Anthropocentrism and Biocentrism in Human Attitudes toward Some Selected Dilemmas of Environmental Ethics – Case of Kuyavian and Pomeranian Province Citizens

Abstract

The article presents the results of own research concerning attitudes toward the four selected dilemmas of environmental ethics. The empirical data was collected by means of a questionnaire in 2014 and 2015 on a representative sample of 1000 inhabitants of the Kuyavian and Pomeranian province. The respondents were asked to address 16 statements that related to some of the issues of environmental ethics including: value of human life in the face of the threat of overpopulation and an ensuing need to reduce the population, validity of human interests in view of nature’s needs, priorities in environmental protection, as well as the principle of redress that specifies the extent of compensation of human induced damage to the environment. Each of the mentioned problems was presented for assessment in the form of four statements adapted in axiological terms to the division accepted in environmental ethics into anthropocentric and biocentric positions.