PROCESS ECOLOGICAL ETHICS
 (continued>

Introduction

The Process Relational Metaphysical Vision

The Passage to Ethics

Some General Features of Process Ecological Ethics

Implementing the Process Vision


Conclusion

By way of summary: process ecological ethics is among those varieties 
of ethics firmly based in a metaphysic.  This metaphysics is revisionary 
rather than just descriptive, striving to get us into a new way of thinking
and talking and, eventually, acting, rather than just to describe how we 
in fact think and talk and act. This revisionary metaphysics is into 
events or process rather than enduring substances or things.  These 
events are typically strongly connected to and dependent on each 
other though always a little bit creative.  Such events come in various 
kinds, while maintaining a common structure.  Everything is a particular 
way of taking account of its total past environment and a giving of itself 
to be taken into account by the future of that environment.  However, 
different events do this in different ways and to different degrees. 

Process ecological ethics relies on the metaphysics in order to 
advance 'intrinsic value' well beyond the human sphere, while 
nevertheless allowing for degrees of intrinsic value.  Typically, only 
individuals have such intrinsic value, whereas ecosystems have usually 
a high degree of instrumental value.  However, some varieties of 
process ethics may also give ecosystems intrinsic value.  Sometimes 
intrinsic value is extended to all actualities, sometimes only to those 
endowed with sentiency or feeling or something like that.  The 
admission that intrinsic value might have degrees can have certain 
detrimental effects within the human sphere at the so-called margins.  
However, such effects can be mitigated and perhaps even eliminated.  
There still remains a tendency towards anthropocentrism in the general 
system, which may require some changes in both the ethics and the 
metaphysics.

Process thinking can well inspire practical decision making in situations 
of ecological concern, and also and more importantly the 
transformation of the people who make such decisions.  To be truly 
effective however it cannot be just an exercise in philosophy.  It needs 
to break beyond being just another elite discourse.  It needs to align 
itself with the only existing forces capable of standing up to the current 
global obsession with market forces, including both nationalism and 
religion.  In respect of religion, process thinking can be taken as 
already well advanced in this regard, having a solid theological and 
religious strand already well developed and quite congenial to 
ecological concern.



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