Ethical egoism is the notion of the pursuit of one’s own interests and the total exclusion of their duty to protect someone else’s interests. In essence, it is a normative (prescriptive) theory concerning the moment of human behavior. In this respect, ethical egoism differs significantly from the theory of psychological egoism, which notes: that all human actions ultimately pursue self-interest. An exclusively descriptive theory considers psychological egoism, the purpose of which is seen as describing the basic fact of human nature. This ethical attitude is central to those who regard the consumption of natural fur on an industrial scale as normal.
The behavior of people defending animal rights is dictated by the concept of an ethical attitude toward flora and fauna, which deserve to be treated responsibly and with care as a society. This conception of the problem is still used by organizations called animal welfare societies, which base their activity on an emotional attitude towards animals, mainly domestic ones (Apostolescu & Serban, 2022). Since the eighteenth century, philosophers and theologians began to offer other arguments for revising human attitudes toward animals. They put forward the idea of justice, the idea of man’s duty to be merciful to live creatures. The idea of justice for animals was developed in the concept of “Animal Rights,” according to which the only ethical approach to the problem is to treat all living creatures fairly to meet their essential needs (Apostolescu & Serban, 2022). That points out that animals deserve to be treated fairly and their interests should be protected.
The categorical imperative is constructed according to the formula: must, because it must. This formula gives it a universal, stable, and unchangeable character, which allows the moral law to exist in all situations. Therefore, one must remember that their subjective maxims cannot be universal, and their task is to order them and make them as close as possible to the categorical imperative. There is one moral law, but there are several formulations of it.
In terms of the categorical imperative, Kant believed that animals do not possess rationality. The philosopher assumes that this rationality, which he reserves for humans, presupposes some level of self-consciousness. By denying that animals have this mental capacity, Kant confuses them with mere things, saying that humans can get rid of them when they want to. At the same time, he did not at all call for everyone to do so immediately. The philosopher argued that cruelty to animals is bad only because it harms humanity itself. And consequently, living beings should not be treated as a means to an end.
Peng, H. (2019). Research on the development of the fashion industry in the “internet+” era. Advances in Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing, 33(6), 21–29. Web.
The study presents the functions and properties of modern recycled materials. The main contradiction noted in the article is the determination of whether the recycled material used to make clothing is environmentally friendly if it is unsafe for humans. The authors argue that “there are now many opportunities to use recycled plastic at home in author’s clothing” (Peng, 2019). The researchers also believe that “most household waste can be recycled as a raw material in many human activities” (Peng, 2019). I agree with the statements in the paper that it is necessary to find ways to produce clothing from recycled materials without harming animals and humans. This article allows readers to trace the latest ways to recycle materials and incorporate them into the fashion industry.
Romani, A., & Cantore, P. (2020). Fashion Industry: An itinerary between feelings and technology. In Romani, A., & Cantore, P. (Eds.). IntechOpen. Web.
This article focuses on eco-friendly clothing and ecology in general. This topic is very relevant today, as inordinate consumption is one of the causes of today’s ecological crises of “civilized” man (Romani & Cantore, 2020). The authors believe that it is necessary to “create the most important direction of the ecology of modern reality, decolonization of consumption, which means a reasonable reduction in consumption, the spread of norms of proper ecological consumption, a return to things of long use” (Romani & Cantore, 2020). The article discusses the main directions of eco-technologies that are used in the production and tailoring of eco-friendly clothes. The authors argue that “we already know that the fashion industry consumes too many resources and doesn’t give anything of equal value back”(Romani & Cantore, 2020). I agree with the statements in the article, as the sustainability of fashion is an understudied issue. There are no serious contradictions in the content of the paper, and the conclusions obtained by the author allow readers to understand the prospects for the development of green fashion.
Centobelli, P., Abbate, S., Nadeem, S. P., & Garza-Reyes, J. A. (2022). Slowing the fast fashion industry: An all-round perspective. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 38(2). Web.
The author argues that the threat of a global ecological catastrophe is becoming increasingly real. A serious source of environmental pollution is the light industry: the inordinate consumption of resources, the use of familiar production methods, and sources of raw materials can lead to an ecological crisis. The contradiction raised in the study is that the consequences of excessive consumption of resources need to be studied, but the damage caused to nature and man will be impossible to eliminate in practice (Centobelli et al., 2022). Today, fur production is one of the most toxic industries in the light industry, while the fur industry invests enormous resources in creating a “positive” image of natural fur (Centobelli et al., 2022). The findings in this paper allow readers to assess the environmental risks if the problem is not addressed.
Moorhouse, D., & Moorhouse, D. (2018). Sustainability in the fashion industry. Clothing Cultures, 5(1), 3–5. Web.
The authors shift the focus to the historical aspect. The researchers argue that the term “ecology of man” was introduced in 1921 by American sociologists Ernest Burgess and Robert Park, investigating the way of life of the population in an urban environment. Since then, we can consider the beginning of a conscious attitude toward fashion. I cannot fully agree with this position, as there is earlier historical evidence. The author sees that nowadays, there is progress in the ecological production of clothing; nevertheless, the number of problems associated with this area has not decreased over time. This article allows readers to see how the world could change if the above contradictions were resolved.
Fletcher, K. (2018). The fashion land ethic: Localism, clothing activity, and macclesfield. Fashion Practice, 10(2), 139–159. Web.
The authors devoted their work to the issues of breeding animals for the production of natural fur. In recent years, 12 of the 28 countries of the European Union, following England and Wales, have introduced complete or partial legislative bans on the breeding, keeping, reproduction, import, export, and slaughter of farm animals bred only for fur production (Fletcher, 2018). Many European chinchilla farms also fell under this ban. At the same time, researchers note that the legislative measures have not fully affected the real change in the situation (Fletcher, 2018). The main contradiction is the discrepancy between the regulatory processes and the business processes in the fur industry. I agree that such a discrepancy exists and requires in-depth study. The conclusions obtained in the article help to understand what additional steps need to be taken by states to strengthen the control of environmental violations in the fashion industry.
References
Apostolescu, I., & Serban, C. (2022). Husserl, Kant and transcendental phenomenology. De Gruyter.
Centobelli, P., Abbate, S., Nadeem, S. P., & Garza-Reyes, J. A. (2022). Slowing the fast fashion industry: An all-round perspective. Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 38(2). Web.
Fletcher, K. (2018). The fashion land ethic: Localism, clothing activity, and macclesfield. Fashion Practice, 10(2), 139–159. Web.
Moorhouse, D., & Moorhouse, D. (2018). Sustainability in the fashion industry. Clothing Cultures, 5(1), 3–5. Web.
Peng, H. (2019). Research on the development of fashion industry in the “internet+” era. Advances in Intelligent Information Hiding and Multimedia Signal Processing, 33(6), 21–29. Web.
Romani, A., & Cantore, P. (2020). Fashion Industry: An itinerary between feelings and technology. In Romani, A., & Cantore, P. (Eds.). IntechOpen. Web.