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Copyright of Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae is the property of Uniwerystet Kardynala Stefana Wyznskiege w Warzawie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article considers the novel's possibilities for depicting and responding to the climate crisis by analyzing Richard Powers's efforts to write a biocentric perspective in The Overstory (2018). In biocentric narratives, humans, typically the focal point of the novel, are decentered in favor of perspectives that attempt to encompass more of the living world. Efforts to evade narrative anthropocentrism, which are often encouraged by ecocritics, may not offer an effective frame through which to articulate the climate crisis. The article defends narrative anthropocentrism against the charge that it is unambiguously problematic and challenges the claim that it is potentially avoidable through the adoption of a theoretically biocentric narrative perspective. Rather, strategic awareness of narrative anthropocentrism can help novelists foster visions of strong connections to our environments and inspire reader engagement with environmental concerns. Powers's effort to move beyond anthropocentrism, which is motivated by positive intentions to impact reader interest in environmental issues, is stymied by the inevitability of the human perspectives and interests that attend the construction of any narrative. The article concludes that some instances of anthropocentrism in novels like The Overstory, in which Powers cannot altogether supplant anthropocentrism with a biocentric perspective, are more constructive and positive vis-à-vis nonhuman nature and the environment than others, such as Powers's portrayal of reverence for nonhuman nature. If reverence reveals the attachment of human values and emotions to nonhuman entities, it suggests how anthropocentrism might be harnessed for the benefit of the wider environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the debate over the moral status of nonsentient organisms, biocentrists argue that all living things, including nonsentient ones, have interests of their own. They often defend this claim by arguing that living organisms are goal-directed, functionally organized systems. This argument for ascribing interests has faced a serious challenge that is sometimes called the Problem of Scope. Critics have argued that ascribing interests on the basis of functional organization would have implausible implications regarding the scope of the argument, such as ascribing interests to inanimate artifacts and machines. In this paper, I argue that much of the recent discussion on the Problem of Scope is based on an uncharitable interpretation of the argument for ascribing interests, which presupposes a reductionist account of functions. I assess this version of the argument, and explain why it cannot succeed. I then consider an alternative interpretation of the argument, which appeals to a non-reductionist account of functions. I argue that this version of the argument avoids the Problem of Scope, while acknowledging that it has limitations of its own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study explored the biocentric view in the selected poems of Elizabeth Bishop, highlighting an ecocritical arena of her poems. Furthermore, this idea represented Bishop's anti-anthropocentric perspective; while prevailing her biocentric view. The study deployed the content analysis methodology to analyze Bishop's biocentric attitude through her representation of animals, environment, natural phenomena, and the abiding relationship of all living things, including humans. In this sense, the study further showed that Bishop's oeuvre reveals a sense of environmental consciousness. Her poetry, particularly the selected poems, demonstrate a biocentric view of life that can be easily perceived in her subjective understanding of the nature and the creatures. This is obvious through her representation of natural phenomena such as seasonal cycles, weather, and physical and ecological elements including air, earth, and water that inculcates poet's environmental consciousness. Hence, by examining the prevailing biocentric view of the poet through an examination of her poetic language, this study shows that the expected environmental imagination elucidates social responsibility for readers, to understand the ecopoetic relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critique of anthropocentrism has accompanied environmental thinking since its inception. However, we lack a deeper analysis of anthropocentrism and its forms. The authors of this study concentrate on analysing selected forms of anthropocentrism that were prominent in different periods of the history of European culture. They offer a basic typology of anthropocentrism and characterize philosophical, religious, philosophical-theological and philosophical-scientific anthropocentrism. They also include a fifth form of anthropocentrism, which they call environmental anthropocentrism. The authors consider changes that are important from a philosophical, ethical and axiological perspective and analyse the potential of anthropocentrism in comparison with some of environmental anthropocentrism its alternative forms, such as biocentrism and cosmocentrism. They also attempt to assess the significance of environmental anthropocentrism and the potential for its implementation in human-environmental relations. The environmental anthropocentrism proposed here is a potential solution with applicability to the search for a moderate, humble, non-arrogant, respectful and responsible human approach to relations with nature.

