TY - JOUR
T1 - Re-Examining Culture/Conservation Conflict
T2 - The View of Anthropology of Conservation Through the Lens of Environmental Ethics
AU - Kopnina, Helen
PY - 2012/3/1
Y1 - 2012/3/1
N2 - This article examines environmental ethics theories focused on the division between "anthropocentric" and "ecocentric" approaches in regard to three valuebases for environmental concern: self-interest, humanistic altruism, and biospheric altruism. The author argues that while applied anthropologists claim to be morally engaged, this engagement rarely supports biospheric altruism. Anthropological advocacy of indigenous rights as well as support for development enterprise on the part of applied anthropologists results in anthropocentric bias in anthropology. While moral engagement may be said to be the mark ofapplied anthropology, environmental ethics is rarely evoked and moral engagements seem to extend only to humans. On the other hand, constructivist anthropologists often describe environment, nature, or wilderness as social constructions and do not engage with questions of value and rights, resulting in relativism that ignores the urgency of conservation efforts.
AB - This article examines environmental ethics theories focused on the division between "anthropocentric" and "ecocentric" approaches in regard to three valuebases for environmental concern: self-interest, humanistic altruism, and biospheric altruism. The author argues that while applied anthropologists claim to be morally engaged, this engagement rarely supports biospheric altruism. Anthropological advocacy of indigenous rights as well as support for development enterprise on the part of applied anthropologists results in anthropocentric bias in anthropology. While moral engagement may be said to be the mark ofapplied anthropology, environmental ethics is rarely evoked and moral engagements seem to extend only to humans. On the other hand, constructivist anthropologists often describe environment, nature, or wilderness as social constructions and do not engage with questions of value and rights, resulting in relativism that ignores the urgency of conservation efforts.
KW - anthropocentrism
KW - applied anthropology
KW - conservation/culture conflict
KW - constructivism
KW - development
KW - ecocentrism
KW - environmental anthropology
KW - environmental ethics
KW - environmental values
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84858837510&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/1943815X.2011.625951
DO - 10.1080/1943815X.2011.625951
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84858837510
VL - 9
SP - 9
EP - 25
JO - Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences
JF - Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences
SN - 1943-815X
IS - 1
ER -