Environmental Evaluation between
Economics and Ethics: An Argument
for Integration
Konrad Ott and Karl Christoph Reinmuth
Cecil Graham: What is a cynic?
Lord Darlington: A man who knows the price of everything,
and the value of nothing.
Cecil Graham: And a sentimentalist, my dear Darlington, is a
man who sees an absurd value in everything and doesn’t
know the market price of any single thing.
―Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan
Abstract A philosophical analysis of value systems, which are used for decisionmaking in dealing with biodiversity and nature, can contribute to an informed choice
of a value system. In particular, philosophical reflections on the role of values in
argumentation, judgement and decision-making, on different types of values and
their relationship to norms can provide information on which functions value
systems must be able to fulfil and which criteria they should fulfil. This article
discusses classificatory maps of values and patterns of reasoning. The Total Economic Value, the Ecosystem Service approach and different value systems being
conceived in environmental ethics will be analysed and their strengths and weaknesses will be presented. It is argued that a comprehensive and integrated synthesis
of existing approaches is possible if serious solutions to difficult philosophical
problems associated with environmental evaluation are taken into account.
Keywords Values · Norms · Principles · Rules · Value systems/Schemes · Nature
(value of) · Evaluation · Valuation · Total economic value · Ecosystem service
approach · Environmental ethics
K. Ott (*)
Department of Philosophy, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
e-mail: ott@philsem.uni-kiel.de
K. C. Reinmuth
Department of Philosophy, University of Flensburg (EUF), Flensburg, Germany
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Hobohm (ed.), Perspectives for Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Environmental
Challenges and Solutions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57710-0_6
129
Economics and Ethics: An Argument
for Integration
Konrad Ott and Karl Christoph Reinmuth
Cecil Graham: What is a cynic?
Lord Darlington: A man who knows the price of everything,
and the value of nothing.
Cecil Graham: And a sentimentalist, my dear Darlington, is a
man who sees an absurd value in everything and doesn’t
know the market price of any single thing.
―Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere’s Fan
Abstract A philosophical analysis of value systems, which are used for decisionmaking in dealing with biodiversity and nature, can contribute to an informed choice
of a value system. In particular, philosophical reflections on the role of values in
argumentation, judgement and decision-making, on different types of values and
their relationship to norms can provide information on which functions value
systems must be able to fulfil and which criteria they should fulfil. This article
discusses classificatory maps of values and patterns of reasoning. The Total Economic Value, the Ecosystem Service approach and different value systems being
conceived in environmental ethics will be analysed and their strengths and weaknesses will be presented. It is argued that a comprehensive and integrated synthesis
of existing approaches is possible if serious solutions to difficult philosophical
problems associated with environmental evaluation are taken into account.
Keywords Values · Norms · Principles · Rules · Value systems/Schemes · Nature
(value of) · Evaluation · Valuation · Total economic value · Ecosystem service
approach · Environmental ethics
K. Ott (*)
Department of Philosophy, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany
e-mail: ott@philsem.uni-kiel.de
K. C. Reinmuth
Department of Philosophy, University of Flensburg (EUF), Flensburg, Germany
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. Hobohm (ed.), Perspectives for Biodiversity and Ecosystems, Environmental
Challenges and Solutions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57710-0_6
129