In recent decades, due to the crises created in nature by humans, the review of the relationship between humans and nature has gained special importance. The existing gap between environmental damage and its reverberations has resulted in people’s lack of attention to the consequences of environmental destruction. By applying ecocriticism and relying on concepts such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, deep ecology and shallow ecology, the present study, for the first time, compares the two novels, Ahle Ghargh (1989), by Moniro Ravanipour and Animal Dreaams (1990) by Barbara Kingsolver. While introducing deep ecology as postmodern environmental ethics, the research completely rejects the domination of anthropocentric ideology and considers self- realization and identification with nature to be the only way out of environmental crises. Ravanipour and Kingsolver suffer from eco-trauma caused by environmental destruction and they try to take an effective step in improving deficiencies in nature. Eco-trauma inspires both novelists to deal with the damage that humans, knowingly or unknowingly, cause to nature. The study aims to demonstrate the dominance of anthropocentric ideology, which brings a self-seeking and self-interested attitude, strongly causing the destruction of nature. By relying on biocentrism, deep ecology has no concern other than preserving the environment and its resources while it avoids damage to the environment with the aim of gaining profit. Extended Abstract 1. Introduction Industrialization and urbanization have led to the separation of man from nature and made a false impression related to the superiority of human beings. Based on such a paradigm, what follows, is solving environmental problems only for the benefit of human beings, according to the needs of their time. Such a limited view suggests that the environmental movement has generally operated on a case-by-case basis. As long as various issues are not considered as distinct predicaments, environmentalists will never be able to fully protect ecosystems from the destructive abuses of human development. By examining Moniro Ravanipour’s Ahle Ghargh (1989), and Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams (1990), considering how anthropocentrism has caused irreparable damage to the environment and ecosystem, the study considers the reconnection of man with nature by changing the pattern in his relationships as a solution. Ravanipour (1952- ), and Kingsolver (1955- ), have skillfully depicted the effects of environmental destruction on human life in their works. The study indicates that there is a meaningful intimacy between nature and reasonable behavior towards the environment. Therefore, physical contact with nature is the necessary factor of procuring a sense of connection with it. Ahle Ghargh and Animal Dreams are in harmony with the specific geographical region of their authors’ hometowns and illustrate the deep connection of the authors with where they were raised. The research is a reflection of anthropocentrism in different climates that has achieved valuable results from the comparison of the two studied novels. Ravanipour and Kingsolver consider current environmental concerns as a major threat to human well-being. The present study is an argument of the consequences of anthropocentrism and a utilitarian attitude towards nature. Contemplating concepts such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, deep ecology and shallow ecology, the researchers consider industrialization and the urban lifestyle to be the cause of the physical separation of man from nature and the deepening of this alienation. The article aims to investigate anthropocentrism and its reflection in the works of Ravanipour and Kingsolver in a comparative manner to clarify environmental worldviews through the application of biocentrism and deep ecology. The study tries to reconcile intellectual similarities and styles of Iranian and American female novelists. Although the presence of British colonialism in Ravanipour’s Ahle Ghargh is differentiated from Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams, the dominant theme in both novels is the rupture between man and nature and the mental and psychological problems which result from such separation. By choosing two female novelists from two different regions, Eastern and Western, while emphasizing the deep connection between women and nature, the article aims to portray their similar concerns about environmental issues resulting from its destruction. The present research introduces deep ecology as a solution for controlling and ending crises. The comparative analysis proves that the two novels Ahle Ghargh and Animal Dreams are a reflection of criticism on modernity and shallow ecology which has led nature into regression. In both novels, nature is the main background of the story and is the driving force behind the events which has an inevitable effect on the characters of the story. Ravanipour and Kingsolver believe that the world is on the edge of an ecological abyss, and the reason is anthropocentric thought which considers man to be the center and ruler of the universe, with regard to his materialistic and profit-seeking disposition. The article is an example of the link between literature and environment which examines the similarities of Ahle Ghargh and Animal Dreams, for the first time, carrying out a comparative study of these two literary texts. In “What is Comparative Literature?” (2012) Alireza Anushirvani (1954- ), claims that comparative literature is an important field of literature and a branch of literary criticism that while regarding the interaction between the literature of various peoples, studies and analyzes their similarities and differences (37). This study aims to present a new reading of Ravanipour’s Ahle Ghargh and Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams by compiling the ideas of Arne Naess (1912-2009), Greg Garrard (1969), and using concepts such as anthropocentrism, biocentrism, deep ecology and shallow ecology. By analyzing two selected works, researchers noted the impact of biocentrism and deep ecology in restoring the discrete relationship between man and nature. Finally, in the concluding part, the findings of the study are summarized. 