That is a very interesting question. In my junior high Environmental Issues
class, and in my Earth Science classes we talk about resource depletion and
the bad habits of humans in terms of paper, trees, etc. I have yet to engage
in a discussion about the environmental effects of computers themselves. Let
me know if you get any concrete information.
Angela
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wed Mar 6 20:00:22 1996
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
id sma015718; Wed Mar 6 21:59:51 1996
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 1996 21:59:47 -0500 (EST)
id sma014925; Wed Mar 6 21:59:18 1996
Subject: Re: Environmental Consciousness
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Concerning the recent discussion of environmental consciousness and how we have
arrived at the states we now find ourselves in, I think many of you might be
interested in the work of the psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg and his theory that
there are characterological levels and stages that distinguish human behavior. He
maintains that there are three levels of moral development (Preconventional,
Conventional, and Postconventional Morality) and each has two stages. The
general population falls into the various stages along a traditional bell curve on a
graphical chart.
Stage 1: Obey rules to avoid punishment.
Stage 2: Conform to obtain rewards, have favors returned, and so on.
Stage 3: Conform to avoid disapproval or dislike by others.
Stage 4: Conform to avoid censure by legitimate authorities and resultant
guilt.
Stage 5: Conform to maintain the respect of the self as an impartial
spectator, in terms of community welfare.
Stage 6: Conform to advance self-chosen principles of universal benefit,
and to avoid self-condemnation for not doing so.
..13% of the general population fall into stage six morality, which is the level that
displays a strong personal conscience and respect for universal values in relation to
human society. The bulk of the population (68.26%) falls into stages 3-4. The
Kohlbergian levels reflect stages of human morality and do not encompass ethical
concern for non-human values, or recognize the inherent worth of all forms of life,
and the matter from which they evolved, in my opinion. Therefore, people who are
concerned about the environment at the elevated stages of consciousness are off the
Kohlbergian chart and represent a very small fraction of the general population.
Kohlberg raised the possibility of a seventh level in:
Lawrence Kohlberg with Clark Power, "Moral Development, Religious Thinking,
and the Question of a Seventh Stage," chap. in The Philosophy of Moral
Development: Moral Stages and the Idea of Justice. San Francisco: Harper & Row,
1981.
The issue of why some people arrive at the stage of serious consideration of such
issues as ecofeminism and deep ecology is undoubtedly tied to genetic makeup and
environmental experiences, but it also seems that some find their way on their own,
while others need much help.
Walter Pokines
Tipp City, Ohio
