Browsing by Author "Hattingh, Johan P."
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- ItemBiomedical ethics in South Africa : current challenges and institutional responses(Centre for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities, Eberhard-Karls-University of Tubingen, 2000) Hattingh, Johan P.The academic field of biomedical ethics in south Africa is fairly young and is currently going through a phase of properly establishing itself institutionally. At the same time it is confronted with the mulliple challenges of adequately responding to rapidly changing conceptions of the moral dimensions of medical practice. Without claiming to be exhaustive in this regard, this overview intends to highlight a number of the most pressing challenges to biomedical ethics in South Africa today. It will also focus on some of the most salient institutional responses to these challenges, while at the same time referring to a selction of sources where further discussion of these themes can be pursued.
- ItemConceptual clarity, scientific rigour and 'The stories we are' : engaging with two challenges to the objectivity of invasion biology(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2010-11) Hattingh, Johan P.See article for abstract
- ItemConceptualizing ecological sustainability and ecologically sustainable development in ethical terms : issues and challenges(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2001-03) Hattingh, Johan P.The twin concepts of ecological sustainability and ecologically sustainable development have been in circulation in international circles for about three decades. In South Africa these concepts have become cornerstones of both our new Constitution and our National Environmental Management Policy. And yet, there is still a highly intensive and wide ranging debate going on in international as well as national contexts in which both the meaning and implementation of these concepts are contested from different angles. In this article the reasons for this slate of affairs are explored from an ethical perspective, and a number of proposals are made on a philosophical and policy level to respond to the contested nature of these concepts. In an overview of the historical development of the concepts of ecological sustainability and ecologically sustainable development it is shown that they have emerged from different, and to some extent mutually exclusive, contexts. The paper then proceeds 10 a systematic discussion of a number of "fault lines~ within these concepts, in which the focus falls on certain internal tensions that make their interpretation very difficult, if not highly controversial. These tensions are associated with different ethical and ideological positions that can be assumed with regards to questions such as the following: 1. What is so valuable that it can and should be sustainable? 2. With a view to whom or what is the sustainability of this valuable something pursued? 3. How is sustain ability pursued? 4. What are the criteria for sustainabililY? - so that the question whether and when we have reached a state of sustainability can be answered. On the basis of an overview of these "fault lines" it becomes possible to distinguish between different conceptions and different models of ecological sustainabifity and ecologically sustainable development. The value of this taxonomy lies in the clarification that it brings to the muddy waters of ideological posturing about the meaning and implementation of the concepts of ecological sustainability and ecologically sustainable development.
- ItemEcological sustainability in a developing country such as South Africa? A philosophical and ethical inquiry.(Frank Cass Publishers, 2002) Hattingh, Johan P.; Attfield, RobinAlthough South Africa has adopted the notion of ecologically sustainable development not only as a human right entrenched in its Constitution, but also as one of its major policy objectives, there are major practical, conceptual, and ethical stumbling blocks impeding the achievement of this goal. In this article we investigate the conceptual and some of the ethical problems, including apparent conflicts with other pressing goals such as the alleviation of poverty. We conclude that the concept of ecologically sustainable development has a substantive core, and that radical reforms of human systems allow this right and goal to be reconciled with other human needs.
- ItemDie einde van etiek in 'n wêreld van on-volhoubare ontwikkeling?(2003-10) Hattingh, Johan P.Vir ons doeleindes wil ek onvolhoubare ontwikkeling definieer as ontwikkeling waarin die behoeftes van die hede op so 'n manier bevredig word dat dit die vermoë ondermyn van toekomstige geslagte om hulle behoeftes te bevredig - om die welbekende definisie van die Brundtlandverslag om te keer. Maar onvolhoubare ontwikkeling moet eintlik nog nader omskryf word, want ons het daarmee reeds in die hede te make as die behoeftes van sommiges in die wêreld op so 'n manier bevredig word dat dit die vermoë van ander wat ook tans leef, ondermyn om hulle behoeftes te bevredig. 'n Tweede kwalifikasie wat hierby gevoeg moet word, is dat ons wêreld tans op so 'n manier georganiseer is, en dat ons tans die wetenskap en die tegnologie op so 'n manier gebruik, dat ons hierdie tendens van onvolhoubare ontwikkeling ondersteun en voortsit, eerder as om dit stuit. In die Brundtlandverslag word omgewingskwessies nie direk genoem in die definisie van volhoubare ontwikkeling nie, maar uit die res van die verslag is dit duidelik dat die ondermyning van die ekologiese basis vir ons behoeftebevrediging een van die maniere is om ontwikkeling onvolhoubaar te maak.