2. Methodology and Approach What has been on the human mind for a long time is the importance of preserving nature, plant and animal species, which have a very fundamental and inevitable role in maintaining the health of the human soul and psyche. In recent decades, due to the crises created by man in nature, the review of the connection between human and nature has become of significant importance. Meantime, literature has had a distinctive status and an excessive contribution in this field. Today, many intellectuals and critics seek to study the confrontation between human and nature. For this reason, a new field of study has emerged from the link between the humanities, that is literature and the natural sciences which is ecology. The combination of these two disciplines has led to the emergence of a new science called ecocriticism in the field of literary criticism, which aims to find the connection between human and nature. Ecocriticism was formed in the second half of the twentieth century. The term was first coined in 1978 by William H. Rueckert (b.1926), the American literature educator and writer. Taking into account environmental concerns, it tried to get help from the literature to preserve and improve the environment. Through an environmental approach to literary works, it attempts to create a new attitude to nature that leads to the improvement of human relationship with it. Ecocriticism is a recently developed critical approach which links the humanities, natural sciences, and environmental sciences. One of the notable recognized pioneers of ecocriticism is Cheryll Glotfelty (b.1958), the American professor of literature and environment at the University of Nevada, Reno. In The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology (1996), Glotfelty and Fromm define ecocriticism as ‘simply put, ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment” (xviii). They describe the environmental crisis and the various dimensions of the humanities, including anthropology. Glotfelty and Fromm study the aspects of ecology and predict the future of this branch of literary criticism due to the expansion of modern science. They believe that the main focus of discussion in ecocriticism is the correlation between literature and physical environment (Glotfelty & Fromm, 1996: 3). Greg Garrard in his outstanding book Ecocriticism (2004), examines the concepts of ecocriticism, such as dwelling, wilderness, pollution, animals, and the earth. He believed that “wilderness has an almost sacramental value: it holds out the promise of a renewed, authentic relation of humanity and the earth, a post-Christian covenant, found in a space of purity, founded in an attitude of reverence and humanity” (Garrard, 2004: 59). Ecocriticism aims to create an interactive approach between the language of nature and the literary language that it creates through environmental literary discourse. 3.Conclusion Since decades ago, humans have had a special consideration for the environment. The reason for such attention was the concern about the protection of nature against industrial development, urbanization, pollution, and significant climate changes. Industrialization and urbanization have caused the separation of human from nature and presented a false representation related to the superiority of human beings. In Ahle Gharg (1989), and Animal Dreams (1990), Moniro Ravanipour (1952- ), and Barbara Kingsolver (1955- ), reflect their environmental sorrow, try to take an effective step in improving the nature by changing the attitude of man in the environment. Both artists consider the alienation of human populations from nature as a product of industrial modernization and the rise of urbanization. This detachment is the result of a world view that regards human and nature as fundamentally in isolation while reflecting on the value of nature only as a means of fulfilling human needs. Generally speaking, the urban lifestyle has created a marked schism between man and nature. Physical intimacy with nature is necessary in order to create a sense of connection. Relying on an ecological narrative, Moniro Ravanipour and Barbara Kingsolver have managed to reveal the vulnerability of the environment and its impact on people’s lives since neither author has ever been a neutral observer in advocating the environment. In their works, Ravanipour and Kingsolver have taken effective steps to reveal the damage caused by anthropocentrism. By relying on what literature has given them, both novelists have skillfully dealt with problems and solutions. The environmental damage that humans purposefully or inadvertently cause to nature will return over time, although due to the deep gap between the damage and its consequences, effects may last for decades, or even centuries. Ravanipour and Kingsolver have clearly reflected this truth in their works by portraying the environmental despair which the protagonists of the novels face and the efforts they make to save nature. Both contemporary authors point out the seriousness of environmental issues while ruminating over the deep connection between human, nature, and the recognition of its damage, eventuating in environmental trauma. The misery following in the wake of environmental destruction drives the main characters of both novels towards experiencing trauma. Both novelists try to amplify people’s awareness of the environment. Nature plays an essential role in healing the complications of the soul and psyche so that they can reduce their suffering by taking refuge in it. In fact, the manifestation and excellence found in nature reduces stress and anxiety. Researchers believe that a comprehensive and non-hierarchical perception of all life forms should replace the hegemonic conceptual framework in which nature is merely a means for humans to take advantage of. In fact, the widespread belief is that humans are intrinsically more valuable than other creatures and nature should be replaced by empathy with nature. Ravanipour and Kingsolver deal with current environmental concerns since they believe they are real threats to man’s well-being.

