New Philosophy

Environmental Philosophy

What question does deep ecology pose for philosophers?

The question that arises is this: “How can we justify the intrinsic value of non-human beings?” Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) famously wrote that this question turns not on whether “they” can think or reason, but on whether they can suffer. A contemporary utilitarian, the Australian philosopher Peter Singer (1946–), developed this idea of worth in his now world-famous book Animal Liberation (1973).