Emotion as a source of moral understanding in conservation

Area of Science:

• Conservation Biology
• Environmental Ethics
• Sociology of Science

Background:

• Conservation debates reveal a tendency to dismiss emotion as a basis for moral judgment.
• This dismissal stems from historical, gendered sociocultural conventions that associate reason with masculinity and emotion with femininity.
• Such dualistic thinking can reinforce existing power structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the disparagement of emotion in conservation decision-making.
• To argue for the empirical and moral validity of using emotion, particularly compassion, in conservation ethics.
• To reframe compassion as a core virtue in conservation practice.

Main Methods:

• Historical and philosophical analysis of the reason-emotion dichotomy.
• Examination of gendered sociocultural conventions influencing scientific and ethical thought.
• Conceptual analysis of compassion within the context of conservation responsibilities.

Main Results:

• Emotion and reason are scientifically and philosophically understood as partners, not opposites.
• The historical separation of reason and emotion is linked to a dualistic logic that upholds male dominance.
• Emotion, specifically compassion, offers unique and essential insights into conservation ethics.

Conclusions:

• Conservationists should embrace emotion, particularly compassion, for its contribution to ethical decision-making.
• Compassion, understood as interdependence and shared vulnerability, highlights responsibilities to individual beings.
• Integrating compassion enriches existing conservation duties towards populations, species, and ecosystems.