Eco Ethics: What can Biology tell us about how we should live?

Biology has much to tell us about how we should live. Modern Biology reveals that all living beings are organised for a purpose. All living beings, in common with human artifacts, are good for something – that is they are valuable. Since all living beings are equally organised for a purpose they are equally valuable. To say that a being is valuable is to say that we should do no harm to it without justification. The only justification for doing harm to a living being is that it is necessary to our own flourishing or the flourishing of someone or something we care about. Human flourishing does not consist in getting what we want but getting what we need for good health – both mental and physical. Part of good mental health is having a sense of connection with all living beings. Morality and ethics are distinct. Morality is focussed on our obligations to human beings as members of a society. Ethics is concerned with how we should respond to all living beings including humans.