ArticlePDF Available

Environmental Ethics and Biomimetic Ethics: Nature as Object of Ethics and Nature as Source of Ethics

Authors:

Abstract

While the contemporary biomimicry movement is associated primarily with the idea of taking Nature as model for technological innovation, it also contains a normative or ethical principle—Nature as measure—that may be treated in relative isolation from the better known principle of Nature as model. Drawing on discussions of the principle of Nature as measure put forward by Benyus (Biomimicry: innovation inspired by nature, Harper Perennial, New York, 1997) and Jackson (Consulting the genius of place: an ecological approach to a new agriculture, Counterpoint, Berkeley, 2010, Nature as measure: the selected essays of Wes Jackson, Counterpoint, Berkeley, 2011), while at the same time situating these discussions in relation to contemporary debates in the philosophy of biomimicry (Mathews in Organ Environ 24(4): 364–387, 2011; Dicks in Philos Technol, doi: 10.1007/s13347-015-0210-2, 2015; Blok and Gremmen in J Agric Environ Ethics 29(2):203–217, 2016), the aim of this paper is to explore the relation between the principle of Nature as measure and environmental ethics. This leads to the argument that mainstream formulations of environmental ethics share the common trait of seeing our ethical relation to Nature as primarily involving duties to protect, preserve, or conserve various values in Nature, and that, in doing so, they problematically either overlook or dismiss as anthropocentric the possibility that Nature may provide measures, understood in terms of ecological standards, against which our own practices, or at least some of them, may be judged—a way of thinking I call “biomimetic ethics”. The practical consequences of this argument are significant. Whereas mainstream environmental ethics has been applied above all to such issues as wilderness preservation, natural resource management, and animal rights and welfare, biomimetic ethics is applicable rather to the question of how we produce, use, and consume things, and, as such, may potentially provide the basic ethical framework required to underpin the transition to a circular, bio-based, solar economy.
This is a pre-publicaon version of an arcle 
 ! !!" !#!$%! "%
&$$"%$'



((   ()   *
+     ,        -
+   -(    *) 
+   .)       +    ) (
( , /(0 &&"1, %,2 * 03! !,3! 1,)
         (    ( 
(04)3! ,.*3! 5,/*63! $1,
)+  

  +(  ,,  
+,,,((*
(+(,),
)),,(7-)(*8
9 :   ;      2
    ) ,
,),
;  )), ,, ,, ( (
)*;,%,(
(<+<)+<<2*

+*2,
)6** =,., ', ) techné 
 + 8%)(,        
,%4(,(
    ,  )    ( 
+))(0/( &&"1>,
 ,  ( ?# (  
)*    ;, , ,  )    
 , ) ((  
      %  0, , ,  %
189+:,(-(/(
-      9+  : 0 )   , 9+ 
:1
 ( 7         )   
+@8,)
3
?
A
5
$
"
#
&
!
3
?
A
5
$
"
#
&
3!
3
33
3?
3A
35
3$
3"
3#
3&
?!
?
?3
??
?A
?5
?$
?"
?#
?&
A!
A
3
)))-)
% - (()+ 97:  ,(,  
;,,,     
   7,    9+ :    )  + 
9:  ,    (,   )   )   (
)()()
  )(    ( *)      
      ,     )   ( )
-))*(,,;,-,
)()(7
  < ,  *      
() ,(,,,
        (,  %(,  (
,     ,     * * ) 
    ) , ,
,7
B,8 )     9+ :     
  )*  /(,       %, 2*,
)    (   7
0,C &##, &&!<D3! 1,(
);(0* && 18,,(
  9+  :  (  )        
   ,  ( ,    , (   
( , ,  *7 ,  
(,70D43! 51
! "
,/((+,/)(
 +  + (, ) (  
E/( +)9 FG()
H*
   , ,    ( : 0/( &&", 1  
 /(  * ,    (  ) 
 0, 1  +0, ,,
(, (1     +  , /(  
)  9/(      7  IH  
J?#(,2)*2
2:0/( &&",1B,
;,,
*)(((@,(
 ?# (+  9) : 
,*+,+(,
(   9 :  7 9:  
   )  
3
A3
A?
AA
A5
A$
A"
A#
A&
5!
5
53
5?
5A
55
5$
5"
5#
5&
$!
$
$3
$?
$A
$5
$$
$"
$#
$&
"!
"
"3
"?
"A
"5
"$
""
"#
"&
#!
#
#3
#?
#A
#5
#$
?
A
 )  ( )( is 09( is )K:1, 
+* ( uses 09(
uses   K:1  )      ) )
( is      uses    9:    

