechnology, the Limits of Norton's Convergence Hypothesis, and Implications for an Inclusive Concept of Health, Ethics Environ., 5, 229–241, 2000.
Stenmark, M.: The Relevance of Environmental Ethical Theories for Policy Making, Environ. Ethics, 2, 135–148, 2002.
Thompson, P. B.: Norton's \textitSustainability: Some Comments on Risk and Sustainability, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 20, 375–386, 2007.
Welchman, J.: Norton and Passmore on Valuing Nature, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 20, 353–363, 2007.