‘Buddhism and the Ethics of Species Conservation’

James Simon, P.

doi:10.3197/096327106776678942

‘Buddhism and the Ethics of Species Conservation’

James Simon, P.

Authors

P. James Simon

Contributors

Professor Simon James s.p.james@durham.ac.uk
Other

Abstract

Efforts to conserve endangered species of animal are, in some important respects, at odds with Buddhist ethics. On the one hand, being abstract entities, species cannot suffer, and so cannot be proper objects of compassion or similar moral virtues. On the other, Buddhist commitments to equanimity tend to militate against the idea that the individual members of endangered species have greater value than those of less-threatened ones. This paper suggests that the contribution of Buddhism to the issue of species conservation should not, however, be discounted. It argues, on the contrary, that Buddhist traditions, in reminding us of the moral significance of the suffering of individual animals, add an important dimension to debates concerning the ethical justification of efforts to conserve endangered species.

Citation

James Simon, P. (2006). ‘Buddhism and the Ethics of Species Conservation’. Environmental Values, 15(1), 85-97. https://doi.org/10.3197/096327106776678942

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	2006-02
Deposit Date	Mar 26, 2008
Journal	Environmental Values
Print ISSN	0963-2719
Publisher	White Horse Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	15
Issue	1
Pages	85-97
DOI	https://doi.org/10.3197/096327106776678942
Keywords	Environmental ethics, Species, Buddhism.
Publisher URL	http://www.erica.demon.co.uk/EV/EV1505.html