/),,*+E/()
)  9  ),,: 0 &&", "1,)
+
+
+((
+
+((
+)
+*(
+
+)
+)0/( &&","1
8 9:+        
)9:6*, kanon,9(:
,(,9:  9 :,   ,
   ( ),  9  7: 4, 7  
  ;   - , , , ,
(,-7abstracted+, transferred -,,translated -
08DL3! 51,9),,:)
 ,  )      +,  *) 
   <  , /(H  (* 
+,(-((*+
- ( 
,
9:    9: ,  ) + does  ) ) should do 8 
, +  M(+ 
  ,)( 
,     ) should     
) should ,
) (     /( ,    +H laws  principles -  , 
,strategies -,
+N)shouldN;
/(HL),(
(((     *, (,,
8)((
(,,*;-((
;)+()
)
?
#"
##
#&
&!
&
&3
&?
&A
&5
&$
&"
&#
&&
!!
!
!3
!?
!A
!5
!$
!"
!#
!&
!
3
?
A
5
$
"
#
&
3!
3
33
3?
3A
35
3$
3"
5
$
"
#
&
!
,,<
%(+(,@(
(  )          
    8,  ,    , 9+ (
(:,9)((:,(
 ,  ( ( *    !!O ( 0
1,((
J,* !!O()
((>*),,
 9+ *(: 9+ :,  
)((,
   (       ) (  
B,(+
biodiversity,))(0,
1
(,,
+3B,),
P) *(/(H( ,
)*,  ()*+ ,
(,  abstracon )   +   ; translaon 
)(
)+-)
)   (/( - (  ) 
   7    ,      
 ( 8  )(,     7 )     9 
(:,%,)
9:,(,()
+
2) (, /(
  9+ : 8,    (@ 
,(*)*2*,(,9+
:0*3! 1(/(all)*<
( *)* (
* >8Q0/( &&", 3 -?$1+,
/(H*))
)**,)(@
*(,(9+:,)
.*03! 519:(,*,
3 L   =H  9%:  6 4H
9 (:,   )        
(0.*3! 5</*63! $1,),(
),
)@,)
  )   
%( +
A
3#
3&
?!
?
?3
??
?A
?5
?$
?"
?#
?&
A!
A
A3
A?
AA
A5
A$
A"
A#
A&
5!
5
53
5?
5A
55
5$
5"
5#
5&
$!
$
$3
$?
$A
$5
3
?
A
5
$
"
#
&
; *H)*  9H ):03! , A&1 9
  ( : 0*3! , #518 ) ,)  
(,(/(,     ()7 
R,technological ,,%,
)      +  <    ,   ethically 
epistemologically )* *,  ) ()) 
(,,%++
2,)(
*H)*+
      )     *H * ) 
  > 8 8  )   )   *H New Roots for
Agriculture 0 &#51, 2/() 2 .* Q
&"A )( )* *, Toward an Ecological Ethic,
)()M>8, &"$,
 *     )* (   *,  )    
,) (,      * )  
/(,),*    *   )
(,>
88*(
)(*H;L%
(, 9+  :, )  (      ( 
9(2*:0*3! 1,((
)*), *(
*H9:
-(9+:-
 (  (  ) ) *    
9@:    ),)
(   %%;  
0*3! ,$?%$A1*H( 
2)  %) ,  +-   
( -  9:9: ) - 
 -78*H, 
) ,*)      *  )  ( 
-9:-)*)
8,),
M(,)D(,
*H,((
  )  (  ,     (  (
R0'S3! 51>(,)
(   )9: 
H(7,/(H
     *H (         
+*9 F)G*
   ))  .)  (,
   ) (,  ) *): 0* 3! , "#1 +,  ) ,
5
$$
$"
$#
$&
"!
"
"3
"?
"A
"5
"$
""
"#
"&
#!
#
#3
#?
#A
#5
#$
#"
##
#&
&!
&
&3
&?
&A
&5
&$
&"
&#
&&
3!!
3!
3!3
3!?
3!A
3!5
3!$
3!"
3!#
3!&
3 !
3!
3
,
only;)+
 -  (    94:-
J,*H))*>8,+
(<,
, ( 7   ( ( 
(
*H(*+
(.)(2/((
+,*()9%
(:(0*3! ,$#-" 1,)*,
T,4,',)*(,7
=)0 &5$1-J-,)*
9:9:
8),)(+,
@(*, 9 :,  ) 
+-(-( source
,())
? L(*H )*,),( 
9%(:    +   )* 2 
(,(
J,*+))*)
()*>8,(%
(      )*   >*),     ( (
(    ( (   ;  ,   
( (+
*H)*2,))
+())(

#! $%
2   E         )
()
?6**9:,;()(8
9:+H
)abstracted translated)
 )(  )  ;   (     
;+
 9 : +  )
 )*   (  ( 8, )   (  
)+, ,, ;( 
())*(,,,
  0 .* 3! 51     (   
9:(,
)+(0C(3!!$1
$
3
3 3
3 ?
3 A
3 5
3 $
3 "
3 #
3 &
33!
33
333
33?
33A
335
33$
33"
33#
33&
3?!
3?
3?3
3??
3?A
3?5
3?$
3?"
3?#
3?&
3A!
3A
3A3
3A?
3AA
33
3?
3A
35
3$
3"
3#
3&
?!
?
?3
??
?A
?5
))+A),
( )
)+*(8)(
( ;   ) ( *
);)L
,8)(
+  /   ,),R( 
)
')(,)(,(
   ) +   object       (  +  
7(L(,(
%-J(0U &#?<U &&A1+
0Q@ &&"1-97:(+7,,
    %    mere 7,  (    
0 71 ) ) +071 
(      M)(,  ( , ,
,,*(,+,())
(do something for Nature,(
8 )  ) +  
0)( 1,  ;)
)+ direct ,(,+,(
indirect ,(,(()E.
-)
-,)+ ,
 )    +,     +  (
,))+((
)  0    1 B, ,  C 0 &&51 
,)+,
)%,
M;)))M(
70,,(,1RE>(,
@) + object -)  ,@,
,  )* -        ,
    ,  ),
,,),
(,+
2  (    )       
+source,(,)
AL7((,),
,,
, BH   9(:8 , ),  
(,)   9:,9:  9: 0B &&!,& - #1,  
)    ) ) (  (    +,  )  
(ethical0,,1)

