African Environmental Ethics

This book focuses on under-explored and often neglected issues in contemporary African environmental philosophy and ethics. Critical issues such as the moral status of nature, African conceptions of animal moral status and rights, African conceptions of environmental justice, African relational Environmentalism, ubuntu, African theocentric and teleological environmentalism are addressed in this book. It is unique in so far as it goes beyond the generalized focus on African metaphysics and African ethics by exploring how these views might be understood differently in order to conceptualize African environmental ethics. Against the background where environmental problems such as pollution, climate change, extinction of flora and fauna, and global warming are plain to see, it becomes useful to examine how African conceptions of environmental ethics could be understood in order to confront some of these problems facing the whole world. This bookwill be of value to undergraduate students, graduate students and academics working in the area of African Philosophy, African Environmental Ethics and Global Ethics in general.

Auteur
Munamato Chemhuru obtained his Doctoral degree in Philosophy from the University of Johannesburg in 2016. Upon completion of his doctoral degree in Philosophy, he was awarded a commendation bursary for outstanding performance in doctoral studies by the University of Johannesburg's Faculty of Humanities. In 2017, he was awarded the prestigious Global Excellence Stature Fellowship (GES) for a post-doctoral research fellowship that he pursued with the University of Johannesburg's department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humanities. After completion of his post-doctoral research fellowship, he was appointed as a Senior Research Associate in Philosophy by the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg from 2018-2020. He is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Great Zimbabwe University. His current research focuses on various applied ethical issues in African Philosophy stemming from concepts such as African communitarian philosophy and the idea of ubuntu. He has published research articles in some central Philosophy journals like Amoye: Journal of African Philosophy and Studies, Caribbean Journal of Philosophy, Journal on African Philosophy, Africana Journal of African Studies, Philosophia Africana, South African Journal of Philosophy, Politikon, Theoria and Phronimon. He also has a book chapter in an edited book published by Lexington Books in 2014. Munamato has also presented conference papers at local and international conferences in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Senegal, Kenya and Greece.

Contenu

Chapter 1. Environmental Ethics in the Context of African Traditional Thought: Beyond the Impasse (Patrick Giddy).- Chapter 2. The African Emphasis on Harmonious Relations: Implications for Environmental Justice and Ethics (John Mweshi).- Chapter 3. The Moral Status of Nature: An African Understanding (Munamato Chemhuru). Chapter 4. Bantu Conceptions of Animals: Its Consequences for Animal Treatment (Grivas Muchneripi Kayange).- Chapter 5. An African Theory of Moral Status: A Relational Alternative to Individualism and Holism (Thaddeus Metz).- Chapter 6. An African Land Ethic? The Viability of an Ecocentric Approach to Environmental Ethics and Philosophy (Ernst M. Conradie).- Chapter 7. Environmental Justice: An African Perspective (Beatrice Okyere-Manu, Margaret Ssebunya, Morgan Nkansah).- Chapter 8. An African Environmental Ethics as a Southern Environmental Ethics (Nompumelelo Zinhle Manzini).- Chapter 9. An Environmentalist Critique of Secular Humanism in African Philosophy (Motsamai Melefe).- Chapter 10.Environmental Values in Igbo Spirituality (Emmanuel Nweke Okafor).- Chapter 11. Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics in Africa: From Anthropocentrism to Non-speciesism? (Kai Horsthemke).- Chapter 12. Moral Status of Non Human Animal Rights From an African Perspective: In Defense of Moderate Anthropocentric Thinking (Dennis Masaka).- Chapter 13. Decolonising Human-Animal Relations in an African Context: The Story of Mourning Elephants (Angela Roothaan).- Chapter 14. Ubuntu and Environmental Ethics: The West can learn from Africa when faced with Climate Change (Aïda Terblanché-Greeff). Chapter 15. Ubuntu Environmental Ethics: Conceptions and Misconceptions (Ephraim Taurai Gwaravanda).- Chapter 16. Accommodating an African Environmental Ethics in Naussbaum's Capabilities Approach (Jessica du Plessis).- Chapter 17. We have chopped down the Rain-making Tree: An African Ethical Concern for Agriculture (Garikai Madavo).- Chapter 18. New Waves: African Environmental Ethics and Ocean Ecosystems (Michelle Clarke).- Chapter 19. Cleanliness is Next to Godliness: A Theological Reflection on the Solid Waste Problem in Ghana (Rev. Afia Ban).