Study On Robin Attfield's Biocentric Consequentialism

It is Robin Attfield's biocentric consequentialism which beyonds Paul Taylor's biocentrism. In terms of theory, biocentric consequentialism inherits the consequences of the traditional ethics. Moreover, it breaks human-centrism of the traditional consequences and subject-object dichotomy of philosophical epistemology. Biocentric consequentialism provides a typical example for understanding the philosophy of environment and ecological ethics in modern trends. It has a profound background of society for Robin Attfield, who tends to the road of studying environmental philosophy. By the profound social background of the global environmental movement, Robin Attfield has been driven to the road of studying on the philosophy of environment. He has reasonably divided three levels of moral concern into human beings, animals and plants. Humans and animals have the same degree of moral concern, while the degree of moral concern for the two formers are larger than which for plants. Biocentric consequentialism puts forward and confirms the core concept of bio-interests. The concept provides the reason and basis of rights for the man who holds the theory of animals right, at the same time, which suppies a logical supplement for Paul Taylor's the theory of motivation in biocentrism. He proposes and confirms three priority principle of biocentric consequence's evaluation scale, those are the priority of advanced biology, endangered species, and the most benefit of the overall biology. This is the largest protection for the interests of groups and organisms, which has a strong practical significance. It is subversive for individualism of bicocentric consequentialism to holism of ecocentrism. His theory solves the inherent contradictions between "the utilitarian principle" and "the equality principle", building bridge for conflict of the inherent logic, and the theory has a strong operability in practice.The key points of Robin Attfield's biocentric consequentialism is not constructing an ideal of environment moral, but to the moral means and the reconcile principles for solving the sharp contradiction between the human being and the nature. Biological potentiality and the realization of nature become into a new standard of bio-adaptation to environmentIt. It broadens the discussion which is "sustainable development" about the interests of within-generation and inter-generation to the stage of the biological category . To aid poor countries, it provides theoretical support for the safety of environment. Also for the protection for biological diversity, it provides the definition of the intrinsic value in environmental ethics .