"
3A5
3A$
3A"
3A#
3A&
35!
35
353
35?
35A
355
35$
35"
35#
35&
3$!
3$
3$3
3$?
3$A
3$5
3$$
3$"
3$#
3$&
3"!
3"
3"3
3"?
3"A
3"5
3"$
3""
3"#
3"&
3#!
3#
3#3
?$
?"
?#
?&
A!
A
A3
A?
AA
(+ () 
(M+2+
   object  ,    source  ,      +,
+,*(+,,
+,)+,+8,)
)+,(0V
+1,+,)),),
)+
-+-
   ( M  ;      0)(
1 +       ) (  * 
,(5-Q,
 ,     E 8 , )   ; 
   ) (      ) +  
,;    )(
,)+4,7C
+,
 +  
J,+,)(*9:E8
   ,    ;      )
+,)))
RE2))),;
,,(,(,(P(,
(E>(,@(M
    0)( 1,  ,
(,,
8) )
,  (   *+
*+7,
9:+(, ,
anything like +,
)+(
8,))(;*9%(:
(+,*)
%(,%((),(1 
7@<1 
;()@))
8 )* ( * 
(   % (    6 ,    (  
*(( %(,(()M
), 8 ,  ( *9C 
 )  ) +E: ( = U 0 &"&1 D    /(
CH9(:)(,9+*):0C &" ,A %
58 (9(:9(:,(

#
3#?
3#A
3#5
3#$
3#"
3##
3#&
3&!
3&
3&3
3&?
3&A
3&5
3&$
3&"
3&#
3&&
?!!
?!
?!3
?!?
?!A
?!5
?!$
?!"
?!#
?!&
? !
?
? 3
? ?
? A
? 5
? $
? "
? #
? &
?3!
?3
?33
?3?
?3A
?35
A5
A$
A"
A#
A51,UM)(
9)+:9: , ) ( )  ( )
+,)*)+<3 9:,
)))+,
+H(<?9: ,)))(()
+< A 9:,  ))   +H
<59:,))(  +H
)(%,()U7<$9:
,))()+ )()
 <"9:,J *),))
(9:+
8)),)),)UH
      0)(1,
 )(  )    (
 UH* 
  9) +:,    )     J   ) 
()9+:,
)9):,7)8,U*
 )( @  (    (  ( 
 ), ,;( 9:; 
 +04)3! , .* 3! 51, ,    ,  ;( 
).*9:,9:,9:(0.*3! 51,
,   +  , , ,  ),   )
M)(,(following +0(,,
*))1
UH(M)+8
           ) +   
 <     )    , )    
necessarily always cannot ever)+,)
;L,)(
,)( (
*()9):,,,)
(,+)
 )  inter-human     ,  U    
-* :9/( (*):9 (
):9):K 0U &"&,3$1-(
        - (  )  
(-)+,
) +, %((, 
),)U
)
       ) ) (     
)  WX      (   (W = 
&
?3$
?3"
?3#
?3&
??!
??
??3
???
??A
??5
??$
??"
??#
??&
?A!
?A
?A3
?A?
?AA
?A5
?A$
?A"
?A#
?A&
?5!
?5
?53
?5?
?5A
?55
?5$
?5"
?5#
?5&
?$!
?$
?$3
?$?
?$A
?$5
?$$
?$"
?$#
?$&
A&
5!
)      ) ,      
()))0U &"&, A1

)+(U,;*)(0U
&"&, 51<  )+9 : ) 
)    (  , ),   )(  )  
(M,
,as a balance+)2
*(()(+-*,
,>H9(:9:0.*3! A1-
))also))
)(U7)+9(
((W,)
+,,)+(
 ) +; object  < 7    , )(
,)+,(+
         7    @  
(<for ourselves)@
 +   for Nature  ) +  
9:9:@byfor,)))
+9F)G),()
: 0U &"&, $1 ))  ,), 9)
+:-)+-(
(
@,)UH,
  )    )   @    
) ( )*
  ;(   ontological ;    +,  poec 
+  ,  ethical   +  ,   epistemological  
+   0.*3! 51,)  @ ( 
   )  )    +    
),UH(
(),*0)
((+
1,    
(9)+:,,
)+-)+
-,        ,    )
 (  )+   %

