Before getting into the detail of the instrumental nature of the world it is imperative to put some light on what the instrumental value is.
Instrumental values can be defined as values that something possesses as a means or medium to get a valued or desired end. The nature of these values is always derivative as these are not what is desired but a means to achieve a required outcome and that is why it has to be conditional.
If we opt for a realistic approach then we could call the natural world and its elements to be instrumentally valuable. However, the value of elements of this natural world varies/ fluctuates as it depends upon the desirability or importance of the outcome that can be gained by using it as a means. It also depends, on the number of alternatives of the particular elements that are available to get the desired end. We can take a real-life example to prove this point. Money is something everyone in this world values. One can buy whatever one wants through it. If we conceal this purchasing power of money then it would be nothing but merely useless printed paper and it would lose any instrumental value to anyone.
There is no denying the fact that the species and ecosystem do possess a huge diversity of instrumental value. Following are the examples that have been extracted from the work of Aldo Leopold and Arne Naess.
Aldo Leopold’s perspective
According to Aldo, humans do have economic motives and the elements of this natural world are valuable to them as long as they are somewhat a source of benefit for them. As he mentioned in “Land of Ethics’, an example of song-birds. At the beginning of the last century, the species of song-birds seemed to be diminishing at a very fast pace. Ornithologist of that time shared their concerns and came up with some shaking evidence on how vulnerable the position of humans would be in absence of these birds as the increasing numbers of insects would be a threat for Homo sapiens. Aldo emphasized that our focus should be to preserve the species as a matter of their biotic right no matter their presence is beneficial to humans or not.
Arne Naess’s perspective
Arne Naess took an example of natural resources to make his point clear. He believes that the main objective behind the extraction of minerals and utilization of natural resources is to serve the needs of humans. At present times, this trend is especially adopted by affluent societies. The more advanced technology they have, the more portions of natural reserves they will get. The resources would not be decreased if they do, they will increase the market price in order to conserve them. These resources are instrumentally valuable to humans and if they were of no use to them, they would not even care if these resources are destroyed.
Why is ecocentrism an alternative to anthropocentric accounts?
Instrumentally valuable
A thing can be called instrumentally valuable if its value can be served as a means or medium to get a valued or desired end. For instance, we value washing machine as it makes our life easier and get our clothes washed conveniently. But if we find out another option to clean your clothes which is more convenient and feasible then it would not even take a second for us to avail that option as the washing machine is of instrumental value for us.
Intrinsically valuable
A thing can be considered intrinsically valuable if it is valuable in itself or valued by someone for its own sake. If only the existence of something can somehow make the world a better place then it is intrinsically valuable. John Stuart Mill – a utilitarian philosopher claims that happiness and pleasure are considered to be intrinsically valuable. According to Immanuel Kant, genuine moral actions solely possess intrinsic value.
Ecocentrism
Ecocentrism refers to a philosophical theory that holds the values that are nature-centered in nature rather than human-centered. As per Ecocentrism, the ecosphere consists of all the ecosystem of Earth, land, water, and atmosphere and it is a complete framework which is the only source of life’s sustenance.
Anthropocentrism, on the other hand, is a human-centric approach which sees humans as a superior creature. Anthropocentric beliefs allow sacrificing the lives of other species or damaging ecosystems to fulfill human needs. Ecocentrism can be an alternative to anthropocentrism in a way that it ensures the safety and satisfaction of all the species including homo-sapiens. If we take some steps to save the ecosphere then eventually its positive effects would reflect on the lives of human beings as well without compromising the safety of other species or ecosystems.
Viewing the natural world and its inhabitants as merely (or only) instrumentally valuable
In my opinion, it is ethically wrong to view the world and its inhabitants as merely instrumentally valuable. Besides the fact that humans are the most beautiful creature of this world, there are plenty of living beings which spread life on this planet. Other than that our land, mountains, minerals, water, sky, and everything which contributes to the existence of Earth do have their importance. We cannot cause any harm to them merely to satisfy human needs. The flourishing and wellness of humans and other lives do have some intrinsic values. These values have nothing to do with the usefulness of non-human lives for human beings.
For an instance, we have been facing global warming since the industrial revolution in 1876. The severe effects of this climate change result in the loss of various species and also a drastic change in our ecosystem. The layer Ozone has been depleted and it continues to be thinning as we have not taken measure steps so far. This can be averted by switching to some environmental-friendly ways i.e. the use of Green energy. It would definitely fulfill the basic needs of human beings without harming eco-systems.