Is it anthropocentric to believe humans have equal right to exist as other life & nature instead of less right?
Posted August 20, 2011
By Deep Ecology
Are these beliefs forms of anthropocentrism?
1. If a human gets attacked by a wild animal, then it’s okay for the human to kill the animal if it is necessary for survival.
2. If a wild animal enters a human settlement, then humans have a right to drive it back into its natural habitat because it is an invader.
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This is not anthropocentrism in its normal form. I would call your idea "Defensive anthropocentrism". Most anthropocentrists generally believe it is OK to control or kill animals for any possible human benefit. Both of your ethical beliefs are given in anthropocentric form, however.
Yes.
No. Anthropocentrism would be the idea that humans have the right to go out and kill animals for fun or to experiment on simply for our use. But on the topic of human settlement, it does become anthropocentric as the population rises and urban sprawl takes over much of their land. Destroying half a forest and then driving them back after we settled there is anthropocentric.