8     UH    M    @ 
,7;(
)@))8,9C)
) +E:
!
?"!
?"
?"3
?"?
?"A
?"5
?"$
?""
?"#
?"&
?#!
?#
?#3
?#?
?#A
?#5
?#$
?#"
?##
?#&
?&!
?&
?&3
?&?
?&A
?&5
?&$
?&"
?&#
?&&
A!!
A!
A!3
A!?
A!A
A!5
A!$
A!"
A!#
A!&
A !
A
A 3
A ?
A A
5
53
7,Environmental Ethics,7
( J (8,) ( )
 M % -   ,  , 
,,  , ,  , ,
6 ,  -    %      ( )
9)+:0 12, *
9C))+E:)UH*,Environmental Ethics: Dues
to and Values in the Natural World 0U &##,?3-AA18
    9) +:,     UH  
()()U)
-+
  -   ) (    )      ,
, ,  (,   ) ( ) (    )
,)+
,UR()+,((
, (,)+ 7))  $>*),)
(,
(    ) + ) , ) 
( * ),    9)
+:),(
)*   (     < U (   
)+)
,8),
))()
 (  9       ): 0   UH *1, (
 +  source    ( @, 
nametrue place"))
&! '
)7@
*2(,J,)+E2(
) * +, ; ) ( 
E) ;)(*+
for ourselves, )    ,  for Nature 0 1, )  
)(,),)
applicaon 2 value,))
 (measure B,*+
(7meansend,*+(
      ,  (      , ,
(   U   98    E: 0U &"51, 
$U(),)
(
"/(9:,87

A 5
A $
A "
A #
A &
A3!
A3
A33
A3?
A3A
A35
A3$
A3"
A3#
A3&
A?!
A?
A?3
A??
A?A
A?5
A?$
A?"
A?#
A?&
AA!
AA
AA3
AA?
AAA
AA5
AA$
AA"
AA#
AA&
A5!
A5
A53
A5?
A5A
5?
5A
55
5$
5"
5#
9(:,)(
)+0U &"&1B)+,U
    , (    9:,    ( 9 :
9:,)9:
  7 8 )     B, ),  
            
;(
       genuine   0 CH 1 U
0 &"&1,)(,*)+,
meanshumanendU(*(.)
9)(:,9FG*
       /( CH I )  (H:
0*( &&3,?"1,,,9)
I(HIJH(,,,
, (, ,  (,        
((:0*( &&3,?#1  , ( ,   
)((),
+-()+-  *()
)
 FKGV
),))
  )(  *   ,  ,    
 )       >  )
  %7
0*( &&3,3&1
B,))*
       )     9 : )
*+0,,(,(,,1,
()(()
(

 )*++
+


= Y+,
,=
,(,
K



+ '+

2,
)K
"%! ',*-
 , ),     )(      
(logical )*
+     L (, ( *, * +  
3
A55
A5$
A5"
A5#
A5&
A$!
A$
A$3
A$?
A$A
A$5
A$$
A$"
A$#
A$&
A"!
A"
A"3
A"?
A"A
A"5
A"$
A""
A"#
A"&
A#!
A#
A#3
A#?
A#A
A#5
A#$
A#"
A##
A#&
A&!
5&
$!
for the bene't of Naturefor the bene't of humans#8*),
R(-()*
/(-)04>@
3!!&,/*3! $104)3! 1)* )(
 , ) (, 
 )    humans alone  (   Nature also 
(humans aloneNature also
94  :  ( 8 9+ 
:    -        , (,
,  ,   ) (   -,   )  
(any non-anthropocentric measure2,
(*))*H
)*,/C0 &##, &&!1,
07)71)(
( %  @  (     
*)(
)      )  
0)( 1    B  ,      

+P
,(+object
(,,,,(
* +   source  ,  (        ,
(,,*+)+
0 && , &&31C0 &&51  9(: ( 
   M 2 + *    (  
P7(,)
 converge, C*7,
.H'B,+H),)
  diverges   2    *, ), 
  )(  ) +H   CH  themselves
converge ;           protect
+D(, (
+  a reason forprotecng Nature     (
B,9(:,2)*B
0 &&51))
+,)-9:0(()
9:, )    >, monere,  9:  :1 -  (
+9(:
B9( ( P(< (
) ) , )*( 
#/U *()()  ( )
)+empiricallogical/)
;()M
,7(
?
A&
A&3
A&?
A&A
A&5
A&$
A&"
A&#
A&&
5!!
5!
5!3
5!?
5!A
5!5
5!$
5!"
5!#
5!&
5 !
5
5 3
5 ?
5 A
5 5
5 $
5 "
5 #
5 &
53!
53
533
53?
53A
535
53$
53"
53#
53&
5?!
5?
$
$3
$?
$A
$5
$$
  ( (: 0B &&5, 5$1 BH 
+H((,),9
%):0B &&5, 5$1<,*U*(,
+01(7)(instrumentalizing
+why we should
protect Nature, ),  (          + 
--)(
(  contrasng   0)( 1 )  , 
)()

