Running Head: DEFORESTATION

The Act-Utilitarian Theory and Deforestation

Amanda Zuschin

Stark State College

DEFORESTATION

General Overview

Deforestation, defined as the clearing of trees or forests, is a huge problem today. Forest

conservation is essential to the heath of the planet and everything living on it. Forests provide

things such as aesthetic wood, lumber, firewood, paper, rubber, fruit, nuts, medicine. They also

provide fuel, fiber homes, and livelihoods for tribal peoples living near rainforests. They are also

home to tens of thousands of plants and animal species that cant be found anywhere else,

enriching the world with sources of scientific knowledge (Vaughn, 2013, p. 354). At the most

basic level, forests nourish life: they use up carbon dioxide and give off oxygen, helping to

neutralize the global greenhouse effect in the process, (Vaughn, 2013, p. 491). As a result of

clearing forests for agriculture, industry and lumber, millions of acres of forests are disappearing

each year.

Some would say that forest conservation isnt as important as the land and lumber

obtained as a result of deforestation. Various industries, millions of impoverished people, and

many tribal cultures depend economically on the clearing of forests, (Vaughn, 2013, p. 491).

Of the worlds 1.2 billion people living in dire poverty, eighty to ninety percent depend on

forests to make their living. (Vaughn, 2013, p. 491). These people have no other way to support

themselves and their families. If forest conservation didnt protect them as well, it could be

argued that its immoral to stop deforestation.

Others would argue that forests are vital to the heath of the planet and everything living

on it. Without trees and plants taking in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen, there would be so

much pollution that humans and animals would have dire breathing and other health problems.

Simply put, life would die out without the help of forests filtering the air. Deforestation also

destroys the habitats of animal species, some of them rare and still undiscovered. This could
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have a major impact on forest ecosystems and scientific research. Which is more important;

protecting the people who clear forests, or protecting the forests from human interference? I have

chosen the following perspective that one could embrace when considering this topic:

Deforestation is morally wrong because humans and animals cannot survive without them. I will

be examining these arguments through the Act-Utilitarian Theory.

Act-Utilitarian Theory

The Act Utilitarian theory says that the right actions are those that directly produce the

greatest overall good, everyone considered. The consequences that flow directly from a

particular act are all that matter each situation calling for a moral judgment is unique and

demands a new calculation of the balance of good over evil, (Vaughn, 2013, p. 70). In other

words, the action that protects the greater good is the most ethical action. Forest conservation is a

tricky topic when it comes to deciding what constitutes as the greater good. Some think that

saving the forests to make sure the air is safe for all humans is the greater good. Others would

argue that the people who use the forests and land from clearing them as their only way of life

are the greater good. Still others argue that all people should be able to clear forests for growing

industries, etc.

Its no secret that the Earth is not as healthy as it once was. Natural resources are

depleting, the air and water are polluted, species are going extinct, and of course, the forests and

other natural areas are disappearing. Therefore, the most logical (and ethical) thing would be to

protect what we have and to try reverse what humans have done, right? But again, there is also

the issue of people needing the lumber and land. What or who is the greater good in this

situation? As stated in the text, the value of the forest is measured by its positive effect on
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human well-being. The forest is good because it is good for human beings, (Vaughn, 2013, p.

488). Forests are good for all human beings. There are over 7.3 billion people on Earth, and

countless animals. Every single living being on the planet benefits from forests. To an act-

utilitarian, that would be the greater good. An act-utilitarian would always choose saving the

forests over anything else first, but it doesnt have to be the only choice.

However, it doesnt necessarily mean that tree clearing has to stop completely, and it

wont. An act-utilitarian might conclude that it would be unethical to cause economic harm to

people who depend on the deforestation. Billions of people benefit from growing industry. There

are also about 1 billion people whose lives directly depend on cutting down forests. It would be

extremely immoral to take away their livelihood. Perhaps there are more options that can help

everyone. For example, if a company cuts down trees, they have to plant more, and they can only

cut down a certain number of acres per year. Educational programs could be implemented in

schools and in communities that teach the importance of protecting our forests and growing them

back. The people who live in and near the rainforests should be able to live their lives, but they

should also be aware that they need to plant more trees if they cut them down. It would take a lot

of work to do it this way, but it would be the best way, in an act-utilitarians view, to help the

greater good.

Summary

The issue of deforestation is more difficult than one might initially think. The logical

perspective is that protecting the forests is more important than destroying them for industrial

purposes, because trees benefit all people, while industrialization does not. But then comes the

issue of the peoples who inhabit the rainforests and clear the trees for their livelihood. No one

can ask them to stop cutting trees; they have to do that to survive. Moral issues in general are
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very complicated and thought provoking, and this one is no different. There are many ways to

think about this one in particular, but the smartest thing we can do is to try to regrow the forests

as theyre being cut. A new insight I discovered has to do with the people who live in the

rainforests. How can we show them how important the forests are? Another insight deals with

recycling. There should be more emphasis on recycling and taking care of the planet in general,

so that less trees would be cut down as a result. Alternatives to how wood and paper products

should be looked into as well. There are almost always alternatives to things.

Personal Perspective

After examining this topic with the Act-Utilitarian Theory as my guide, my personal

belief is that the first priority is saving and protecting the trees and forests. The loss of forests

means the loss of animals and their habitats, scientific discoveries, medicine from plants that

grow in certain forests, and much more. They are both intrinsically and instrumentally valuable,

and wiping them out would be unimaginably devastating. Earth is the only home we have, so its

our job to step up and heal it. Deforestation and the cutting of trees is a complex issue, with just

as complex questions and answers.

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References

Vaughn, L. (2013). Doing Ethics: Moral Reasoning and Contemporary Issues (3rd ed.).
New York: W. W. Norton & Company.