TY - JOUR
T1 - A Confucian-Kantian Response to Environmental Eco-Centrism on Animal Equality
AU - Palmquist, Stephen R.
AU - Chan, Keith Ka-Fu
N1 - Publisher copyright:
© 2018 Journal of Chinese Philosophy
PY - 2016/9
Y1 - 2016/9
N2 - Environmental eco-centrism, the claim that all members of the biosphere are ontologically and axiologically equal, presents a challenge to traditional ethical conceptions of the special status of humanity. Confucian and Kantian ethics approach this topic, and its application to other animals, in different ways: Confucianism employs stories that promote insight into the importance of sincerity and compassion to all animals, including non-human ones; Kant employs abstract reasoning to argue that non-human animals deserve respect because we humans share their basic nature. We argue that, taken together, these two approaches preserve what is most important in eco-centrism, but without sacrificing human dignity in the process.
AB - Environmental eco-centrism, the claim that all members of the biosphere are ontologically and axiologically equal, presents a challenge to traditional ethical conceptions of the special status of humanity. Confucian and Kantian ethics approach this topic, and its application to other animals, in different ways: Confucianism employs stories that promote insight into the importance of sincerity and compassion to all animals, including non-human ones; Kant employs abstract reasoning to argue that non-human animals deserve respect because we humans share their basic nature. We argue that, taken together, these two approaches preserve what is most important in eco-centrism, but without sacrificing human dignity in the process.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85049173701&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1540-6253.12256
DO - 10.1111/1540-6253.12256
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85049173701
SN - 0301-8121
VL - 43
SP - 221
EP - 238
JO - Journal of Chinese Philosophy
JF - Journal of Chinese Philosophy
IS - 3-4
ER -