The ethics of species
By: Ronald L. Sandler
Series: Cambridge applied ethics
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Cambridge; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 235
ISBN-13: 9781107023468
Subjects: Mass extinctions; Moral and ethical aspects; Biodiversity; Environmental ethics; Nature; Conservation biology; Bioethics; Effect of human beings on; Genetic engineering; Climatic changes; Human-animal relationships; PHILOSOPHY / Ethics & Moral Philosophy; Species
Description: "We are causing species to go extinct at extraordinary rates, altering existing species in unprecedented ways and creating entirely new species. More than ever before, we require an ethic of species to guide our interactions with them. In this book, Ronald L. Sandler examines the value of species and the ethical significance of species boundaries and discusses what these mean for species preservation in the light of global climate change, species engineering and human enhancement. He argues that species possess several varieties of value, but they are not sacred. It is sometimes permissible to alter species, let them go extinct (even when we are a cause of the extinction) and invent new ones. Philosophically rigorous, accessible and illustrated with examples drawn from contemporary science, this book will be of interest to students of philosophy, bioethics, environmental ethics and conservation biology"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: The value of species; title: The conservation biology dilemma; title: Assisted colonization; title: Shifting goals and changing strategies; title: The (in)significance of species boundaries; title: Homo sapiens in particular; title: Artifactual species; title: Conclusion.