Question

This week, Chapter 2 considers the relationship between individuals and communities. Oftentimes, this discussion is at the center about debates over technology and ethics. When considering the relationship between individuals and communities, Michael Boylan suggests that there are two main considerations ("The Self in Context: A Grounding for Environmentalism").
1. The way that individuals understand their role and ability to act
2. They way that individuals see and understand their actions within a larger social context
Using this schema as a guide, what is the relationship between the individual and his or her environmental community? What are the individual roles and responsibilities to act ethically when considering technological impact on the environment? Be sure to illustrate your response using a concrete example of a technology and key formations from the reading for this week.

Answer 1

Answer and Explanation:

1. The individual can perceive that he is part of the environmental balance and his actions can maintain this balance or destroy it, but destroying it would cause intense problems, which makes the individuals see themselves as the main responsible for maintaining the environmental communities. .

2. Individuals must maintain balanced and healthy consumerism as an individual responsibility, avoiding the waste of materials and their inappropriate disposal in the environment. The role of the individual in this case is to avoid overexploited exploitation and pollution by communities with less technological materials. An example of this can be seen with the constant launch of increasingly technological cell phones, which encourage an irrational purchase and the disposal of old devices irresponsibly.