Mayor Perspectives: Environmentalism, Humanism, and Theism - Essay Example

It considers nature as a sacred entity and we should be thoughtful about our natural heritage and work towards it betterment. Whereas humanism upholds morality in the form of subjects and objected manner of our existence. Then there is another approach which has though been an anciently uprooted ideology but is in itself a complete system, i-e Theism. It presents us the ultimate doctrine of God’s divine attribute and the belief that He has created everything and provided as necessary wisdom to utilize His blessings.

This paper incorporates these basic moral perspectives with reference to the widely acclaimed series of Barry Commoner, Jean-Paul Sartre and Pope John XXIII. Environmentalism; Barry commoner’s The Closing Circle: Barry Commoner is an American Biologist, educator and environmental activist who, since the early 1950s has been warning the public about the dangerous effects of modern technology on the environment. He believes that it is not just the human race or human bodies that need perseverance or nurturing.

The common assumption that the environment is an infinite diluent for the hazardous products of human activity is rejected by Commoner. According to him “The environmental crisis arises from a fundamental fault: our systems of productions- in industry, agriculture, energy and transportation- essential as they are, make people sick and die” (Mongillo and Booth 61). . From nuclear fallout to the products of the petrochemical industry, the nature of the pollutants threatening the human habitat has been altered post World War II.

Commoner clearly states that “The petrochemical industry is inherently inimical to environmental quality" (Ashford and Caldart 22). It is evident that we are moving beyond the carrying capacity of the earth’s ecosystem. Through the spread of air and water pollution, the disposal of toxic and solid wastes, and the ubiquitous presence of pesticides and hormone disrupters throughout global ecosystems, we are exceeding the capacity of the natural environment to absorb our waste products " (Ashford and Caldart 22).

This is an alarming situation which should be dealt with immediately and with proper collective efforts. Commoner is not in favor of reducing the toxic substances used and production but he flatly states that they should be banned completely. He is in favor of using and promoting renewable energy source and to decentralize electric utilities through switching the photovoltaic cells for solar energy. He believes that “Methane cogeneration and an organic agricultural system will produce enough ethanol to replace about 20 percent of the national demand for gasoline without reducing the overall supply of food or significantly affecting its price" (Commoner 98).

Existentialism: Jean-Paul Sartre is one of the few twentieth century philosophers who presented a total system to the world “the philosophy of existence”. He named it existentialism and explained his ontology in his landmark philosophical work “Being and Nothingness”. Sartre believes that what human beings make of what they are made to do is more fundamental than what is done to them. “Existentialism is nothing else than