People or penguins; by William F. Baxter

Animals, of all kinds, should be held at such a high value in the philosophical sense, that our society is no longer ecologically blinded by their importance that they provide to the entire ecosystem.īaxter provides penguins as an example and how scientific research has proven that DDT, in the manufacturing of foods, is resulting in harm towards the penguin community. This undoubtedly juxtaposes my ecocentristic view that all factors, living or nonliving, obtain a direct moral standing. I feel that it completely delineates responsibility that humans have to preserve every animal in the environment and claims that the only thing that obtains a direct moral standing are humans. I am not persuaded by his claims because I maintain that the anthropocentric approach must be rejected. His four goals only work to benefit humans and completely leave out the rights that animals have to live. Although he makes excellent claims, I cannot agree with him completely. These reasons only serve as a principle for influencing solutions to issues that pertain to human organization. He begins his essay by providing four specific reasons for his anthropocentric preference. They may not provide any commercial profit to the community, or any benefit at all for man, but they have a biotic entitlement to live because preserving each and every animal proves to be ethical.īaxter argues from an anthropocentric approach that society should view the way we treat the environment as a compromise with an ultimate intent to advocate human prosperity. Regardless of how insignificant a single species may seem, these innocent beings are of the natural world and must continue in their right to existence.

Baxter is misguided is his philosophical approach because his argument fails to consider that every animal has a specific role in the environment that works to benefit other animals in the food chain. Baxter uses an argumentative tone to prove to the reader that it is appropriate for us to take care of the environment, when doing so is in our best interest. In “People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution,” William F.

People or penguins; by William F. Baxter