+
.  (

)*
++

0)(
1
+
object 
=

values
'
+
=
+
2
,
K


+
source
=

measures
B)
+
=
+
,
(,
K
"%!# ,*-
8((,7*
+(7@
, )    7      ,  
87, ()%
4 %     doing something for others,) 
0Q1,01,
)))((01,
)))(,(,0J
>1 4, ) )    (
J),)(,(,)(
(,7,*
0,,(,),18
 )    ) + +     (
((,,,,,(
(,((
8,),)*,,
,)),
) ) *     -   ,  *, 
,-     8  ,       objects 
,sources)+
))(7 
+,),(+(,
(  +   ( 2   ,   )   
(()))*,
),7(
A
5?3
5??
5?A
5?5
5?$
5?"
5?#
5?&
5A!
5A
5A3
5A?
5AA
5A5
5A$
5A"
5A#
5A&
55!
55
553
55?
55A
555
55$
55"
55#
55&
5$!
5$
5$3
5$?
5$A
5$5
5$$
5$"
5$#
5$&
$"
$#
(<) ,((
/()())
;(
  ( )   7       + > ) 
+(+(,
(%(M+)(*
(++both7and
,)(
B ,>H
>,),((
      9FaG   )  
preserve  (, (,  (    ( 8  ) )  
):0> &A&,335,(1/)(--
  (   ( (    ,
;,,(,,,( 
;(
*((
    ,  ) *  (    
7,*+,
)(
/! $.+
8       
    ,    ;   R 
 ( )  0)(
1/(*,
    , (, ,   , )    
(,7((
+,(
) *H  ,)   (  (,
,@,
,),,9*;:
0*3! !, 531((
 *   (      (    
7)+*)  (-
(B0 &&51-(+)
(+()
)(9:)),
      %(, ,    8 +  ,
,,,)(
) (  (     ( 0  
),*,,1
   R )     0)(
1,)(
5
5"!
5"
5"3
5"?
5"A
5"5
5"$
5""
5"#
5"&
5#!
5#
5#3
5#?
5#A
5#5
5#$
5#"
5##
5#&
5&!
5&
5&3
5&?
5&A
5&5
5&$
5&"
5&#
5&&
$!!
$!
$!3
$!?
$!A
$!5
$!$
$!"
$!#
$!&
$ !
$
$ 3
$ ?
$&
"!
7  ) + (         +
   (  )(  ) + (  ( )
 )(   +,     (       
7 R (
)+(@ not to protect Nature8+H0
(,  (, , , 1   
(,()+
/()).*03! 519(I)*(H:
,),)(()
+((, , (
(,(
   < +   only    ,
also7
$
)))
(4(,  
  ( ;  +, 
(,),@+
source,)89:,),*
      ,  (      
(  D (   (  -  ) 
) )(-, )
+,2*,
   +  ,  ) (     9: 
,)(>)(@9:
D, 7 (      )* 
 )*     +   ,   
*))/
()(8,7(
     , )
 )*   ),
 ,  ),   
)()(
*)*)()
        %(,   (, 
),%(,,,
;)(9:
0
/(,0 &&"). /(8(+)X*='
/*,T/603! $18/(+)2(*
(Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics,3&031,3!?-3 "
$
$ A
$ 5
$ $
$ "
$ #
$ &
$3!
$3
$33
$3?
$3A
$35
$3$
$3"
$3#
$3&
$?!
$?
$?3
$??
$?A
$?5
$?$
$?"
$?#
$?&
$A!
$A
$A3
$A?
$AA
$A5
$A$
$A"
$A#
$A&
$5!
$5
$53
$5?
$5A
$55
"
"3
/*,T03! $1/(4((8
Environmental Philosophy, ?031, &5-3 A
C,/0 &##1(Journal of Agricultural Ethics, 0 1,?-&
C,/0 &&!14(BB+)%
%Journal of Agricultural Ethics,?0 1,?$-A#
C,/0 &&518T+4(Electronic Journal of Analyc
Philosophy,?051
C,/0 &" 1The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology+)X*Q
C(,'03!!$1Ecological Ethics: An Introducon'(
.*,=03! A1>8(/,'(,
UUEnvironmental Philosophy, 031, "5-3!&
.*,=03! 51'(/(Philosophy & Technology, ! !!" ??A"%! 5%
!3 !%3
*(,U0 &&31Environmentalism and Polical Theory: Toward an Ecocentric Approach>
YC>'
B,20 &&51Toward a Transpersonal Ecology: Developing New Foundaons for Environmentalism
U
=),0 &5$1An Agricultural Testament4L8'
8DL03! 518DL #A5#/-(,C,4(/D8
*,20 &#51F &#!GNew Roots for Agriculture>>Y(+*
'
*,20 && 1L(Journal
of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics,A031,3!"-3 5
*,203! !1Consulng the Genius of Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture
/*(C
*,203! 1Nature as Measure: The Selected Essays of Wes Jackson/*(C
Q@,0 &&"1Nature as Subject: Human Obligaon and Natural Community>U)
>
>,0 &A&1A Sand County AlmanacLLY'
4,D>@03!!&1Z('/Internaonal
Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics, 0A1, - !
4),B03! 1)((Organizaon & Environment,3A0A1,
?$A-?#"
"
$5$
$5"
$5#
$5&
$$!
$$
$$3
$$?
$$A
$$5
$$$
$$"
$$#
$$&
$"!
$"
$"3
$"?
$"A
$"5
$"$
$""
$"#
$"&
$#!
$#
$#3
$#?
$#A
$#5
$#$
$#"
$##
$#&
$&!
"?
"A
+,/0 && 1Toward Unity among EnvironmentalistsLLY'
+,/0 &&31(TThe Monist,"5031,3!#-33$
'S,403! 51((4*(
Internaonal Journal of Sustainable Built Environment,A0 1, A5- 5"
U,0 &#?1The Case for Animal Rights>U
U,=0 &"518EEthics: An Internaonal Journal of Social, Polical, and
Legal Philosophy, #031,&?- !&
U,=0 &"&1C))EEnvironmental Ethics, 0 1,"-?!
U,=0 &##1Environmental Ethics: Dues to and Values in the Natural World'
Y('
U,=0 &&A1T++T8U[/(01,
Philosophy and the Natural Environment 0 ?-?!1CCY'
D,''40103! 51DD/(,Journal of
Agricultural and Environmental Ethics3#051
D,203! 1,+,'
8Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics,3A0?1,3#?-?!?
#
$&
$&3
$&?
$&A
$&5
$&$
$&"
$&#
$&&
"!!
"!
"!3
"!?
"!A
"!5
"!$
"!"
"!#
"!&
"5
"$
... İnsan ve doğa ilişkisinde hangi davranışların iyi hangilerinin ise kötü olduğunun incelenmesi ve ahlaki sorumluluk ile çevresel unsurlara atfedilen değerin tespit edilmesine yönelen çevre etiği (Des Jardins, 2013; Dicks, 2017;Fox, 2000), insani etkinlikler sonucu ortaya çıkan atıkların yönetilmesini de kapsayacak birtakım çıkarımlarda bulunulmasını mümkün kılmaktadır. Başka bir deyişle, insani faaliyetlerden kaynaklı atıkların yönetilmesi sürecinde hangi davranışların çevre için iyi ve doğru olduğunun tespit edilmeye çalışılması, etik bir bakış açısının varlığını göstermektedir. ...
... Çevre ile girilen bu etkileşim sürecinde hangi davranışın doğru hangisinin ise yanlış olduğunun tespit edilmeye çalışılması, çevreye yönelik etik bir bakış açısının varlığını göstermektedir. Bu noktada çevre etiği, insan ve doğa ilişkisinin iyi ve kötü davranış kuralları bakımından incelenmesi, insanın doğa karşısındaki ahlaki sorumluluğunun tespit edilmesine yönelik tartışmalar bütünüdür (Dicks, 2017 ...
Article
Full-text available
