Ethics Overview and Environmental Ethics

Study Notes

Ethics involves the study of right and wrong, guiding moral decisions and behavior.
Hippocratic Oath emphasizes ethical standards in medical practice.
Utilitarianism prioritizes actions that yield the greatest good for the majority, illustrated by the ethical dilemma of sacrificing one person to save five.

Utilitarian Conservationism values environmental conservation primarily for human benefit, under an anthropocentric view.
Quotes John Muir stating that the world was created for humans reflects this anthropocentric belief.
Biocentric Conservation argues for equal rights to existence for all living beings, challenging human-centered views.
California Condor Recovery Program showcases biocentric conservation in action.
Ecocentrism emphasizes the importance of ecosystems and their various components.
Reference to The Ocean Cleanup illustrates efforts aligned with ecocentric values.
Environmental justice demands equitable treatment regarding environmental hazards, particularly affecting poor and minority communities.
Emelle, Alabama, known for having the largest hazardous waste landfill, highlights environmental injustices faced by marginalized populations.
With 75% of Sumter County residents being black, the issues are compounded by socioeconomic factors.
The Eutaw Aquifer's contamination from landfill waste poses a significant threat to regional water supplies, including carcinogenic PCBs.

Defined as a structured approach to understanding the world through observation and evidence.
Empirical evidence refers to observable facts, contrasting with subjective opinions.
Reproducibility signifies that experiments should yield consistent results upon repetition.
Importance of replication is underscored, as larger sample sizes contribute to more reliable conclusions.

Emphasizes the necessity of large sample sizes and repeated trials to strengthen scientific findings.

Key steps include: making observations, proposing hypotheses, testing hypotheses, and interpreting data to draw conclusions.

Correlation implies a relationship or association between two variables, but it does not denote causation.
Example: A correlation exists between cigarette smoking and lung cancer, with evidence supporting a causal relationship.
Conversely, a correlation between ice cream sales and shark attacks exists, but ice cream sales do not cause increased shark activity, illustrating false correlation.