The Link Between Virtue Ethics And Environment Protection

The world needs more good people, end of story. In a time where it seems like all you see is acts of hate and violence on the news, it is our job to be better. Murdoch states that being a “good” moral person is uncovered through how we lead our everyday life, but how do we know how to be change? Virtue ethics guides humans to follow their moral compass and make smart, quality decisions. Virtue ethics can be defined in many different ways but the central focus of them places a strong emphasis on the morals and character of individuals. Extending further than human interaction, virtue ethics must go beyond that. As something that holds 97 percent of the earth's water and is as vital to us as the ocean is, we should protect it and everything in it. Everyone has a personal definition of virtue ethics, in my life specifically I hold very strong beliefs regarding that we have a moral obligation to protect more than ourselves. Virtue ethics extend to more than just people, they extend to the plants and animals of today's world, more specifically, the ocean.

Virtue ethics are one of three forms of ethics, the known founders of them are Aristotle and Plato. Aristotle placed a great deal of importance on practical wisdom, or phronesis. Phronesis aids in making the right decisions and knowing right from wrong. One of the main parts of phronesis, or practical wisdom is the experience of life that gives you the knowledge to make certain decisions. The second part is the ability to realize the relevant, or important factors of making decisions. Aristotle greatly believed that we must realize the consequences of our actions, which is still relevant today. In today's world there are too many people who believe that there are no consequences for their actions, and that needs to change. As humans it is our duty to care for the environment and realize that all of our actions have consequences.

Everyone has their unique lenses on the world and place emphasis on different virtues in their lives. “A virtue is something that goes all the way down, unlike a habit such as being a tea-drinker — to notice, expect, value, feel, desire, choose, act, and react in certain characteristic ways” (Hursthouse, Pettigrove). In my opinion, one of the most important virtues a person can possess is compassion. Compassion to the world around you, not just to yourself. If you see someone going through a hard time, reach out and let them know they are not alone. All it takes is one person to make someone's day better. “Your job is to see people as they really are, and to do this, you have to know who you are in the most compassionate sense”. As Lamott states, you must have compassion for people regardless of their background and know yourself and your values before you are able to help others. You must always keep in mind how others view the world, even though it may be different from how you view the world. I know my values and how my lenses affect the way I view the world everyday. I am eighteen brought up by two loving parents. I am the youngest child of three. I am from Parkland, Florida, and live less than a mile from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The same highschool that on February 14th, 2018, there were countless injured and seventeen lives were taken way too soon. I have witnessed the people I care about the most along with myself go through the worst pain imaginable, which is why I appreciate everything in my life, no matter how big or small. I appreciate my family, friends, and most importantly, the beautiful world around us. Over the last one and a half years I have learned to never take anything for granted, because you never know what you truly have until it is gone. On the other hand, Murdoch preaches that we must only focus on ourselves and we have no control over how others perceive our actions. I would have to agree with Lammot over Murdoch because my values and virtues come from my parents. I was taught from a very important age how important it is to care about the well being of those around you, living and nonliving. They have always preached to me to be kind, thankful, passionate and and to hold myself accountable.

“Morality is essentially connected with change and progress” (Murdoch 28). As a person matures they go through experiences that put their values to the test in order to create their own set of morals. It truly is all about experience. I greatly relate to Murdoch’s statement because growing up I never fully understood the consequences of our actions on the environment around us, but as I grew older that changed. Growing up in Florida nearly 15 miles from the coast has given me a great sense of pride and love for the ocean. From going to the beach every weekend as a highschool tradition to going to the 6 a.m. sunrises before school, I love the ocean, and cannot imagine a world without it. Through my experience with the ocean all my life living in Florida, I have developed the practical wisdom to understand how important it is to the environment and how we need to do a better job of taking care of it. Murdoch believes that “in certain cases morality needs to be put aside in order to establish a democratic society”. This can be connected with ocean conservation in which the government may put the economy before the conservation efforts which may go against their values.

As mentioned earlier, our actions affect more than ourselves. Our moral realm of consideration reaches far beyond human life. It extends to the animals, trees and most importantly, our ocean. As humans we have a moral obligation to protect one of the most vital things in our environment. The coasts, Great Lakes, and ocean affect everything in the world. “The Great Lakes supply more than 40 million people with drinking water. Our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes serve critical needs such as climate regulation, nutrient recycling, and maritime heritage” (NOAA). New ocean-based drugs have also been found that can treat certain cancers and illnesses. A toxin has been discovered to treat the progression of cancer cells in renal cancer, which is one of the most difficult cancers to treat. The ocean is greatly intertwined with our health, everything we do affects the ocean. Something as simple as throwing a plastic cup on the ground because you are simply “too lazy” to throw it away to the effects of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico can both have long lasting effects on the environment, even if you do not think so. The fact that people still do not care enough to protect these bodies of water is baffling to me. As humans we must go beyond ourselves to look at the bigger picture to realize that we do have an effect on the environment.