Deck 28: Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability

Question 1

What is the general belief of people who call for more stewardship?

A)A mixture of market-based competition, improved technology, and government intervention can solve society's problems.
B)Better science and technology can fix humanity's problems.
C)Pure capitalism should be used to make economic decisions.
D)An ethical responsibility to "tend our garden" would improve most technological-economic growth worldviews.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which school is associated with the planetary management worldview?

A)no free-market school
B)the spaceship-Earth school
C)ecocentrism school
D)"all problem" school

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which worldview is based on a belief that the least government interference that occurs, the better?

A)the free-market school
B)the "no problem" school
C)responsible planetary management
D)stewardship

Answer 3

A

Question 4

What is among the things that ecocentrists are against?

A)species
B)individuals
C)ecosystems
D)unrestrained resource use

Question 5

Which of the following is among the concerns that an ecocentrist would extend compassion to?

A)the ecosphere
B)the human species
C)the current generation
D)past generations

Question 6

Which belief characterizes a life-centred worldview?

A)Preserving the Earth's biodiversity is humanity's priority.
B)Human ingenuity can fix any problems.
C)Earth has an unlimited capability to absorb human pollutants.
D)Ever-increasing production will not severely stress Earth's systems.

Question 7

Which statement is among the basic beliefs of a planetary management worldview?

A)Humans need the Earth, but the Earth does not need humans.
B)Human success does not depend on how well people manage Earth's life-support systems.
C)Humans are in charge of nature.
D)Earth has a limited supply of resources for human use.

Question 8

What is the basis of the "no problem" variation of the planetary management worldview?

A)the general belief that an ethical responsibility to "tend our garden" would improve most technological-economic growth worldviews
B)the general belief that pure capitalism should be used to make economic decisions
C)the general belief that better management and technology, and more economic growth, can fix humanity's problems
D)the general belief that a mixture of market-based competition, improved technology, and government intervention can solve humanity's problems

Question 9

What characterizes an Earth-wisdom worldview?

A)seeing the world as an integrated, interconnected, interdependent whole rather than as a fragmented collection of parts
B)believing that all types of economic growth are important for alleviating poverty
C)being similar to the planetary management worldview in many respects
D)seeing the need for more competition in relationships

Question 10

Which statement refers to a species that has a right to life regardless of its usefulness to humans?

A)It has instrumental value.
B)It has inherent value.
C)It has aesthetic value.
D)It has net worth.

Question 11

Which corollary would result from an anthropocentric worldview?

A)Animals are for conserving, not shooting.
B)When human needs are considered first and they increase their wants without limit, the result is loss of biodiversity.
C)Good Earth stewards can preserve ecological integrity.
D)The world is not for exploiting.

Question 12

Which of the following is associated with deep ecology?

A)a philosophical stance using ecology as a basis
B)hazardous waste disposal in deep wells
C)the ecology of the deep trenches of the oceans
D)the ecology of deep space

Question 13

Which lifestyle guideline is NOT compatible with deep ecology?

A)Protect local ecosystems.
B)Work to eliminate injustice to humans and other species.
C)Appreciate diversity.
D)Satisfy human needs and wants in all cultures.

Question 14

What underpins the concept of usefulness?

A)dollar value
B)instrumental value
C)net worth
D)aesthetic value

Question 15

Which belief reflects a deep ecology position?

A)People should appreciate the quantity of their material wealth more than the quality of their lives.
B)All forms of life have inherent value.
C)Humans can carry on sustainable growth by improving our pollution-treatment technologies.
D)It would be better for all forms of life if the human population were larger.

Question 16

What is likely to occur as worldviews move from being human-centred to more Earth-centred?

A)intrinsic values will become less important
B)instrumental values will play a lesser role
C)wild species will have value only if they are useful to humans
D)worldviews will become more utilitarian

Question 17

Which worldview often uses the spaceship-Earth strategy?

A)the "no problem" school
B)stewardship
C)responsible planetary management
D)a free-market global economy with minimal government interference

Question 18

Which action reflects an Earth-wisdom worldview?

A)controlling human population growth
B)protecting Earth's land mass from development
C)maintaining current pollution control methods
D)conserving renewable resources

Question 19

Which worldview is likely to support the view that most public property should be turned over to private ownership?

A)responsible planetary management
B)a free-market global economy
C)the "no problem" school
D)stewardship

Question 20

Which worldview is likely to be based on a belief that better Earth care is better self care?

