Ethics
A discipline that seeks to define what is fundamentally right and wrong
Cultural relativism
The view that right and wrong are to be determined from within a particular society or cultural group
Laws
Legislative or judicial frameworks determining how members of a particular society should behave
Anthropocentrism
A theory in ethics that views human values as primary and the environment as solely a resource for humankind
Biocentrism
A theory in ethics that acknowledges the value of all living organisms.
Ecocentrism
A theory in ethics that considers the value of ecosystems and larger wholes to the primary.
Ecofeminism
The view that there are important theoretical, historical, and empirical connections between how society treats women and how it treats the environment.
Social Ecology
The view that social hierarchies between groups of people are directly connected to patterns of behavior that cause environmental destruction.
Deep Ecology
The generally ecocentric view that a new spiritual sense of oneness with the Earth is the essential starting point for a more healthy relationship with the environment.
Environmental Pragmatism
An approach to environmental ethics that maintains that a human-centered ethic witha long-range perspective will come to many of the same conclusions in environmental policy as an ecocentric ethic.
Environmental Aesthetics
Animal rights/welfare
Development
Preservationist
Conservationist
Sustainable Development
Environmental Justice
Economic Growth
Resource Exploitation
Corporations
A business structure that has a particular legal status.
External costs
Profitability
The extent to which economic benefits exceed the economic costs of doing business.