IB Philosophy 9.2 Philosophy and the Environment Key Definitions

Central to Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist ethics, ahimsa is the principle of non-violence toward all living beings, requiring the minimisation of harm to animals, plants, and the natural world through compassionate action and restraint.

The Anthropocene is the proposed geological epoch in which human activity has become the dominant influence on the Earth's climate and ecosystems, marking a fundamental shift in the relationship between humanity and nature.

Anthropocentrism is the view that human beings are the central or most important entities in the world, and that the natural environment has value only insofar as it serves human needs and interests. Deep ecology and ecocentrism challenge this position.

Civil disobedience is the deliberate, public, and non-violent refusal to obey a law or policy that one considers unjust, undertaken to bring about a change in government policy. Theorised by Thoreau and practised by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., it was defended by Rawls as a legitimate act within a nearly just society.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in global temperature, precipitation, and weather patterns driven primarily by the accumulation of greenhouse gases from human activity, particularly the burning of fossil fuels. The phenomenon raises urgent philosophical questions about intergenerational justice, the moral weight of future persons, and how responsibility should be distributed among nations with vastly different historical contributions to emissions.

Deep ecology is a philosophical movement founded by Arne Naess that rejects human-centred approaches to the environment and holds that all living beings have intrinsic value regardless of their usefulness to humans. It contrasts with shallow ecology, which treats environmental problems as technical issues solvable within existing frameworks.

Depletion of resources refers to the exhaustion of natural resources such as fossil fuels, fresh water, and fertile soil through overconsumption and unsustainable practices. The concept raises philosophical questions about stewardship and intergenerational obligation, challenging societies to balance present needs against the rights and well-being of future generations who will inherit a diminished natural commons.

In environmental philosophy, environmental degradation refers to the deterioration of the natural world through the depletion of resources, destruction of ecosystems, pollution, and loss of biodiversity, driven by human activity.

Intrinsic value is the worth that something possesses in itself, independent of its usefulness to anyone or anything else. Contrasted with extrinsic (instrumental) value, which depends on serving as a means to a further end, it is central to debates about whether nature deserves protection for its own sake.

Moral agency is the capacity of a being to understand moral principles, distinguish right from wrong, and be held accountable for its choices and actions.

Moral status is the property of being an entity whose interests or wellbeing deserve moral consideration. Debated criteria include sentience, rationality, being the subject of a life, or membership in a biotic community.

Social ecology is Murray Bookchin's philosophical framework arguing that environmental destruction stems from hierarchical social structures, particularly capitalism, and that ecological problems can only be solved by transforming the social relationships that produce domination of both humans and nature.

Species extinction is the permanent disappearance of a species from the planet, a process that has accelerated dramatically due to habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Environmental philosophers debate whether species have intrinsic value independent of their usefulness to humans, and whether the current rate of biodiversity loss constitutes a moral catastrophe comparable to other forms of irreversible harm.

Stewardship is the ethical principle that humans are caretakers of the natural environment, holding it in trust for future generations and other species rather than owning it for unlimited exploitation.