How the Tail Wags the dog: How Value Judgments Determine Ecological Science
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-1994
Keywords
animal rights, balance of nature, community, ecology, ecosystems, pest control, science, stability, values
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.3197/096327194776679764
Abstract
Philosophers, policymakers, and scientists have long asserted that ecological science - and especially notions of homeostasis, balance, or stability - help to determine environmental values and to supply imperatives for environmental ethics and policy. We argue that this assertion is questionable. There are no well developed general ecological theories having predictive power, and fundamental ecological concepts, such as 'community' and 'stability', are used in inconsistent and ambiguous ways. As a consequence, the contribution of ecology to environmental ethics and values lies more in the realm of natural history and case studies than in the realm of general theory. Moreover, although general ecological theory is unable to contribute to environmental values in the way many philosophers and policymakers have hoped, environmental values can and do contribute to ecological hypotheses and methods. Using examples related to preservation versus development, hunting versus animal rights, and controversies over pest control, we show that, because ecology is conceptually and theoretically underdetermined, environmental values often influence the practice of ecological science.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Environmental Values, v. 3, no. 2, p. 107-120
Scholar Commons Citation
Shrader-Frechette, Kristin and McCoy, Earl D., "How the Tail Wags the dog: How Value Judgments Determine Ecological Science" (1994). Integrative Biology Faculty and Staff Publications. 198.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/bin_facpub/198