Copyright of Thélème is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Foro Revista de Derecho is the property of Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, Sede Ecuador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Science & Innovative Technologies is the property of Global Cooperation & Analytical Research Center Public Union and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: Ecocentrism analysis, based on selected themes of Aldo Leopold’s and J. Baird Callicott’s ideas, in the context of the debate with anthropocentrism; An attempt to indicate a new axiological foundation for ecocentrism. Design/methodology/approach: The achievement of the article’s objective results from the utilization of a set of tools, including hermeneutics, analysis of relevant literature, and comparative theory. Through these methods, a set of ecocentric values has been reconstructed, carrying the potential to develop a more rigorous protection of the natural environment. Findings: The ecocentric approach to environmental conservation can be more effective than the concept of „sustainable development”, as it considers the well-being of the ecosystem, refrains from treating nature as a resource, takes into account abiotic factors, opposes long-term environmental degradation, and places biodiversity at the core. Simultaneously, it is a flexible approach, basing its axiology on both biological and social community values. It’s not about negation, but rather a modification of traditional ethics. Research limitations/implications: The transformation of the cultural approach to the relationship between humans and nature requires social acceptance and a coherent value system. Ecocentrism is challenging to embrace in societies where anthropocentrism (a focus on human interests) prevails. Practical application of ecocentrism is difficult when it is not widely known and understood. Some of its propositions may encounter resistance, such as ethical consideration directed towards abiotic factors. Practical implications: Ecocentrism can be applied in everyday life, in businesses, and many other areas. It is a theory with immense practical potential, worthy of consideration in the realm of business practices, resource management, urban planning, agriculture and food production, education, politics, and legislation. Social implications: Adopting the principles of an ecocentric approach would have a profound impact on society by altering values, priorities, and actions to focus on the well-being of ecosystems. Originality/value: The value of the article lies in the original systematization of ecocentric ideas in the context of the concept of „ecosystem” and „anthropocentrism”. For the first time, the article identifies concepts, and simultaneously metaphors, that can serve as a vehicle for the popularization and further continuation of the ecocentric tradition. The highlighted terms are „home” – directly referring to the etymology of the word „ecosystem” – and „family” (a triad of values also appears: life, safety, well-being). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I will raise the question of whether it is conceptually acceptable and practically useful to speak in terms of rights of Nature. I will answer positively: we may talk about rights of Nature with complete legitimacy. In addition, I will argue that we must do so from an anti-capitalist and postcolonial perspective; that is, not as a metaphor or a legal fiction, but considering that for some peoples of the world, natural entities genuinely have a personality worthy of protection through rights. I will also defend that the expression “rights of Nature” goes beyond the problem of the entitlement (Nature or Earth as “new holders”). Indeed, the emergence of the rights of Nature implies a radical change in the actual concept of rights; a change which compels us to move from humanism to post-humanism. This in turn leads us to dismantle the individualistic, anthropocentric, Eurocentric and ownership-based perspective of rights. El objetivo de este artículo es plantear la pregunta de si hablar de derechos de la naturaleza resulta conceptualmente aceptable y prácticamente útil. La respuesta es positiva: podemos hablar de derechos de la naturaleza con total legitimidad. Además, se defenderá que debemos hacerlo desde un enfoque anticapitalista y postcolonial, es decir, no como una metáfora o una ficción jurídica, sino tomando en consideración que, para algunos pueblos del mundo, las entidades naturales tienen genuinamente una personalidad que merece protección a través de derechos. También se sostendrá que la expresión “derechos de la naturaleza” va más allá del problema de la titularidad (la idea de la Naturaleza o la Tierra como “nuevos titulares”), ya que, en realidad, la emergencia de los derechos de la naturaleza implica un cambio radical en el mismo concepto de los derechos; un cambio que nos obliga a transitar del humanismo al post-humanismo. Esto, a su vez, nos debería llevar a abandonar la perspectiva individualista, antropocéntrica, eurocéntrica y propietarista de los derechos.

The article analyzes the apostolic exhortation Laudate Deum, which criticizes narratives that relativize scientific evidence on global warming and climate change. It highlights the importance of ethics in addressing environmental problems and proposes concrete measures. It introduces the concept of "situated anthropocentrism" and defends the idea that the Judeo-Christian worldview values ​​human beings without disregarding the importance of other creatures. The work "Mirada Cenital" by Guadalupe Valdés illustrates this idea. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper deals with the vocabulary of sustainability born in the struggles against extractivism in Latin America and the Caribbean, by focussing on the Pacto Ecosocial e Intercultural del Sur/Ecosocial and Intercultural Pact of the South – an initiative launched in 2020 by a group of critical scholars and activists. In the era of Green New Deals, the Pact calls for a socially conscious green transition benefiting the many. The article shows that the Pact is a counter-hegemonic proposal with a strong biocentric component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding factors that promote conservation attitudes is essential given ongoing environmental crises and the need for sustainability. Our research adopted various close‐ and open‐ended tasks to explore: the extent to which U.S. urban adults (Study 1) and children (Study 2) have a basic conception of humans as part of nature, cognitive factors that predict more human‐inclusive concepts of nature, and, finally, the relationship of their nature concepts and other individual differences to environmental moral concern and biocentric reasoning. General environmental moral concern and biocentric moral reasoning were a focus because both variables have previously been linked to sustainable attitudes. Across studies, adults and children did not tend to categorize humans as part of nature except when induced or disposed to attribute mind or life to nature. Among adults, a human‐inclusive nature concept did not predict environmental moral concern or biocentrism. However, the degree of exposure to nature was positively predictive while a cluster of beliefs about humans as intrinsically unique, superior, and influential (human exceptionalism) was negatively predictive. Among children, a basic human‐inclusive concept of nature was related to environmental concern but only among children who also tended to reason in ecological terms. These findings have important implications for sustainability efforts: They suggest that environmental moral concern and biocentric attitudes may be enhanced over‐development by nature exposure and interventions that enduringly promote human‐inclusive concepts of nature and ecological‐systems understanding. Such intervention effects might be achieved by selectively inducing individuals to attribute mind and life to non‐human natural phenomena and scaffolding accurate mechanistic understanding of evolution and common ancestry, which may also help to inhibit the development and deleterious effects of human exceptionalism. Environmental moral concern and biocentric moral reasoning are both consistent predictors of conservationist attitudes and sustainable behavior. In two studies, we therefore explored various predictors of environmental moral concern and biocentric moral reasoning among urban adults and 6‐ to 7‐year‐old urban children with a focus on their basic tendencies to categorize humans as part of nature. Among urban adults, basic human‐inclusive conceptions of nature were not predictive while among urban children—who showed higher environmental moral concern—they were predictive when combined with tendencies to reason in ecological terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Inciso is the property of Universidad La Gran Colombia, Seccional Armenia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main aim of this paper is to demonstrate that in order to claim that Kant’s ethics is neither speciesist nor anthropocentric there is no need to reinterpret Kant’s theories pushing them over their anthroposcopism. I start by exploring the most relevant references to non-human animals and nature in Kant’s moral theory. Then I highlight the main reasons behind the critics of speciesism and anthropocentrism often referred to Kant’s philosophy. I show how non-anthropocentric environmental ethics reinterpretations of Kant’s moral theory offered by Christine Korsgaard, Sharon Anderson-Gold e Marc Lucht reply to the critics. In conclusion, I claim that staying with Kant’s anthroposcopism and formal approach to moral ethics could be enough to provide a stronger theoretical framework for an already widespread and widely accepted weak anthropocentric reformist environmental ethics.

