Intrinsic and utilitarian valuing on K'gari-Fraser Island: a philosophical exploration of the modern disjunction between ecological and cultural valuing

Abstract

In this article, we address a problem found in both ecology and philosophy of culture. In ecology, it appears as the problem of environmental advocacy, within the cultural domain, of geocentric values; and in philosophy of culture, it becomes the question of whether an intrinsic value of nature can attain cultural recognition in late modernity. The concurrence of these two problems becomes apparent when the geocentric valuing of late modern ecology is considered in light of the philosophy of modern culture of Louis Dupré (Passage to Modernity): ecological valuing can be seen to reflect a recognition of an intrinsic value in nature which remains unrecognised in the broader cultural domain. This disjunction between ecological and cultural valuing has a negative impact on advocacy to protect the natural environment of K'gari-Fraser Island. We aim to clarify underlying cultural causes of this disjunction in order to contribute toward more successful advocacy of ecological values in the cultural arena. To this end, we apply our adaptation of the Principle of Double Effect to the problem of environmentally destructive use of motor vehicles on K'gari-Fraser Island.

Keywords:

• valuing
• utilitarian
• intrinsic value
• modernity
• Principle of Double Effect
• K'gari-Fraser Island

Notes

1. Readers unfamiliar with Aristotelian causality may find an explanation at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-causality/ (Falcon 2012).

2. Readers who are unfamiliar with the Principle of Double Effect may find further explanation at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/double-effect/ (McIntyre 2011).