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Environmental Ethics - Issues and Responsibilities:
The Indian Perspective
G. Mishra Philosophy Department, University of Madras,
Chennai - 600 005
“You name one societal reason that would cause people to engage in a wolf-pack operation, looking for victims." he (New York Mayor Ed Koch) said. Throughout the week sociologists obliged, proffering familiar theories about why many delinquents of this generation do not content themselves with stealing hubcaps and breaking windows. The experts argue that too many families are broken, too many schools and communities are crumbling, and too many drugs are available for children to acquire a sturdy sense of mercy or morality to guide their behaviour." Wilding in the Night" Time, May 8, 1989. p.22-23.
Abstract The basic question that the ecological 'man' has to answer is "Is man a part of nature or master of nature?" The natural man operates in a system and the system is one in which there are components which are independent but dependent on each other. They are organized in an orderly manner to form a functional whole, the organizational input coupled by energy results in a functional output. The ancient concept of holism finds new properties emerging from the interactive combination of parts. The whole becomes more than the sum of the parts when there are interactions. The cosmos is in balance without any violence and hence it is a thing in beauty. The balance is happiness and this balance is beautiful. A balanced system can pave the way in the direction of happiness. The ecological man who is balanced in life and in his interactions is happy.
Gandhi once said that earth provides enough to satisfy everyman's need but not everyman's greed. Man has acted as a parasite on his environment exploiting the natural resources and taking what he wants with little regard to the welfare of the system, which is his host i.e. the bio-sphere which is his life support system. Over-exploitation of the natural resources without maintaining a proper ecological balance and the introduction of pollution pressure on the environment without expending energy to pump out disorder are the primary human activities that will eventually destroy man's ecological house. In other words pollution can be redefined as a conflict between man and environment.
* Abstract of the paper to be presented at the National Seminar on "Degradation of Ethical Environment" organized by Madhav College, Ujjain 456 001, (MP) from November 24-26, 2000
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