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Moral Standing in Business

The anthropocentric or human-centeredness point of view believes that only creatures with the ability to think and reason rationally have moral standings. This means that animals, plants and ecosystems lack moral rights because they may not have absolute value and their welfare may not be considered for their own sake. Thus, the welfare of the nonliving creatures only matters if they are of benefit to humans. However, Albert Schweitzer, a renowned philosopher, challenged the theory that only humans matter morally.

Albert Schweitzer proposed that all living entities including plants, animals and trees have rights, which should be respected by human beings. He believed that non-human entities especially animals have interests and moral rights because they have independent lives that deserve protection and respectful consideration. In addition, he emphasizes that all living creatures have moral standings since they have interests that deserve reverence. The discipline of philosophy called environmental ethics studies the relation of human beings to non-human entities.

Businesses have direct ethical duties to non-living creatures other than human beings because these creatures have interests and beneficial contribution to the environment. In addition, they have industrial uses and play a role in ecological balance. Destruction of ecosystems and cutting down of trees will destroy the environment and will deprive some industries essential raw materials. Animals such as cows also have immense contributions to entities like the dairy and meat industries. Therefore, nonliving creatures also deserve direct ethical recognition by business entities.

I have referred to the different theories held by various philosophers and analyzed them to answer questions about moral standing. I believe that all creatures whether human or otherwise deserve respect and recognition since they have interests and value in their own right. Therefore, all objects count and are significant to the environment in one way or another.