This essay explores Michel Serres’s “poetic dream of another epistemology” connected to an anti-Cartesian, sensorial view of knowledge. The philosopher alludes to empirical studies from the field of cognitive neuroscience, which have demonstrated that the mind and body are interwoven as part of one integrated entity, in order to propose an alternative epistemological framework for (re-) envisioning the nature of knowledge. The philosopher’s rehabilitation of our senses illustrates that our body is replete with overlapping epistemological channels that bifurcate in all directions. Serres explains how somatic encounters with the universe enable us to constitute a stable sense of self in relation to the larger world. However, he recognizes that there are a plethora of obstacles standing in the way of allowing his epistemological dream to come to fruition. In what he refers to as the Exo-Darwinian, hominescent era, the (post-) modern, urbanized lifestyle affords very little contact with the remainder of the planet. Moreover, Serres laments how climate change has already forever eradicated spaces of meaning that are indispensable as part of an epistemological quest of knowing what and who we are as planetary beings.

Within the literary realm, the relationship between environmental sensitivity and postcolonial woundedness is an interestingly intersecting perspective. Ecocriticism highlights Nature as a space of sociocultural values where the writer uses his imaginative bend to explore issues related to the environment, such as the maltreatment of the environment by humans and anthropocentric utilization of nature. Taking Aamer Hussein's collection of short stories, i.e., The Swan's Wife, as a sample, the current study, in this context, sheds light on how nature/environment and postcolonial understanding can serve as a metaphoric signifier for healing colonial wounds. Through a detailed qualitative content analysis, the paper explains how nature is an engaging mechanism in Aamer Hussein's selected work that assimilates diasporic imagination with eco-consciousness. The study, thus, initiates a much-needed debate between the role of ecocritical thought and postcolonial consciousness in the Pakistani context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some post-Copernican authors, such as Bernard de Fontenelle and Cyrano de Bergerac, mention an association between geocentrism and anthropocentrism that was broken by the Copernican model. This argument has been criticized by authors such as A. O. Lovejoy, Remi Brague, and Dennis R. Danielson, who argue that the geocentric model of the Universe humiliated man rather than glorified him, since the Earth, as the center of the Universe, was seen as the filthy part of the Universe. So, living on the Earth was not considered a noble status for Man. In this paper, however, I will show that living in the coarser part of the Universe had also been seen in conjunction with having a noble status, and that there was indeed an association made between geocentrism and anthropocentrism before the Copernican Revolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary ecological crisis challenges the human sciences to develop analytical frameworks that do not treat “nature” as simply the background of human activity. In this context, there are numerous calls for an abandonment of the “anthropocentrism” that colours most approaches to the human sciences, along with the dualism these establish between “nature” and “humanity,” and their substitution with more “ecocentric” perspectives. This article is a contribution to this ongoing debate. With reference to a process sociological understanding of human/nature relations, it proposes a theoretical avenue to overcome anthropocentric dualism via the process sociological conception of “levels of integration” in the “great evolution” of the planet, while making the case for the need to preserve a theoretically relevant awareness of the evolutionarily emergent distinguishing characteristics of the human species. Without an understanding of these emergent characteristics, and the developmental paths these have opened in the history of the species and the planet, neither the origins nor the adequacy of the answers to the ecological crisis can be properly understood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zoophilologica: Polish Journal of Animal Studies is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Slaskiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this article, artist Sergey Katran reflects on practice-based interaction with live nonhuman agents. A kombucha, cultivated at home, gradually assumes anthropic qualities and, promoted by the artist, even starts participating in exhibitions and roundtable discussions. This can be viewed as the first step in establishing and developing ideas of biocentrism within an artistic community. The author also views this case as precedent for the participation of other biological species (and nonhuman agents) in exhibitions normally intended for humans. As the cultivating of kombucha normally involves double fermentation, the artist then proceeds contemplating on the process and its possible outcomes. Fermentation, which brings about rapid change in the environment with subsequent synthesis of various substances, while yeast fungi and bacteria continue producing necessary ferments, is metaphorically linked to major changes in art and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores Michel Serres's "poetic dream of another epistemology" connected to an anti-Cartesian, sensorial view of knowledge. The philosopher alludes to empirical studies from the field of cognitive neuroscience, which have demonstrated that the mind and body are interwoven as part of one integrated entity, in order to propose an alternative epistemological framework for (re-) envisioning the nature of knowledge. The philosopher's rehabilitation of our senses illustrates that our body is replete with overlapping epistemological channels that bifurcate in all directions. Serres explains how somatic encounters with the universe enable us to constitute a stable sense of self in relation to the larger world. However, he recognizes that there are a plethora of obstacles standing in the way of allowing his epistemological dream to come to fruition. In what he refers to as