Witti-Buch2 2001.qxd - Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society

Leszek Pyra
weaknesses of holistic ethic is that it cannot offer good criteria, what to choose, when
there appears a conflict of interests between individuals and wholes. In such situations
holism neglects individuals, forgetting that just they are really existing, reproducing, and
lasting representatives of given wholes. Therefore my suggestion is that both individuals
and wholes should be equally /proportionally?/ taken care of. Some reasonable strategy
must certainly be worked out in this respect.
Considering the ecological sciences it is certainly rational to look for the new solution
of the old problem of a shift from facts to values. In my opinion neither Leopold nor
Callicot have solved this problem, although the latter has probably shown a good
direction, suggested by William Frankena, according to whom, although: "there are no
formal logical rules by means of which one can deduce the ethical proposition `x ought
to be done' from any combination of purely factual statements", yet, "according to
ordinary usage, it is entirely possible to infer ethical conclusions from factual premises."
/1976, 144/ Then such way of thinking was followed, successfully I think, by Rolston
/1989, 20/.
It is unreasonable, particularly on behalf of J.Baird Callicot, to treat domesticated
animals with such contempt, as to call them artifacts; our cats, dogs, horses, etc.
certainly do not deserve such treatment. What more, such attitude of the philosopher, I
think, diminishes the amount of holistic ethic's possible adherents.
It is also noteworthy that especially Leopold tries to include into the sphere of his
ethic plants, soils and waters, which is quite a novel feature for any ethical theory,
although some ethicists will probably say that it is too novel and too radical to be
commonly and universally accepted. Nevertheless it is quite reasonable to think about
such entities in ethical perspective, especially now, when mankind has just entered the
third millennium. At stake here seems to be the true relation of man to nature,
resembling the one conceived by Martin Buber in his concept of the I-You relation, which
is full of different values /Pyra, 2000/, of which man, unfortunately, is not always aware.
206