İnsan ihtiyaçlarının karşılanabilmesi amacıyla gerçekleştirilen üretim ve tüketim faaliyetleri atıkların ortaya çıkmasına neden olmaktadır. Atıkların insan ve çevre sağlığını riske atmadan işlenmesi ve/veya bertaraf edilmesi atık yönetiminin temel amacıdır. Günümüzde birçok ülke, atık kaynaklı risklerin önlenebilmesi adına sıfır atık yönetimini benimsemiştir. Sıfır atık yönetimi kapsamında gerçekleştirilen atıkların yeniden kullanılması, geri dönüştürülmesi ve kazanılması gibi uygulamaların çevresel unsurlar üzerinde çeşitli etkileri bulunmaktadır. Sıfır atık yönetimi kapsamındaki uygulamaların hangilerinin çevre ve insan sağlığı açısından iyi ve doğru olduğunun tespit edilmesine yönelik tartışmalar, konuya insan ve çevre ilişkilerini sistematik bir şekilde inceleyen çevre etiği perspektifinden bakmayı mümkün kılmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, sıfır atık yönetiminin çevre etiği yaklaşımları açısından incelenmesi ve ilgili yönetimin söz konusu yaklaşımlar içerisindeki konumunun tespit edilmesidir. Çalışma kapsamında, sıfır atık yönetimi ve çevre etiği yaklaşımları incelenmiş, söz konusu atık yönetim sisteminin çevre merkezli etik içerisinde konumlandırılmasının daha doğru bir bakış açısı olacağı tespit edilmiştir.
... Bioethics plays an important role in biomimicry research. It is responsible for regulating laws and principles that determine the limits for the proper and conscious use of natural resources [7]. Benyus suggests that biomimetics can be used to judge the ethical correctness of technological innovations because nature, through years of evolution, has learned what works and endures [8]. ...
Article
Full-text available
Bionanotechnology research has surged to the forefront of scientific innovation, propelling the exploration of cutting-edge technologies and interdisciplinary collaboration. Biomimicry, which harnesses nature's ingenuity, drives the development of novel research-based solutions in diverse fields such as vaccines, medicine, and biomedical devices. Nature's role is becoming increasingly pivotal in addressing complex challenges related to environmental conservation, human health, and pandemic preparedness, including those posed by SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging pathogens. Progress in this domain encompasses understanding nature´s mechanisms to develop advanced materials inspired by biological structures. Biomimetic innovations have the potential to revolutionize industries, reduce environmental impacts, and facilitate a more harmonious relationship between humans and nature while considering bioethics, underlining the necessity of conducting responsible research and implementing biomimetic advancements conscientiously. As biomimicry continues to grow, integrating ethical guidelines and policies will ensure these nature-inspired technologies' sustainable development and application, ultimately contributing to a more resilient and adaptive society. This mini-review article broadly overviews bionanotechnology applications based on natural examples. Graphical Abstract
... Remarque : L'éthique biomimétique s'applique plutôt à la question de la manière dont nous produisons, utilisons et consommons les choses et, en tant que telle, elle peut potentiellement fournir le cadre éthique de base nécessaire pour étayer la transition vers une économie solaire circulaire et fondée sur la biotechnologie (Dicks, 2017). Ce domaine éloigné de l'action pédagogique n'est pas traité. ...
... I argue that the CE intends to be sustainable by imitating the functioning of natural The sustainability of biomimetic approaches is not uncontroversial. Following environmental philosopher Henry Dicks (2016Dicks ( , 2017 and philosophers of technology Vincent Blok and Bart Gremmen (2016), I argue biomimicry needs to be understood in a strong, ethical sense, rather than in a weak, poetic one. In order to be sustainable, the CE must be based on principles of actual ecological systems and not only take some creative inspiration from a vague notion of nature -I call this approach ecomimetic ethics. ...
... We answer this objection with an internal division corresponding the breakdown (a) and (b) we previously established. (b) In support of the relevance of enactivism for this discourse, it is possible to say that if scientific findings from ethology are relevant for questions of animal ethics (Würbel 2009), and empirical data from ecology and systems theory are admissible for questions of environmental ethics (Dicks 2017), why should enactivist considerations about the nature of human and animal agents not be admissible? ...
Article
Full-text available
Enactivism is a model of cognition that emphasises the dynamic interactions between organisms and their environment. This paper analyses the link between holism and individualism in animal and environmental ethics through the conceptual tools provided by the enactivist programme, particularly through a perspective of relational values emerging from the dynamic interactions of organisms with the environment. In our opinion, the more dynamic concept of value that enactivism implicitly offers can be helpful in resolving conflicts within green ethics. Concurrently, its reconceptualization of agency in simple organisms contributes to the discourse on the attribution of moral con‑ sideration to non‑human entities. These insights have implications for both the moral deliberation of the individual agent and decisions taken at the political level. We briefly address the associated philosophical and practical challenges in ethical deliberations.
