Why Can We Not Simply Move ‘from Ethics to Ontology and Back’? An Attempt at Rethinking the Environmental Ethics of Arne Næss
Why Can We Not Simply Move ‘from Ethics to Ontology and Back’? An Attempt at Rethinking the Environmental Ethics of Arne Næss

Summary/Abstract: This article discusses the methodological problems in justifying gestalt ontology at the expense of environmental ethics, as displayed by the father of deep ecology, Arne Næss. As one of the main reasons for underrating the role of ethics in building environmental philosophy, I point out Næss’ theory of narrowing morality to moralization, which can be traced to the way he examines the impact of moral intuition, duty, and beautiful actions in Kant’s sense. On a macro methodological level, the main objective of this paper is to show why rehabilitating the role of ethics in Næss’ conception necessitates rethinking his move “from ethics to ontology and back” within the framework of ontological ethics.

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