Morality, Money, and Motor Cars Norman E. Bowie

Transcription

1 Mrality, Mney, and Mtr Cars Nrman E. Bwie Business has special bligatins t prtect the envirnment BUT NOT ver and abve what is required by law Business has a mral bligatin t avid intervening in the plitical arena in rder t defeat r weaken envirnmental legislatin Obligatins Mral Obligatins Many businesses have vilated mral bligatins Resulted in severe negative impact n the envirnment Example: Exxn Valdez il tanker Insufficiently trained crewman was pilting while the captain was dwn belw drinking Mrally at fault if the cmpany plicies were this lax Mrally negligent Vilated its mral bligatin t use due care and avid negligence If cmpany plicies were nt lax then they are nly legally at fault Example: Exxn Clean-up Prcedures Inadequate cleanup prcedures Legal Obligatin = Prcedures t be implemented prperly Mral Obligatin = Nt t lie t the gvernment and say that clean up plicies are in accrd with regulatins Can be mrally negligent but nt vilate a special bligatin t the envirnment Business firms and fficials have mral bligatins t bey the law, avid negligent behavir, and tell the truth Legal Obligatins Businesses have an bligatin t bey the law Including envirnmental laws Envirnmentalists d nt need t say that businesses have a special bligatin t the envirnment t prtect the envirnment against illegal business activity Need nly insist that business bey the laws Althugh business decisins have harmed the envirnment, these decisins have vilated n envirnmental mral bligatins Example: If a crpratin is negligent fr prviding wrker safety Crpratin isn t vilating a special bligatin t emplyees It is vilating its bligatin t avid negligent behavir Business s Respnsibilities Envirnmental Issues Excessive use f natural resurces Externalities f prductin Cnditin: If the business has special knwledge and greater expertise than ther cnstituent grups in sciety Present: Then the business has greater respnsibility t mitigate the envirnmental crisis

2 Absent: Business has n greater respnsibility than any ther scial grups William Frankena 3 Obligatins: 1. Aviding Harm 2. Preventing Harm 3. Ding gd Aviding Harm The mral minimum Mst strict requirement N ne has the right t render harm n anther unless there is a cmpelling verriding mral reasn t d s Preventing Harm Less stringent Under what cnditins must be we gd Samaritans? 4 Cnditins: 1. Capability 2. Need 3. Prximity 4. Last Resrt Example: Child drwning in a 2ft pl and yu are the nly persn there. Capability Yu are capable f grabbing the child frm the pl Need They have a need fr yur help. Yu can meet the need. Prximity Yu are bth in the facility Yu are the last resrt D Gd Least strict Make cntributins t sciety Help slve prblems They may have a minimum bligatin t crprate citizenship but happen n a large scale Impacts the firm s prfit Envirnmental bligatins wuld fall int the mral minimum categry Argument: Avid Harm applies t human beings Business Cntext Harm is activities which vilate r frustrate the enfrcement f rules f dmestic r institutinal law intended t prtect individuals against preventin f health, safety, r basic freedm. (Bwie, 173) Envirnmental harm des nt cunt as harm under this definitin Nt a strng enugh argument t say that it deprives peple f the freedm f enjying the envirnment Example: Prductin f Autmbiles Death and injury are caused in car accidents Death and injury, which is harmful, is avidable Advantages f autmbiles utweigh the risk f driving them Sciety accepts the pssible risks that g in using them

3 We take certain risks t pursue advantageus gals As lng as the risks are knwn, it is nt wrng that sme avidable harm be permitted s that ther scial and individuals gals can be achieved. Therefre the avidable-harm criterin needs imprvement Bwie s refinements t the avid-harm criterin Ought implies can = fundamental principle f ethics Yu can be held mrally respnsible nly fr events within yur pwer Autmakers are ONLY respnsible fr deaths attributable t unsafe autmbile design Ones that the autmaker knew existed Otherwise the cmpany can nt be expected t d anything abut them Obligatin t build the safest car ever? N Must remain the price range f the cnsumer. Making it this safe wuld be t expensive Can = Capability = functin f business D as much as yu are capable f A business may be capable f building a car this safe but ding s wuld threaten the cmpanies survival (t many csts invlved) Hwever capability shuld nt be sacrificed cmpletely s that prfits can be maximized Scial decisin t building things that are less safe fr a lwer price Need an apprpriate mix between engineering safety and cnsumer demand Autmbile cmpany des nt vilate its bligatin t avid harm Scial cnsensus and cmpetitive realities determines the cmpany s curse f actin Trade-ff between ptential harm and the utility f prducts As lng as business beys the envirnmental laws and hnrs ther standard mral bligatins, mst harm dne t the envirnment by business has been accepted by sciety. (Bwie, 519) Mst cnsumers are unwilling t pay extra fr envirnmentally friendly prducts Wuld rather pay less fr cmpetitive prducts Real Life Situatins Wendy s replace Styrfam plates with paper Dwny Cncentrated fabric sftener, less packaging Eurpeans will take n extra wrk fr the envirnment, Americans will nt Kdak Eliminate film bxes McDnalds energy cnverter Saving Otters cst = $40 000/tter, buying tters cst = $800/tter, kill tters fr free in Alaska Given these facts, desn t business have every right t assume that public tlerance fr envirnmental damage is quite high. (Bwie, 174) As lng as the activities that business d are legal then they d nt vilate the avidharm criterin Current legal activities that harm the envirnment d nt vilate the avid-harm criterin Dispsable Diapers