... The development of the biomimicry training was informed from a diversity of literature [26,40,[43][44][45], open-access resources available through a variety of biomimicry channels such as The Biomimicry Institute, Biomimicry South Africa, Great Lakes Biomimicry, Ask Nature, etc., and participation in a variety of academic programs through the University of Akron Integrated Bioscience program and professional innovation training through the Biomimicry Research and Innovation Center. The training material developed for the current study followed a logical progression from least difficult to more complex information and was divided into three leading questions: (1) what is biomimicry, (2) what is the biomimicry design approach, and (3) how is it applied to a design challenge [26,36,40,41,43,[45][46][47][48][49]. The biomimicry training was provided to the 30 employees within the training group, all of which attended both workshops 1 and 2. The training timeline and structure were as follows: ...
Article
Full-text available
Employees play a critical role in the success of corporate sustainability initiatives, yet sustained employee engagement is a constant challenge. The psychology literature states that to intrinsically motivate employees to engage in sustainability, there must be opportunity for employees to engage in practices that are directly relevant to their job duties. Traditional ad hoc initiatives such as Earth Week events, recycling challenges and so on, are not sufficient to derive this type of intrinsic motivation. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine the psychological impact of a biomimicry sustainable innovation training program, to intrinsically motivate R&D employees to reconnect with nature and identify whether this promotes creative thinking and employee engagement. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the current study conducted virtual workshops with R&D employees and demonstrated that biomimicry training was intrinsically motivating to employees and was valued as a practice that could be incorporated into R&D job duties. In conclusion, this study provides an adaptable procedural template for biomimicry training with a corporate audience. The results demonstrate a strong business case for organizations to experiment with biomimicry by illustrating its potential to create positive change across several business units beyond sustainable innovation to include human resources and sustainable marketing.
... In fact, some refer to biomimetics as "reductive biomimicry" [3,49]. However, biomimicry goes one step further than biomimetics in that biomimicry uses nature as a model and mentor but adds the dimension of "measure" to determine what is sustainable [3,12,13]. Biomimicry doesn't focus only on the mechanics or process but also includes mimicking form or shape and as well as interactions within Sustainability in the Biom 5 and between systems. Therefore, not only do we learn from and imitate nature, but biomimicry designs create conditions that are conducive to life. ...
Chapter
Bioinspired innovation is a growing field and is often attributed to sustainable design outcomes. After reviewing existing literature in bionics, biomimetics, and biomimicry, a comparative analysis was used to compare and contrast these subdisciplines. This theoretical analysis aims to reveal differences between bioinspired design approaches to show that each is distinct and to position bioinspired design approaches along the sustainability spectrum. This research contributes to the conceptualization of sustainability within bioinspired innovation and advances nuanced perspectives for scholars and practitioners in this field.
Article
Full-text available
In an effort to produce new and more sustainable technologies, designers have turned to nature in search of inspiration and innovation. Biomimetic design (from the Greek bios, life, mimesis, imitation) is the conscious imitation of biological models to solve today's technical and ecological challenges. Nowadays numerous different approaches exist that take inspiration from nature as a model for design, such as biomimicry, biomimetics, bionics, permaculture, ecological engineering, etc. This variety of practices comes in turn with a wide range of different promises, including sustainability, increased resilience, multi-functionality, and a lower degree of risk. How are we to make sense of this heterogeneous amalgam of existing practices and technologies, and of the numerous promises attached to them? We suggest that a typology of biomimetic approaches would provide a useful hermeneutic framework to understand the different tensions that pull this variegated landscape in different directions. This is achieved through a critical analysis of the literature in different fields of biomimetic design and the philosophy of biomimicry, in order to derive conceptual and normative assumptions concerning the meaning and value of the imitation of nature. These two dimensions are then intersected to derive an analytical grid composed of six different biomimetic types, which enable the classification of existing and possible biomimetic approaches, practices, and technologies according to their specific conceptual assumptions and guiding norms.
