What is anthropocentrism?

in #psychology7 years ago

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Anthropocentrism is the view that we humans are the absolutely most significant entity or being in the universe. Things, ideas or other beings only have a value if they are useful to us. Anthropocentrism is hence a very instrumental view, that excludes the idea that anything not human has a value per se.

Other beings and the environment however often are useful, one way or the other, to us humans, and as a consequence an anthropocentrist usually value both other being and the nature, or at least some other beings and some part of the nature.

For a paper on anthropocentric and ecocentric environmental philosophies, and how these relate to preference for eco- and Fairtrade alternatives see "Grankvist, G. (2015). Attitudes towards fairtrade principles and environmental views among the inhabitants of a rural Swedish town. Psychology, 6(13), 1661."

Download at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gunne_Grankvist/publication/283054437_Attitudes_towards_Fairtrade_Principles_and_Environmental_Views_among_the_Inhabitants_of_a_Rural_Swedish_Town/links/5627ce6f08ae22b1702d97ba.pdf