In “the Ideals of Human Excellence and Preserving Natural Environments,” Thomas Hill explores what the acts of anti-environments reveal about their character. Hill bases his argument on the premise that other ethical theories and principle cannot make a convincing argument to morally justify or refute the destruction of nature. As such, Hill delves into another perspective of the love and promotion of nature and the environment. In his argument, Hill asserts that the virtues of gratitude, humility, and sensitivity are the driving factors that make the pro-environmentalists acknowledge and appreciate the aesthetic value of nature (Hill, 1983). A person’s character is often contingent on his actions, which are in turn shaped by the absence or presence of certain virtues and traits. Although anti-environmentalism does not always depict a total deficiency of virtues, it is highly likely that the character is motivated by the lack of certain paramount virtues that have to be inculcated in every person. According to Hill, destruction of the environment and the lack of appreciation for nature’s aesthetic value is a lack of moral sensibility to the pillars of one’s life (Hill, 1983). It can, therefore, be deduced that it requires more than knowledge and intelligence to develop a sense of sensibility and responsibility to the natural basis or human life and existence. Respect for the environment defines who an individual is as a person.
Hill uses logical examples and objective reasoning to support his argument, alongside desisting from using absolute words. The claim that the environment is the natural source of human life and existence is hard to refute as it has scientifically been proven to be true. In this regard, Hill makes his assertion that environmental destruction is a lack of moral sensibility and virtuousness because it is not pragmatic for any person in their moral sense to destroy the sole source of their existence. Not only does Hill tie the relationship between humans and nature to their existence, but he also points out that this relationship mirrors the interaction between humans (Hill, 1983). By creating this perspective, Hill appeals convince his audience into believing that how one treats the environment is a reflection of how they will treat the people around them. Hill uses this analogy to create a sense of moral policing, in which an individual’s attitude and character towards the environment are summative of their moral being. Hill fortifies his argument by pointing out real-life examples relating to anti-environmentalism. He uses the example of the wealthy man who replaced the tree and grass in his lawn with asphalt, and that of the Californian governor who backed the move to eradicate the ancient redwood groves.
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Thomas Hill’s argument on environmental ethics and virtues follows the popular philosophical theories and principles such as utilitarianism, Aristotle’s theory, Kantian, and contractarian theories. The latter theories were postulated long before Hill fronted his argument. The latter ethical perspectives dwell on rights, morals, and duty, with each principle being insufficiently capable of explaining the cause and reason for environmental protection. Early influential environmental thinkers like David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold reflected on the role of character and virtue in appreciating nature and the environment ( D’Souza, D’Souza, 2017). The early ethical perspectives failed in construing ethical arguments that encompassed all ethical principles in logically explaining the human character and the environment. By evaluating the shortcomings in the existing philosophical approaches, Hill created a whole new dimension of evaluating environmental ethics, virtues, and vices. Hill’s argument has set the precedence for current and future environmental ethics philosophers in remodelling and characterizing the dispositions regarding the virtues and principles of environmental protection.
References
D’Souza, D. S., & D’Souza, R. (2017). Environmental Ethics–The Fullest Extension of Human Ethics. GLOBAL BIOETHICS ENQUIRY , 10.
Hill, T. E. (1983). Ideals of human excellence and preserving natural environments. Environmental Ethics , 5 (3), 211-224.