Chapter
This chapter discusses the main religious and secular environmental ethics. In particular, it provides two Tables that summarise the theological and deontological approaches in terms of their ethical rules and ethical reasons.
Book
This book includes both theoretical conceptualization and practical applications in the fields of product design, architecture, engineering, and materials. The book aimed to inspire scholars and professionals to look at nature as a source of inspiration for developing new project solutions. Moreover, being one of the literature’s first direct associations of bionics with sustainability, the book can be used as a reference for those who seek to know more about the theory of bioinspired applications, as well as new technologies, methods, materials, and processes.
Article
Full-text available
In this paper, we reflect on the concept of nature that is presupposed in biomimetic approaches to technology and innovation. Because current practices of biomimicry presuppose a technological model of nature, it is questionable whether its claim of being a more ecosystem friendly approach to technology and innovation is justified. In order to maintain the potentiality of biomimicry as ecological innovation, we explore an alternative to this technological model of nature. To this end, we reflect on the materiality of natural systems and explore a natural model of nature, which is found in the responsive conativity of matter. This natural model of nature enables us to conceptualize biomimicry as conative responsiveness to the conativity of the biosphere PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO VINCENT.BLOK@WUR.NL IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE A PDF OF THE EDITED/FORMATTED VERSION.
Article
Full-text available
In this article, we critically reflect on the concept of biomimicry. On the basis of an analysis of the concept of biomimicry in the literature and its philosophical origin, we distinguish between a strong and a weaker concept of biomimicry. The strength of the strong concept of biomimicry is that nature is seen as a measure by which to judge the ethical rightness of our technological innovations, but its weakness is found in questionable presuppositions. These presuppositions are addressed by the weaker concept of biomimicry, but at the price that it is no longer possible to distinguish between exploitative and ecological types of technological innovations. We compare both concepts of biomimicry by critically reflecting on four dimensions of the concept of biomimicry: mimesis, technology, nature, and ethics.
Article
Full-text available
The philosophy of biomimicry, I argue, consists of four main areas of inquiry. The first, which has already been explored by Freya Mathews (2011), concerns the “deep” question of what Nature ultimately is. The second, third, and fourth areas correspond to the three basic principles of biomimicry as laid out by Janine Benyus (1997). “Nature as model” is the poetic principle of biomimicry, for it tells us how it is that things are to be “brought forth” (poiēsis). “Nature as measure” is the ethical principle of biomimicry, for it tells us that Nature places ethical limits or standards on what it is possible for us to accomplish. And “Nature as mentor” is the epistemological principle of biomimicry, for it affirms that Nature is the ultimate source of truth, wisdom, and freedom from error. Within this overall framework, I argue that seeing Nature as physis—understood as “self-production” or “self-placing-into-the-open”—constitutes the requisite ground for the poetic, ethical, and epistemological principles of biomimicry, and that biomimicry thus conceived involves a new philosophical paradigm, which I call “enlightened naturalism”.
Article
Full-text available
This paper proposes using an understanding of ecosystem services to determine measurable goals for urban regenerative design that are based on site specific ecological reality. This is termed ecosystem services analysis. The usability of the ecosystem services analysis concept is tested through a case study of an existing city. The case study demonstrates how the concept could be used as a tool to evaluate the performance of an existing built environment, and how it could reveal places to intervene in the built environment to create a more robust, adaptable and cohesive system. This is important because more than half of all people live in urban environments, cities have a large negative impact on ecosystems, humans are dependent on ecosystems for survival, and issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss are already impacting on the built environment and people, and continue to become more urgent.