How we behave toward the environment depends on our ethical perspective toward the natural world. In the anthropocentric view, humans are the only thing with intrinsic value and nature exists for humans to use. In the stewardship view, both humans and nature have intrinsic value and humans have a responsibility to manage and care for the environment. In other views, a right to exist equal to that of humans is said to belong to species (biocentric view), individuals (animal rights view), or ecosystems (ecocentric view). In the ecofeminist view, relationships among people, and between people and nature, are most important. |