the Exo-Darwinian, hominescent era, the (post-) modern, urbanized lifestyle affords very little contact with the remainder of the planet. Moreover, Serres laments how climate change has already forever eradicated spaces of meaning that are indispensable as part of an epistemological quest of knowing what and who we are as planetary beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria remains one of the most environmentally devastated places in the world. This is caused by gas flaring, crude oil spillages, illegal oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism in the region. The call for eco-democracy and the disruption of eco-apathy has driven global academia into developing paradigms that would foster environmental transformation. Interestingly, while academic disciplines such as history, geography, anthropology and the global humanities continue to critically engage in practices and discourses that would facilitate achieving anticipatory climate adaptation, African academia, especially in Nigeria, has been slow to absorb the same critical spirit as the West. In fact, environmental film critics in Nigeria have not fully explored the environmental discourse that has gathered strength in other disciplines central to the greening of the humanities. Therefore, there remains a dearth of critical underpinning for environment and cinema, or what I term discourses of/on the green cinema, in African scholarship. Against this backdrop, I examine environmental crisis in the documentary films Delta Blues, The Nigerian Oil Thieves and The True Price of Crude Oil, and use content analysis method to investigate how these films have been used to create environmental awareness in the region. The analysis is anchored on Adrian Ivakhiv’s biocentric model of ecocriticism, which acknowledges the unity of man and all the creatures and the environment around him, and further recommends a shift from human-centrism to biocentrism.

The majority of the world population is lactose intolerant, as 65%–70% of people lose the enzymes to digest lactose after infancy. Yet, in the United States, where lactose intolerance is predicted to affect only 36% of people, this phenomenon is often framed as a deficiency as opposed to the norm. This is because the United States has a higher prevalence of people who are lactase persistent. Lactase persistence is a genetic trait most common among Europeans and some African, Middle Eastern and southern Asian groups with a history of animal domestication and milk consumption. In this study, we take the case of lactose intolerance to examine how popular media maintains biocentric biases. Analysing relevant articles published in The New York Times and Scientific American between 1971 and 2020, we document how ideas about milk, health and race evolve over time. Over this fifty‐year period, writers shifted from framing lactose intolerance as racial difference to lactase persistence as evolutionary genetics. Yet, articles on the osteoporosis 'epidemic' and vitamin D deficiency worked to perpetuate lactose intolerance as a health concern and standardise the dairy‐heavy American diet. Studying media portrayals of lactose intolerance and lactase persistence, we argue that popular discourses normalise biocentric biases through messages about eating behaviours and health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we aim to discuss, qualitatively, possible associations between biological diversity and cultural diversity in the formation of biology teachers. These reflections can broaden the understanding of the relationship between society and nature, as well as the construction of curricula for the degree in biology. We approach some ecological perspectives of biodiversity and cultural diversity; in this one, we demarcate the perceptions of individual and collective singularities as a possible descriptor of a contemporary sociocultural profile. Seeking to approximate diversities, we present the biocultural and biocentric approaches, and the possibility of inserting integrating, disintegrating, biocentric and anthropocentric elements to analyze the perceptions of undergraduates. We conclude that the recognition of the relationships between particularities/collectivities and the themes related to the variability of living beings helps in the process of social emancipation of the teacher in training. Furthermore, we consider that a biocentric approach, based on equity, enables the recognition of the interspecific alterities of living beings, providing (re)connection, (re)integration and diplomatic coexistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the contemporary aesthetics of one of the latest forms of digital art known as non-fungible tokens, aka NFTs, and how and why they are affecting and shaping today's society. Using Manovich's theory of metamedium, Lanza's theory of biocentrism, blockchain technology, and NFTs can be theorized as a form of medium which represents many other media while augmenting them with many new properties. The main theoretical problem with NFTs in the domain of art theory is the question of their originality. When put to use through various digital art collections and online tech platforms, the backend section of the blockchain smart contract code also becomes part of art, hence it can sometimes be difficult to define NFTs' originality of the art itself. Due to the repetitive nature of NFTs, it can be argued that the most unique component of the NFT metamedium is not art, or blockchain smart contract, but the owner of the digital art piece. With the collection of 10,000 similar pieces of art, the originality of art is evolving through the ideology of cultural groups associated with desired collections. It is shifting from the art itself to the owner. Throughout the unification of technology, software, and art, artists have a new way to extend their creations, while actively participating in the shaping of the cultural landscape. This gives both creators and collectors of the NFT metamedium a brand-new transcending meta experience beyond the art itself that gives a unique point to the originality of the art piece. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speciesism is a bias that causes humans to accord themselves moral superiority in their dealings with non-humans. When speciesism permeates legislative thought, it leads to statutes that sacrifice the interests of non-humans to those of humans. