biocentrism
All organisms matter equally
Biocentrism holds that all living things have inherent value, not just humans.
The view contrasts with anthropocentrism, which places human interests at the center of ethical consideration.
In environmental ethics, biocentrism argues that plants, animals, and ecosystems deserve moral standing independent of their usefulness to people: A biocentric approach would protect the forest for its own sake, not just for timber.
State of mutual linkage
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
- biosphereAll life on Earth
- symbiosisInterspecies biological interdependence
interdependence · habitats · succession · biomes · endemic · niche · flora · fauna
Moral preference by organism type
- sentienceCapacity for subjective experience
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- flourishingProspering vigorously
dignity · suffering · exploitation · stewardship · harm-reduction
Traditional European given name
- sentienceCapacity for subjective experience
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- speciesismMoral preference by organism type
- naturalismWorldview excluding the supernatural
holism · Schweitzer · Taylor
Capacity for subjective experience
- liberationRelease from constraint
- veganismComplete animal product abstention
- cruelty-freeUntested on animals
- PETAAnimal welfare advocacy group
Maintaining something's condition
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- rewildingRestoring natural ecosystems
- restorationReturning something to condition
- ex-situOutside original place
interconnectedness
State of mutual linkage
- biodiversityRange of life forms
- ecosystemsInterdependent organism-environment systems
- biosphereAll life on Earth
symbiosis · interdependence · habitats · succession · biomes · endemic · niche · flora · fauna · coevolution
speciesism
Moral preference by organism type
- sentienceCapacity for subjective experience
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- compassionConcern for others' distress
flourishing · dignity · suffering · exploitation · stewardship · harm-reduction
Leopold
Traditional European given name
- sentienceCapacity for subjective experience
- consciousnessState of sentient awareness
- speciesismMoral preference by organism type
naturalism · holism · Schweitzer · Taylor
sentience
Capacity for subjective experience
- liberationRelease from constraint
- veganismComplete animal product abstention
- cruelty-freeUntested on animals
preservation
Maintaining something's condition
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- rewildingRestoring natural ecosystems
- restorationReturning something to condition
biocentrismanthropocentrism
Belief prioritizing human significance
consumerism · materialism · instrumentalism · industrialism · utilitarianism