Chapter 5: Environmental Ethics
Test bank questions
Multiple Choice
1. _______ is the philosophical view that humans are separate from and superior to nature.
a. Moral extensionism
b. The dominion thesis
c. Holism
2. Deep ecology has a(n) _______ point of view.
a. ecocentric
b. anthropocentric
c. utilitarian
3. _______ is likely to support hunting as long as the animals are harvested sustainably.
a. Gifford Pinchot
b. John Muir
c. Peter Singer
4. The argument that every sentient being deserves to have their suffering minimized or
eliminated can be attributed to _______.
a. deep ecology
b. social ecology
c. animal liberation
5. The _______ view of nature argues that any part of nature that is unused has no value and
is therefore wasted.
a. stewardship
b. utilitarian
c. ecocentric
6. Social ecology argues that environmental problems are caused by _______.
a. inequality among humans
b. the naturalistic fallacy
c. an ecocentric approach to environmental management
7. Disagreements among environmental ethicists may be reconciled through appeals to
_______.
a. scientism
b. holism
c. pragmatism
True/False
8. John Muir argued for the preservation of the Hetch Hetchy Valley wilderness.
a. true
b. false
9. Utilitarians believe that nature has an intrinsic value apart from human use.
a. true
b. false
10. Preservationism and conservationism are the same thing.
a. true
b. false
Identification
People: John Locke, Gifford Pinchot, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Peter Singer, Arne Naess
Key terms: animal liberation, anthropocentrism, conservation, deep ecology, dominion thesis,
ecocentrism, ecology, environmental justice, ethics, factory farms, holism, intrinsic value, moral
extensionism, naturalistic fallacy, pragmatism, preservation, scientism, social ecology,
stewardship, utilitarian, wilderness
Concepts: Hetch Hetchy Valley controversy, the land ethic, shallow ecology, ecoauthoritarianism
Short Essay
 Describe the debate over the fate of the Hetch Hetchy Valley. What was at stake? Who
was involved? Using key terms, list the ethical arguments that each side made. Why was
this particular debate important in environmental ethics?
 Describe the two main Western philosophical views of nature and where they came from.
How are conservation and preservation related to these views?
 Describe Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. In your answer, you should (1) describe at least 3
aspects of the land ethic, and (2) explain how the land ethic relates to conservationism
and preservationism.