A)stewardship
B)the "no problem" school
C)the free-market school
D)responsible planetary management

Question 21

What is humanity's greatest danger, according to primatologist Jane Goodall?

A)pessimism
B)apathy
C)faith
D)fatalism

Question 22

An environmental worldview can be either anthropocentric or biocentric, depending on how a person views his or her role in the world.

Question 23

What level comes before "all animal species", in terms of the levels of ethical concern?

A)all species on Earth
B)all ecosystems
C)all people
D)all individuals of an animal species

Question 24

What is one component of an environmental revolution?

A)environmental groups becoming more radical in their behaviour
B)a sufficiency revolution in which the basic needs of only certain people are met
C)an efficiency revolution to conserve energy and matter
D)a cultural revolution

Question 25

Which argument is NOT likely to be made by an ecofeminist?

A)Women should be seen as having intrinsic worth.
B)Women want to have their views heard and respected.
C)Women want their fair share of the patriarchal pie.
D)Women should be seen as equal partners with men.

Question 26

What occurs when a person moves from a self-centred worldview to more of a stewardship worldview?

A)The worldview becomes more like consequentialism.
B)The worldview becomes more anthropocentric.
C)The worldview moves from intrinsic values to instrumental values.
D)The worldview becomes less human centred.

Question 27

Which claim is an ecofeminist NOT likely to make?

A)When agricultural societies developed, women lost much of the power they had shared with males.
B)The main cause of the crisis of sustainability is human centredness.
C)Although women do over half of the world's work, they receive less than 10% of all wages and own less than 1% of all property.
D)Women do not want to be co-opted into the male power game.

Question 28

Which of the following describes the relationship between the planetary management, stewardship, and environmental wisdom worldviews?

A)They all believe that humans are the most important species.
B)They all believe that economic growth is unlimited.
C)They agree concerning the management of the Earth's resources.
D)They differ over whether there are physical and biological limits to economic growth.

Question 29

Why was Carlos Davidson important?

A)He developed a way to bridge the gap between differing worldviews.
B)He developed better versions of democratic communities.
C)He developed ecotechnologies that are smaller in scale and consume fewer resources.
D)He developed a way to help prevent political changes that would halt environmental degradation.

Question 30

Which action does the precautionary principle advise to be undertaken while waiting for a reasonable estimate of Earth's carrying capacity to be made?

A)Live by the Earth principle.
B)Use material resources more efficiently.
C)Do not worry about population growth.
D)Continue to use energy resources at current rates.

Question 31

Which of the following is a trap that blocks sustainable living?

A)critical evaluation of experts and leaders
B)media commercials
C)faith in simple, easy answers
D)the technology solution

Question 32

What level comes after "all animal species", in terms of the levels of ethical concern?

A)all ecosystems
B)all species on Earth
C)all people
D)all individuals of an animal species

Question 33

To be considered ecologically literate, what must a person have a basic comprehension of?

A)environmental law
B)nutrient recycling
C)sustainable water use
D)field ecology

Question 34

If nature lacks intrinsic value, then environmental ethics become a particular application of human-to-human ethics.

Question 35

Which question is NOT significant in establishing a person's "ecological identity", according to Mitchell Thomas?

A)What is my purpose and responsibility as a human being?
B)How can I use the system to supply all my needs and wants?
C)Where do the things I consume come from?
D)How am I connected to the Earth and other living things?

Question 36

Which of the following is part of the Earth Charter?

A)increasing capitalism
B)respect for Earth and life
C)encouraging the rise of life-centred people
D)utilizing Earth's resources

Question 37

Which strategy is NOT likely to empower people to move toward more responsible environmental actions?

A)avoiding mental traps that lead to inaction
B)recognizing that people are to blame for environmental disasters and there is no hope to atone for all the messes
C)grounding human actions in hope
D)recognizing there are many alternative paths for making progress

Question 38

Which action is advocated by the author of the course textbook?

A)making a unified commitment to sustainable living on the Earth
B)making a commitment to evaluating the best sustainable culture on Earth and replicating it over the rest of the Earth
C)using diverse approaches to living sustainably
D)ensuring roadside recycling exists in all major cities

Question 39

Which of the following is part of the stewardship worldview?

