Utilitarian Conservation is the philosophy that resources should be used for the greater good, for the greatest possible number of people for the longest possible amount of time. In comparison, Bio Centric Preservation is the philosophy that every living organism has a right to life. They should live and let live as well as be allowed to pursue interests. Two environmental leaders who are associated with the Utilitarian Conservation are Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot. Two environmental leaders who are associated with Bio Centric Preservation are John Muir and Aldo Leopold.
Supporters of Utilitarian Conservation will fight to seek a proper valuation of the impacts that human activity has had on nature both locally and globally. The way that these values are exchanged and assessed will determine the restraints by which the Utilitarian Conservation is practiced. These restraints can be social, personal and political. Utilitarianism in a more general sense is the theory that the right course of action to follow is the one that maximizes the 'good' consequences of those actions. The resulting outcome, therefore, is determined by the moral worth of an action.
The Bio Centric Preservation, in more detail, states that nature does not exist in the world just to be used for human consumption. Humans are just part of an ecosystem and are simply one species among many. This means that any negative effects that humans have on the world and nature will, in turn, affect humans negatively as well. Biocentrics believe that all species are equal and that humans do not have any sort of superiority in either a moral or ethical sense.
While the two philosophies have their similarities, in their most basic theories they are quite different. Neither followers will argue that the other is particularly wrong but will fight for their own philosophy individually.
Supporters of Utilitarian Conservation will fight to seek a proper valuation of the impacts that human activity has had on nature both locally and globally. The way that these values are exchanged and assessed will determine the restraints by which the Utilitarian Conservation is practiced. These restraints can be social, personal and political. Utilitarianism in a more general sense is the theory that the right course of action to follow is the one that maximizes the 'good' consequences of those actions. The resulting outcome, therefore, is determined by the moral worth of an action.
The Bio Centric Preservation, in more detail, states that nature does not exist in the world just to be used for human consumption. Humans are just part of an ecosystem and are simply one species among many. This means that any negative effects that humans have on the world and nature will, in turn, affect humans negatively as well. Biocentrics believe that all species are equal and that humans do not have any sort of superiority in either a moral or ethical sense.
While the two philosophies have their similarities, in their most basic theories they are quite different. Neither followers will argue that the other is particularly wrong but will fight for their own philosophy individually.
