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An environmental ethic for outdoor education: dilemma and resolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

K. McRap
K. McRap*
Affiliation:
School of Education, Canberra College of Advanced Education
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Abstract

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Programs designed to promote the use of natural environments for leisure purposes need to be based on a sound and justifiable environmental ethic. This paper attempts to develop such an ethic. The general and basic ecological attitude, arguments relating to the need for human survival, other arguments which relate to human interests such as the need for beauty, recreation and scientific endeavours and utilitarian arguments relating to the needs of future generations are examined and are seen as being morally and practically inadequate.

The only justifiable environmental ethic is seen as one which has. as its central concept, the interdependent natural community in which the interests of all individual members of the community (including the interests of human beings) are regarded as secondary to the good of the total community. In the ethic, humans protect the natural environment because the entities of nature are “fellow-travellers”, members of the same moral community.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , June 1985 , pp. 2 - 7
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

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