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 ('PCA Act') is no exception. Section 11 of this Act enumerates specific instances that qualify as animal cruelty and prescribes punishment for the same. However, this section is riddled with statutory flaws, some owing their origin to speciesism: inadequate and sweeping punishments, the defective incorporation of the 'Doctrine of Necessity', and the limited recognition of cruel acts. This article seeks to analyse each of the aforementioned faults and prescribe solutions which would strengthen the animal welfare regime as a whole. While stressing on broadening the scope of punishable acts under section 11, along with the need for statutory language to reflect 'severity' of punishment, the article also argues for differentiated punishment drawn from a consequence-based model which acknowledges the trauma and suffering of the animal. The intention is to prompt a discourse on the ideal drafting of animal welfare legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity offsetting is a nature conservation instrument that is increasingly used but also strongly criticised. Previous studies have identified the ethical underpinnings of this criticism, but if and how ethically-based objections exist among persons active in nongovernmental environmental organisations is not clear. This study, therefore, explores occurring ethical views through seven in-depth interviews within this group of stakeholders. Among the results, the respondents in general took a consequential ethical view, according to which both benefits and costs with biodiversity offsetting should be considered and balanced, resting on a strong biocentric or ecocentric base, albeit within an ethical frame of restrictions for when to not use the instrument, indicating a strong deontological ethical basis. Overall, the respondents did not consider that the existence of intrinsic nature values, which they recognised, nor the potential commodification of such values, constituted definite barriers to biodiversity offsetting. Moreover, they did not see that offsetting, per se, would lead to non-virtuous attitudes towards nature. On social justice issues, the views diverged significantly. However, all respondents underlined a strong need for improved governance, including to prevent biodiversity offsetting of high nature values, to restrict flexibilities, and to apply multipliers with sufficient margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The twenty first- century marked the exponential growth in the use of intelligent robots and artificial intelligent in nursing compared to the previous decades. To the best of our knowledge, this article is first in responding to question, "Can nurses in clinical practice ascribe responsibility to intelligent robots and artificial intelligence when they commit errors?". Purpose: The objective of this article is to present two worldviews (anthropocentrism and biocentrism) in responding to the question at hand chosen based on the roles of the entities involved in the use of intelligent robots and artificial intelligence in nursing. Methods: The development of this article was motivated by the immense discoveries, the current landscape, and nurses' role in relation to advanced technologies in healthcare. The paper begins the discussion by situating the use of intelligent robots and artificial intelligence in nursing and healthcare and presenting its ethical and moral implications. Then, we presented the two worldviews: anthropocentrism and biocentrism which are used to respond to the task at hand. Results: Anthropocentrism puts humans in the center in terms of moral standing and thus responsibility rests on them alone. Biocentrism declares that all creations deserve moral consideration and thus responsibility is equally allocated to all entities. Within these two worldviews, consensus development was offered to resolve these issues. Consensus provides clarity and democracy between and among the societies. Conclusions: The findings of this article can be basis in (1) instituting mechanisms of robust peer review and a rigorous series of simulation before adopting or implementing intelligent robots and artificial intelligence in clinical practice; (2) education and training of highly specialized nurse practitioners who can be focal persons in responding to ethical and moral issues with regard to these advanced technologies; and (3) harmonization of robotics research, manufacturing, and clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental ethicists are divided on the question of what kind of value nature has. Anthropocentrists think it only has instrumental value while many Non-Anthropocentrists think it has intrinsic value. Their disagreement bears directly on what environmental policies and actions each group is willing to endorse. In this article, I develop a novel version of Anthropocentrism (Broad Anthropocentrism). I then argue that this version of Anthropocentrism exhibits a non-trivial degree of convergence with Non-Anthropocentrism on the question of how we morally ought to treat nature. I argue that these views exhibit a non-trivial amount of convergence on these questions because they agree that nature is very finally valuable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The question about the human being in Montaigne runs through the entire book of The Essays. A question that Montaigne answers in his process of painting and describing himself, where he finds the entire human condition. As he writes, he comes across the question, what do I know? Who seeks to give answers in his fluctuating writings, which reflect his experience of living as a human, proud and miserable, deified and humble, dualized and unified, in a being that is body and soul in a kind of marital union. In the first part of this article, I delve into what it means for Montaigne to understand the human being from his fluctuating condition. In a second part, I will delve into the human condition from the experience and humility that allows Montaigne to detach himself from anthropocentrism. In the third part, from the work I will come to understand the unity of man in his body and soul as a married couple. Finally, I will not leave aside the conversational aspect