- ItemThe ethical implications of global climate change(UNESCO Publishing, 2010) Hattingh, Johan P.See article for abstract
- ItemFinding creativity in the diversity of environmental ethics(Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa, 1999) Hattingh, Johan P.The contribution is a comprehensive if abbreviated review of different philosophical perspectives on human-environment relationships. Extensively referenced, it outlines historical trends and current debates in the field of environmental ethics. The author argues that the diversity and disagreements amongst environmental philosophers is not a cause for concern, but rather an opening in which new and. better positions can be sought, towards a philosophy which can meaningfully enable environmental practice.
- ItemHuman dimensions of invasive alien species in philosophical perspective : towards an ethic of conceptual responsibility(IUCN, 2001) Hattingh, Johan P.How can we find an appropriate language in which to formulate our concerns about, and our policy responses to, the problem of invasive alien species? This question arises from the tensions between our conventional vocabulary and the context within which we have to use this vocabulary. Characterized by both globalization and the so-called postmodern conditon, this context confronts us on the one hand with the homogenizing effects of the dominant ideology of advancec industril societies and on the the other hand with a loss of faith in the grand narratives of modernity.
- ItemNuclear power(Gale, Cengage Learning, 2009) Hattingh, Johan P.When the nucleus of an atom is divided or joined to another nucleus, an enormous amount of energy is produced. When these processes of fission (division of the nucleus of an atom) or fusion (joining the nucleus of an atom with another) take place under controlled conditions, this energy can be used to drive turbines that can do work: for example, to propel a large vehicle such as a ship or to generate electricity. These same processes, however, can be adapted to produce weapons with massive destructive power. Non-military uses of nuclear power refer to the generation of energy through a controlled process of fission in a nuclear reactor.
- ItemOn the imperative of sustainable development : a philosophical and ethical appraisal(Human Sciences Research Council and Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa, 2002) Hattingh, Johan P.See item for full text
- ItemAn opinion survey of ethical concerns in environmental decision-making in Cape Town and Surrounds: the base line of 2002(Stellenbosch University, 2004-10) Seeliger, Leanne; Hattingh, Johan P.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The main objectives of this study were to determine the levels of confidence in the process of environmental decision-making in Cape Town and surrounds; to determine the possible causes of these concerns; and to make recommendations about addressing these.
- ItemThe state of the art in environmental ethics as a practical enterprise : a view from the Johannesburg documents(UNESCO Publishing, 2006) Hattingh, Johan P.In this chapter I focus more on what could be referred to as the practical task of environmental ethics, rather than on what could be described as its theoretical task.
- ItemSustainable development, sustainable livelihoods and land reform in South Africa : a conceptual and ethical inquiry(Carfax Publishing, 2004) Attfield, Robin; Hattingh, Johan P.; Matshabaphala, ManamelaIn this article various necessary conceptual linkages as well as contingent discontinuities between the concepts of land reform, sustainable livelihoods and sustainable development are studied. Exploring the complex relationship between land reform and sustainable development through a critical analysis of the concept of sustainable livelihoods, we argue that a strong ethical case for land reform as a component of sustainable development can be constructed by appealing to principles such as justice, equity and the obligations that we have towards fellow humans, as well as the environment, but fail to discharge if land reform is neglected. The case against land reform and its importance for sustainable livelihoods and sustainable development is also considered. We argue that this case is either inconclusive, or at best shows limits to the value of land reform in certain contexts only. It also suggests pitfalls to be avoided when land reform is being introduced, and can thus be regarded as enhancing the case for land reform that avoids such pitfalls. We furthermore argue that the complex set of relations that emerges proves to justify increased emphasis on implementation of land reform as a contribution towards sustainable development.