A)The potential for economic growth is essentially unlimited.
B)Environmentally harmful forms of economic growth should be encouraged.
C)Environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth should be discouraged.
D)Humans have an ethical responsibility to care for nature.

Question 40

What is one key goal for environmental literacy?

A)People should understand as much as possible about the Earth.
B)People should try to implement more effective birth control methods.
C)People should look for connections within the ecosystem.
D)People should develop respect only for human life.

Question 41

Care for life with understanding, love, and compassion: this is part of the planetary management worldview.

Question 42

Ecofeminists suggest that oppression by men has driven women closer to nature.

Question 43

As worldviews go from being human-centred to more Earth-centred, instrumental values play a lesser role.

Question 44

With a planetary management worldview, environmentally beneficial forms of economic growth are encouraged.

Question 45

A position held by the deep ecology worldview is that each nonhuman form of life has inherent value that is independent of its value to humans.

Question 46

People with different environmental worldviews can use the same data and still arrive at the same logical conclusions.

Question 47

Stewardship is based on an idea that nature exists for all species alike and on the idea that the success of society depends on how well people manage the Earth and nature.

Question 48

A sufficiency revolution is a component of the environmental revolution.

Question 49

Blind technological optimism could be a trait of someone with a planetary management worldview.

Question 50

Nihilism is the belief that values and moral beliefs are useless because nothing can be known or communicated; there is no purpose or meaning to life except the struggle to survive.

Question 51

As worldviews go from being human-centred to more Earth-centred, intrinsic values become more important.

Question 52

Biosphere 2 failed because of a lack of knowledge of how nature really worked.

Question 53

Ecofeminists argue that the rise of male-dominated societies and environmental worldviews is primarily responsible for human violence against nature, and for the oppression of women and minorities as well.

Question 54

Voluntary simplicity is a form of environmentally ethical consumption.

Question 55

Biosphere 2 was a huge success in terms of self-sustainability.

Question 56

A person's environmental worldview is how he or she thinks the world works.

Question 57

Universalism is a philosophy based on the principles of ethics, i.e., the rules of right and wrong, that are universal and unchanging.

Question 58

In the final analysis, all sustainability is local.

Question 59

With an environmental wisdom worldview, resources are unlimited and technology will save humans.

Question 60

A(n) _____________________________________________ assumes that humans dominate all other species and should therefore make environmental decisions based on their power.

Question 61

Why is environmental literacy so important in today's society?

Question 62

A(n) __________________________________________________ is dedicated to conserving and supporting the number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms on the planet; the enormous diversity of genes in these species; and their different ecosystems.

Question 63

A(n) ____________________ worldview states that resources will likely not run out but they should not be wasted.

Question 64

The _________________________ school believes the best way to manage the planet for human benefit is through an open, global economy with minimal government interference.

Question 65

____________________ values refers to forms of life that have value because of their usefulness to humans or to the biosphere.

Question 66

Humanity's ______________________________ depends on humans being educated concerning consumption, habitat, connectedness to the world, and responsibility as a human being.

Question 67

What is the environmental wisdom worldview?

Question 68

____________________ is the philosophy that an action is right if it produces the greatest satisfaction or pleasure for the greatest number of people.

Question 69

Which four questions should be at the heart of environmental literacy?

Question 70

____________________ values refers to forms of life that have value just because they exist, regardless of whether they have any usefulness to humans.

Question 71

The ____________________ worldview states that humans are Earth's most important species and they have an ethical responsibility to care for the rest of nature.

Question 72

____________________ is a spectrum of views on the relationships of women to the Earth and to male-dominated societies.

Question 73

How can philosophy help with environmental problems?

Question 74

The ______________________________ worldview calls on us to think more deeply about our obligations toward both human and nonhuman life; each nonhuman form of life on the Earth has inherent value, independent of its value to humans.

Question 75

According to the __________________________ worldview, humans are not in charge of the biosphere.

Question 76

A ____________________ revolution is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of all people on the planet while affluent societies learn to live more sustainably by living with less.

Question 77

A(n) ___________________________________ centres around decreasing human dependence on fossil fuels and focusing on a method that uses renewable energy.

Question 78

What do some critics say about deep ecology?

Question 79

____________________ is the philosophy that people can develop principles of right and wrong by using logic to analyze ideas and arguments.

Question 80

________________________________________ is a common pitfall because people feel that if they cannot change the entire world quickly, then they will not try to change any of it.