The Context Of The Intrinsic Value Of Research

There exist common views concerning the intrinsic value category among various schools of environmental ethics of naturalcentrism. Their views roughly consist of four aspects, they are: change of value view, transference from human being to objects in the world, seeking common ground while reserving differences and terminal confirmation. In this manner, the discussion of intrinsic value switches from an issue of purely value theory and ethics to an issue of natural science. Environmental ethics possesses the dual features of both ethics and natural science. And intrinsic value category also has double connotations: the establishment of the value status of nature and a matter of objective facts.Anthropocentric value views regard nature as human means and instrument, arguing that only the negation of nature conforms to human interest. Anthropocentrism of modern times was formulated on the basis of modern mechanic natural view. It evidently overshadowed the intrinsic value of nature. There are two directions in which environmental ethics surpasses modern anthropocentric value view: anthropocentrism and naturalcentrism. The essential goal of natural centrism is to reconstruct the value status of man and nature through the affirmation of the intrinsic value of nature. It emphasizes the inevitable ethic relations between man and nature. These views are of another extremity, opposite to what anthropocentrism holds. We argue that when we deal with the relations between man and nature, we should stick to opposition and unity of human scope and natural scope, of affirmation and negation between man and nature, and of human subjective activity and passivity. Intrinsic value is fact, not value. The intrinsic value category put forward by environmental ethics of naturalcentrism has mingled it with modern organic science. They both have acknowledged the value ontologization. Intrinsic value is a sort of explanation for nature, it is fact interwoven with value. The debates between anthropocentrism and naturalcentrism about the objectivity of intrinsic value indicate that the ontological view they hold is actually the same as the philosophical ontology of modern dualism,characterized by strong scientism and positivism tendency. The foundation of environmental ethic is not objective fact, but social practice.