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Dealing with Environment: Indigenous Environmental Ethics, Ethiopia

Received: 21 June 2017     Accepted: 11 July 2017     Published: 29 September 2017
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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the indigenous environmental ethics of the Gedeo people, in Gedeo zone focusing on sage and elite informants on three randomly selected woredas (the administrative unit in Ethiopia which is above kebele and below zone). It is assumed that the views of both sage and elite informants represents the indigenous environmental ethics of the Gedeo people is holistic and implicit. Methodologically, qualitative research approach has been employed. Theoretically, the meaning, nature, significance and the roles of environmental ethics were discussed with the informants and a nexus has been sought vis-à-vis scholarly perspectives. Besides, the moral relations between the Gedeo people with their environment were discussed. Despite the divergent meanings given by informants, the meaning of indigenous environmental ethics for the Gedeo people, undoubtedly, is understandable implicitly and found in unwritten form in their cultural practices, institutions, religious systems, history, and oral traditions. It is also holistic in its nature since it encompasses both anthropocentric (weak) and non-anthropocentric views. Besides, they provide utilitarian and non-utilitarian, intrinsic and extrinsic values and both the power of domination and stewardship for humankind towards the environment. Morality, religion, culture, history, indigenous knowledge, social institutions are the Archimedean points of environmental obligation. Generally, for the Gedeo people the issue of justice, integrity, and stability is not merely human virtues but they also extend them to the environment as well.

Published in International Journal of Philosophy (Volume 5, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijp.20170504.11
Page(s) 36-43
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2017. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Indigenous, Indigenous People, Environment, Ethics, Indigenous Environmental Ethics, Environmental Ethics

References
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[4] Donland Van DeVeer and Christine Pierce. (1994). The environmental ethics and policy book: Philosophy, ecology, Economics. Wadsworth Publishing Company. North Carolina State University, USA.
[5] J. Baird Callicott (1987). Companion to a sand county almanac: University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.
[6] Kelbessa W. (2011). Indigenous and modern environmental ethics: a study of the indigenous Oromo environmental ethic and modern issuesof environment and development. Cultural heritage and contemporary change Series II. Africa. 13, pp. 1-235.
[7] The Holy Bible (1957). Standard version (revised): London, Thomas Nelson and Sons LTD.
[8] Tom H. (1994). Comparative environmental ethics: University of California Press. California.
[9] Leopold A. (1949). A sand county almanac: Oxford, Oxford University Press.
[10] Lynn White (1967). The historical roots of our ecologic crisis: American association for the advancement of Science. 155. No. 3767, pp. 1203-1207.
[11] Marshall C. (1989). Designing qualitative research: Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
[12] Muir J. (1916). A Thousand mile walk to the gulf: Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
[13] Naess A. (1973). The shallow and the deep long-range ecology movement: A summary inquiry. 16, pp. 95-100.
[14] Ojomo P. (2011). Environmental ethics: An African understanding. African journal of environmental science and technology. 5(8), pp. 572-578.
[15] Passmore J. (1974). Man’s responsibility for nature: Ecological problems and western traditions. London: Duckworth.
[16] Paul Sillitoe (1998). The development of indigenous knowledge: A new applied anthropology. Current Anthropology: 39, no. 2, pp. 223-52.
[17] Richard G. Botzler and Susan J. Armstrong (1998). Environmental ethics: Divergence and convergence: Mc Graw Hill, Boston.
[18] Shrader-Frechette, Kristin (2002). Environmental justice: Creating equality. reclaiming democracy: New York, Oxford University Press.
[19] Singer P. (1986). Animal liberation: A new ethics for our treatment of animals: London, Jonathan Cape. Stone, C. (1974) Should Trees Have Standing: Toward Legal Rights for NaturalObjects: Wadsworth Publishing Company.
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  • APA Style

    Tadie Degie Yigzaw. (2017). Dealing with Environment: Indigenous Environmental Ethics, Ethiopia. International Journal of Philosophy, 5(4), 36-43. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20170504.11

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    Tadie Degie Yigzaw. Dealing with Environment: Indigenous Environmental Ethics, Ethiopia. Int. J. Philos. 2017, 5(4), 36-43. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20170504.11

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    AMA Style

    Tadie Degie Yigzaw. Dealing with Environment: Indigenous Environmental Ethics, Ethiopia. Int J Philos. 2017;5(4):36-43. doi: 10.11648/j.ijp.20170504.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijp.20170504.11,
      author = {Tadie Degie Yigzaw},
      title = {Dealing with Environment: Indigenous Environmental Ethics, Ethiopia},
      journal = {International Journal of Philosophy},
      volume = {5},
      number = {4},
      pages = {36-43},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijp.20170504.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijp.20170504.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijp.20170504.11},
      abstract = {The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the indigenous environmental ethics of the Gedeo people, in Gedeo zone focusing on sage and elite informants on three randomly selected woredas (the administrative unit in Ethiopia which is above kebele and below zone). It is assumed that the views of both sage and elite informants represents the indigenous environmental ethics of the Gedeo people is holistic and implicit. Methodologically, qualitative research approach has been employed. Theoretically, the meaning, nature, significance and the roles of environmental ethics were discussed with the informants and a nexus has been sought vis-à-vis scholarly perspectives. Besides, the moral relations between the Gedeo people with their environment were discussed. Despite the divergent meanings given by informants, the meaning of indigenous environmental ethics for the Gedeo people, undoubtedly, is understandable implicitly and found in unwritten form in their cultural practices, institutions, religious systems, history, and oral traditions. It is also holistic in its nature since it encompasses both anthropocentric (weak) and non-anthropocentric views. Besides, they provide utilitarian and non-utilitarian, intrinsic and extrinsic values and both the power of domination and stewardship for humankind towards the environment. Morality, religion, culture, history, indigenous knowledge, social institutions are the Archimedean points of environmental obligation. Generally, for the Gedeo people the issue of justice, integrity, and stability is not merely human virtues but they also extend them to the environment as well.},
     year = {2017}
    }
    

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    AB  - The purpose of this study is to scrutinize the indigenous environmental ethics of the Gedeo people, in Gedeo zone focusing on sage and elite informants on three randomly selected woredas (the administrative unit in Ethiopia which is above kebele and below zone). It is assumed that the views of both sage and elite informants represents the indigenous environmental ethics of the Gedeo people is holistic and implicit. Methodologically, qualitative research approach has been employed. Theoretically, the meaning, nature, significance and the roles of environmental ethics were discussed with the informants and a nexus has been sought vis-à-vis scholarly perspectives. Besides, the moral relations between the Gedeo people with their environment were discussed. Despite the divergent meanings given by informants, the meaning of indigenous environmental ethics for the Gedeo people, undoubtedly, is understandable implicitly and found in unwritten form in their cultural practices, institutions, religious systems, history, and oral traditions. It is also holistic in its nature since it encompasses both anthropocentric (weak) and non-anthropocentric views. Besides, they provide utilitarian and non-utilitarian, intrinsic and extrinsic values and both the power of domination and stewardship for humankind towards the environment. Morality, religion, culture, history, indigenous knowledge, social institutions are the Archimedean points of environmental obligation. Generally, for the Gedeo people the issue of justice, integrity, and stability is not merely human virtues but they also extend them to the environment as well.
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Author Information
  • Department of Civics and Ethical Studies, Dilla University, Dilla, Ethiopia

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