In this essay, the author examined the controversy concerning the advocacy of …

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Is Conservation Biology Value-Laden?
• What is an Advocate?
• What Should Conservation Biologists Advocate?
• Conclusion
• Footnotes
• Bibliography

Biology Articles » Conservation Biology » Values, Advocacy, and Conservation Biology

Abstract

- Values, Advocacy, and Conservation Biology

Values, Advocacy, and Conservation Biology

Jay Odenbaugh

Department of Philosophy University of California at San Diego 9500 Gilman Drive La Jolla, CA 92093-0119 (858)822-4461

jodenbaugh@ucsd.edu

In this essay, I examine the controversy concerning the advocacy of ethical values in conservation biology. First, I argue, as others have, that conservation biology is a science laden with values both ethical and non-ethical. Second, after clarifying the notion of advocacy at work, I contend that conservation biologists should advocate the preservation of biological diversity. Third, I explore what ethical grounds should be used for advocating the preservation of ecological systems by conservation biologists. I argue that conservation biologists should defend their preservationist positions on instrumentalist grounds alone if the context of discussion and debate is a scientific one. Key words: advocacy, conservation biology, values, preservation.

(In Environmental Values 12(2003): 55-69)