Paul W. Taylor was born on November 19, 1923, and passed away on October 14, 2015. He was an American philosopher who is famous for his work in environmental ethics.

Biography

Taylor's theory of biocentric egalitarianism, which is similar to but not the same as deep ecology, was explained in his 1986 book Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics. This theory has been taught in college classes about environmental ethics. Taylor taught philosophy for 40 years at Brooklyn College, part of the City University of New York. At the time of his death, he held the title of professor emeritus, which is given to retired professors who are still honored for their work.

Respect for Nature

Taylor's book Respect for Nature is widely seen as one of the most complete and detailed explanations of a biocentric (life-centered) view of the environment. In this work, Taylor agrees with biocentrists that all living things—plants and animals—have inherent value and should be treated with moral care. He also argues that humans are not more important than other living things and that all life has equal value. Taylor acknowledges that human needs sometimes conflict with the needs of plants and animals, and he explains several rules to help resolve these conflicts fairly.

Taylor's biocentric view was used to challenge the idea of speciesism, which is the belief that humans are more important than other species. His theory includes four main ideas: humans are equal members of Earth's living community, humans and other species depend on each other, all living things have their own purpose and way of living, and humans are not naturally better than other life forms.

Taylor's biocentric outlook supports the idea of "species impartiality," meaning all species should be treated equally. This view explains why wild animals and plants have inherent worth and should not be harmed or disturbed unless necessary.

Taylor proposed four rules to guide how humans should treat nonhuman life: the rule of nonmaleficence (avoiding harm), the rule of non-interference (not disturbing nature unnecessarily), the rule of fidelity (keeping promises and being responsible), and the rule of restitutive justice (making up for harm caused). These rules do not apply in every situation, so Taylor also provided "priority principles" to handle conflicts. For example, humans may protect themselves from dangerous organisms, or they may act on important human needs if the harm to other life is kept to a minimum. Restitutive justice requires that humans make amends for any harm done to animals or plants.

Taylor did not believe animals or plants have moral rights because they lack the ability to claim or exercise rights. However, he argued that humans are not superior to other living things and that all life has inherent worth.

A 25th anniversary edition of the book was published in 2011, including a new introduction by Dale Jamieson.

Reception

Kristin Shrader-Frechette wrote that Taylor made important contributions to environmental ethics by introducing ideas such as a biocentric outlook and the concept of inherent worth. She stated that his theory was the most complex and well-developed environmental ethics theory at the time. However, she also pointed out several problems with his ideas.

Shrader-Frechette explained that one issue with Taylor’s biocentric outlook is the idea that all living things—humans, animals, and plants—have inherent worth. This means that people would need to provide compensation for any harm caused to these living things. She noted that if everyone had to compensate nearly every other living being for any harm, it would be very difficult to follow Taylor’s ethical rules. She said this would create many conflicting responsibilities for individuals, making the theory hard to apply in practice.

She also mentioned a problem with Taylor’s view on moral rights. He claimed that only humans have moral rights, but he also said that the interests of humans and nonhumans must be treated equally. Shrader-Frechette called this idea confusing because it contradicts itself. She explained that if humans have rights to protect their interests, but nonhumans do not, then it is unclear how their interests can be equally important.

Philosopher Louis G. Lombardi also pointed out a problem with Taylor’s position on rights. He noted that Taylor rejected the idea that humans are superior to animals and plants, but he still limited moral rights only to humans. This created a contradiction in Taylor’s argument.

Selected publications

• Normative Discourse (Prentice-Hall, 1961; Greenwood Press, 1973, 1976)
• Principles of Ethics: An Introduction (Dickenson, 1975; Wadsworth, 1980)
• In Defense of Biocentrism (Environmental Ethics, 1983)
• Are Humans Superior to Animals and Plants? (Environmental Ethics, 1984)
• Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics (Princeton University Press, 1986)
• Inherent Value and Moral Rights (The Monist, 1987)