Reflections On Anthropocentrism In The Perspective Of Ecological Civilization

2007 is called the year of climate change because a lot of abnormal climate events happened. Besides, climate change was listed among the important issues in many international conferences. But a series of international documents, such as United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol, fail to slow down the footstep of global warming. The deep reason is that each country deals with the issue from the viewpoint of internal benefit. Different benefits result in different standpoints in the process of international cooperation. These distinctions are great barriers for the solution of the global climate change and block the international cooperation process.Global climate change is a warning of worsening relationship between human and nature. The difficulties in international cooperation process show that there are lots of distinctions when human beings handle the relations between human and nature. As an essential topic in the subject of environmental law, the relations between human and nature fail to reach a consensus in the theory circle. Some scholars consider that the Anthropocentrism bases on the division of subject and object lead to the ecological crisis. Therefore they propose Non-anthropocentrism and advocate that the nature has immanent value and human should treat it as man. Other scholars recognize that it is the Anthropocentrism that leads to the ecological crisis. But they point out that Non-anthropocentrism has so many defects that it cannot be actually effective. They emphasize that appealing to Anthropocentrism is the right way to strengthen the relations between human and nature. With the popularity of sustainable development, a remarkable progress has been achieved in environmental protection. But in theory, it is not enough just to take the concept of sustainable development as the essential principle of environmental law. For instance, what interest requirements do the future generations have? Who represents their requirements? How should we ensure the satisfaction of these requirements? We cannot resolve these problems currently.With the popularity of the concept of ecological civilization in the report at 17th Party Congress, the environmental law has a new prospect. In the mode of ecological civilization, human and nature are not opposite to each other but harmonious. Human is a product and a son of the nature. It is the nature that nurtures human beings and endow三them with the necessities to survive and develop. Development makes human more powerful and power increases their self-awareness. Human beings regard themselves as the master of the nature. Human beings exploit the nature immoderately and destroy the ecological balance. Finally, the ecological environment degenerates and a crisis ensues. In the mode of ecological civilization, human beings need reconsider their behaviors. Human should cherish and respect the nature while they exploit and utilize it. Human should take the survival and developmental requirements of other species into consideration while they satisfy their requirements. There should be a harmonious relationship between human and nature. As the son of the nature, human ought to restrict their activities and review their position in the nature. The nature has inner values to which we should give respect. When human beings exploit the nature, they ought to restrict their activities to such a level that the damaged ecological environment can reach a new balance by itself. Only in this way, human and nature could achieve harmonious coexistence and coordinated development.This text starts from the hottest issue---global climate change--- and analyzes the interests and values behind the international cooperation of dealing with climate change. Then the author introduces the main theories in the philosophy of environmental law in the western world: anthropocentrism and non- anthropocentrism. Their rationalities and limitations are elaborated in detail. Finally, the text illustrates the concept of ecological civilization and its guiding significance to the philosophy of environmental law.In the first chapter, the author begins with the global climate change. At first, a series of international documents signed in the process of international cooperation when handling the climate change is illustrated, such as UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol and Bali roadmap. The text analyzes the significance and deficiencies of these documents. Following this, the reconsiderations to the international cooperation of dealing with climate change are illustrated. Through analyzing the cause of formation and the interest of each country, the author illustrates the distinctions in theory that lead to the troubles in international cooperation. As a warning of worsening relationship between human and nature, climate change ought to be paid more attention for the improvement of the relations between human and nature. Every country should take more flexible manners to handle the relationship between human and nature.In chapter two, the author deals with the main theories in philosophy of environmental law in the western society currently and mainly analyzes anthropocentrism and non- anthropocentrism. Anthropocentrism is classified into four steps by the time . The text mainly elaborates the rationalities and limitations of modern anthropocentrism and analyzes its influence to the relationship between human and nature. Non- anthropocentrism includes three schools of thought. The text illustrates the main ideas of each school and analyzes their respective rationalities and limitations.The third chapter is the most important part of the text. It is about ecological civilization and its influence to the philosophy of environmental law. At first, the connotation of ecological civilization is illustrated. Ecological civilization requires that human and nature should establish a harmonious relationship and human ought to form a green lifestyle. Ecological civilization is identical with the traditional philosophy of China in dealing with the relationship between human and nature: both require human to respect the law of nature. Then, the text puts emphasis on the concept of sustainable development in the mode of ecological civilization and how to realize the harmonious relationship between human and nature. As a new way to deal with environmental problems, sustainable development speeds up the principle of environmental law. The text illustrates the connotation and meaning of sustainable development and its defects as an instructional principle for environmental law. Finally, the text transfers analysis from theory into practice. In the mode of ecological civilization, the construction of environmental law is necessary and viable. The text illustrates how to perfect the environmental law and how to achieve the harmonious relationship between human and nature.Although, many problems such as the distinction between anthropocentrism and non- anthropocentrism, the relationship between human and nature in the mode of ecological civilization etc. has been focused by lots of experts and specialists. They have made great efforts to study and make research on these problems and have done a good job. Therefore, my article discussing these problems again is seeking to find and discuss something new in detail and by no means of mechanical repeating. The text makes every effort to find a new sense of worth to lessen the ecological crisis.