in the Montanian anthropological understanding, which allows it to experience plurality, diversity and tolerance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Niger Delta region of Nigeria, which is oil rich, is one of the environmentally devastated places in the world. This stems from decades of gas flaring, crude oil spillages, oil bunkering and pipeline vandalism in the region. While academic disciplines such as geography and anthropology have engaged in critical explorations on environmental mitigation especially on the Niger Delta, film critics in Nigeria have not fully explored the environmental discourse that has gathered strength in other disciplines central to the greening of the humanities. Therefore remains a dearth of critical underpinning for environment and cinema. Consequently, I examine environmental crises in the films The Nigerian Oil Thieves and The True Price of Crude Oil. I investigate environmental awareness in the documentaries understudy. The research adopts literary and content analysis methods to interrogate The Nigerian Oil Thieves and The True Price of Crude Oil on environmental crises in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. The study is anchored on Adrian Ivakhiv’s biocentric model of ecocriticism, which involves the acknowledged unity of man and all the creatures and the environment around him. This approach recommends a shift toward biocentrism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, biocentrists have ascribed interests to organisms via an account of function. One promising account of function for this purpose is the organizational or autopoietic account of function, according to which some entity x has a function of self-maintenance when the parts of x contribute to the goal of self-maintenance. In this paper, I will present the autopoietic account of interests and provide some reasons for thinking that this account is promising. I will also present a possible issue for the biocentrist who uses the autopoietic account of function given the following two claims: (1) what it means to be a biological “self” is ambiguous, and (2) the autopoietic account of interests relies on a self boundary. I argue that the proponent of this account then needs to choose a definition of individual and explain why that definition is morally relevant. Otherwise, the proponent of the autopoietic account has not given an account of what constitutes a harm or a benefit for a biological individual, and there are good reasons to believe that this is a necessary component of any account of interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to compare the normative concepts of the most influential authors on environmental awareness and their visions of the state and society. In particular, it presents their attitudes toward the political system in the face of the environmental crisis, their opinions on modern technology, and their visions of an environmentally friendly social life. While the vast majority of the authors share the conviction that it is necessary to limit consumption, combat the domination of the destructive technosphere that alienates man from the environment, and base environmental policy on the needs of local communities, they often strongly differ in their visions of social life. Traditional models of the rule of law and democracy are sometimes countered with extremely utopian and metaphysical postulates that may – at least according to their critics – pose a real threat to freedom and human rights. Some are blatantly totalitarian, citing the impotence of democracy in the face of the looming ecological disaster. As this article is descriptive and theoretical in nature, organizing knowledge in the field of the issues discussed, its author decided to refrain from formulating research hypotheses.

This paper discusses different issues relating to the enforcement of environmental law in Indonesia in the long way of the Indonesian government to sustainable development. To reach reliable conclusion, socio-legal approach was employed in this paper. Throughout the work the researcher analyses environmental philosophies including anthropocentrism, biocentrism and ecocentrism. This phenomenon does not only pose responsibility to the government but also to private individuals or companies in their operations in order not to leave burdens to the shoulders of future generations. This ideology was not well ensured in the free-market economy and regional autonomy as the proliferated regulations were not directed to meet the efficient and equitable environmental principles. Hindrances to the effective implementation of environmental law, inter alia, the non-envisaged licensing system in administrative enforcement; ineffective civil damages towards the environmental losses; and non-reaching environmental criminal liability. Besides that, the persistent corruption is another impediment to the effective implementation of environmental law in Indonesia.

Copyright of Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae is the property of Uniwerystet Kardynala Stefana Wyznskiege w Warzawie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Is it OK to lie to Siri? Is it bad to mistreat a robot for our own pleasure? Under what condition should we grant a moral status to an artificial intelligence (AI) system? This paper looks at different arguments for granting moral status to an AI system: the idea of indirect duties, the relational argument, the argument from intelligence, the arguments from life and information, and the argument from sentience. In each but the last case, we find unresolved issues with the particular argument, which leads us to move to a different one. We leave the idea of indirect duties aside since these duties do not imply considering an AI system for its own sake. The paper rejects the relational argument and the argument from intelligence. The argument from life may lead us to grant a moral status to an AI system, but only in a weak sense. Sentience, by contrast, is a strong argument for the moral status of an AI system—based, among other things, on the Aristotelian principle of equality: that same cases should be treated in the same way. The paper points out, however, that no AI system is sentient given the current level of technological development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]