4 Cause huge envirnmental damage Are peple ging t g back t clth diapers and a diaper pail? Pampers is nt vilating the avid-harm criterin by manufacturing diapers If the public wants clth diapers then business will prduce them Business will respnd t the market Cnsuming public has the bligatin t make the trade-ff between cst and envirnmental integrity Cunter Argument Envirnmentally friendly prducts are at a disadvantage in the marketplace because they have public gds characteristics = prduces market failure Cmpanies cannt cnclude frm market behavir that the envirnmentally unfriendly prducts are preferred. (Bwie, 175) Everyne wants t reap the benefit f lwer cst and cnvenience The best situatin fr any individual is ne where everyne else is using envirnmentally friendly prducts but he r she is nt Everyne reasns this way Real demand fr envirnmentally friendly prducts cannt be registered in the market Everyne understates the value f their preference fr envirnmentally friendly prducts Are cmpanies bligated t stp prducing envirnmentally unfriendly prducts? N 4 Cnditins f prevent-harm Capable Need If yu are causing envirnmental prblems yu are in prximity Business is nt the last resrt the envirnmental critic must limit his r her argument t the envirnmental damage a business actually causes. (Bwie, 175) Narrw the bligatin t damage that a business actually causes Yes Pampers must d smething abut their pllutin but they are nt respnsible t d smething abut acid rain Still desn t mean yu shuld quit selling a prduct because it damages the envirnment Still desn t mean yu need t g beynd what is legally required t prtect the envirnment Business is nt the last resrt t prtect the envirnment, if it was then it may be mre seriusly lked at Respnsibility f the Gvernment? Gvernment s respnsibility fr energy cnservatin and pllutin cntrl Functin f the gvernment t crrect market failure When market cannt register the cnsumer s true desire they need t register their preferences in a plitical arena BUT Crpratins try t have their cake and eat it t Argue it is the jb f the gvernment t crrect market failures Cnsumers shuld decide hw much cnservatin and prtectin the envirnment shuld have

5 And then they use their influence and mney t defeat r water dwn regulatins designed t cnserve and prtect the envirnment Interfere with the exercise f chice in the plitical arena Ethically inapprpriate behavir Has an bligatin nt t intervene fr these reasns Business has a special bligatin t the envirnment t nt intervene Special because businesses are allwed t pursue its wn interests in ther areas in the plitical arena Tariffs, Labr plicy, Mnetary Plicy D smething wrng when they intervene with envirnmental legislatin: Summarize s far: Business argues that it escapes special bligatins t the envirnment because it is willing t respnd t cnsumer preferences in this matter Because f externalities, and public gd cnsideratins, cnsumers cannt express their preference in the market Only ther way fr cnsumers t express their preferences is in the plitical arena Business interventin interferes with the expressin f these preferences in the plitical arena Further disadvantage fr envirnmental legislatin with pliticians Pliticians and Envirnmental Legislatin Disadvantage Primary interest f a plitician is t be re-elected Favr plicies where: Benefits are immediate Csts can be pstpned t the future Greater csts are widely dispersed Envirnmental plicies g cntrary t a plitician s self-interest Example: Cnservatin f Scarce Resurces Example: Pllutin Abatement Csts f cleaning up the envirnment are immediate and huge Benefits are lng range Business ppsitin makes a very bad situatin much wrse The externalities, pprtunities t free ride, and public gd characteristics f the envirnment make it difficult fr cnsumers t express their true preference Envirnmental legislatin trades immediate csts fr future benefits = difficult fr pliticians wh are cncerned with re-elect t supprt it Mre difficult fr cnsumers t have their preferences fr a better envirnment hnred in a plitical arena LACK OF BUSINESS INTERVENTION IS NECESSARY OBLIGATION TO NOT INTERVENE Given business s cmmitment t satisfying preferences, ppsitin t having these preferences expressed seems incnsistent. (Bwie, 176) Businesses need a vice in cngress s they are nt given a severe cmpetitive disadvantage

6 Businesses shuld have the right t pint ut when dmestic prducts are being put at a disadvantage in cst t imprted nes Any legislatin which places csts n ne industry rather than anther cnfers advantages t the ther industries Businesses have the right t insist that regulatins apply fairly t all thse in the industry Hwever if they are cntributing t a pllutin that the thers are nt then they are respnsible Imprvements Legislative bdies and regulatry agencies Expand their staffs t include technical experts, ecnmists, engineers s that the plitical prcess is neutral and highly infrmed abut envirnment matters frm all angles Businesses take n an additinal bligatin t the envirnment The bligatin t educate cnsumers When they have mre knwledge abut envirnmental harms and preventin Special duty t educate the public and prmte envirnmentally respnsible behavir Shuld be kay Businesses always lead cnsumer preferences thrugh advertising in ther areas Capture the envirnmental niche in advertisements Educatinal campaign Encurage cnsumers t make envirnmentally friendly decisins in the market place Limit the necessity fr business activity in the plitical arena The gvernment s respnsibility wuld be lessened if business tk greater respnsibility fr educating the public Summary Business des have bligatins t the envirnment Nt where the critics f business place them N special bligatin T cnserve natural resurces r t stp plluting ver and abve its legal bligatins Des have bligatin t avid intervening in the plitical arena t ppse envirnmental regulatins Psitive bligatin t educate cnsumers