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Understanding Environmental Value Systems

May 3, 2025

Lecture Notes: Environmental Value Systems

Introduction

  • Topic: Environmental Value Systems (EVS)
  • Importance of understanding environmental history and current news
  • Influence of case studies on values and EVS

Definition of Environmental Value Systems

  • EVS: A worldview or set of perceptions shaping how individuals or groups perceive and evaluate environmental issues.
    • Perception: How something is seen
    • Evaluation: Weighing pros and cons
  • EVS as a complex system influenced by:
    • Cultural factors
    • Religion
    • Economics
    • Social and political factors

Components of EVS

  • Inputs: Personal background, education, culture, family, religion, and media
  • Process (Transfers and Transformations): Discussing information and making judgments
  • Outputs: Decisions on voting, community actions, and personal perspectives

Categories of Environmental Values

  1. Ecocentric (Nature-centered):
    • Protecting the environment for the sake of all living things
    • Example: Deep ecology
  2. Anthropocentric (People-centered):
    • Protecting the environment to manage it for future human needs
    • Example: Saving trees to use for human benefit
  3. Technocentric:
    • Belief in technology to save and control the environment
    • Less urgency; trust in technological fixes

Spectrum of Environmental Values

  • Extreme Ecocentric: Deep ecology (living in woods, stopping deforestation)
  • Soft Ecologists: Balance between ecocentric and anthropocentric
  • Technocentric Extreme: Cornucopian (very controlling and future-oriented)

Case Studies: Comparing Societies

  1. Native Americans:
    • Very ecocentric
    • Deep respect for the natural world
    • Spiritual connection to nature
  2. European Pioneers:
    • Focused on making money (Frontier economics)
    • Belief in unlimited resources (Manifest Destiny)
    • Anthropocentric and technocentric tendencies

Personal Reflection

  • Encourage personal evaluation of one's EVS
  • Justify and describe personal stances on different philosophies
  • Consider inputs, outputs, and how thinking transforms with different issues
  • Reflect on different perspectives based on human versus environmental concerns

Conclusion

  • Importance of understanding and justifying one's EVS
  • Consideration of different philosophies and their implications

Full transcript