The transgressive ontological character of hybrids—entities crossing the ontological binarism of naturalness and artificiality, e.g., biomimetic projects—calls for pondering the question of their ethical status, since metaphysical and moral ideas are often inextricably linked. The example of it is the concept of “moral considerability” and related to it the idea of “intrinsic value” understood as a non-instrumentality of a being. Such an approach excludes hybrids from moral considerations due to their instrumental character. In the paper, we revisit the boundaries of (...) moral considerability by reexamining the legitimacy of identifying intrinsic value with a non-instrumental one. We offer the concept of “functional value,” which we define as a simultaneous contribution to the common good of the ecosystem and the possibility to disclose the full variety of aspects of a being’s identity. We argue that such a value of hybrids allows us to include them into the scope of moral considerability. (shrink)

The concept of irreversibility is central in several disciplines, from physics to biology and economics, as well as in many philosophical disputes. Yet, it is seldom clearly defined. In this article, it is argued that the thermodynamic framework with its concept of entropy – allegedly the hallmark of irreversibility – offers a formal framework for a thorough conceptualisation of irreversibility based on three (generic) parameters: (1) the openness of the systems and the possible interventions, (2) the (acceptable) equivalence of the (...) final state, and (3) the timeframe. Its usefulness for socio-ecological systems, and hence for sustainable development and sustainability science, will be shown by presenting how these generic parameters can be applied and interpreted in topics such as the precautionary principle, climate change mitigation and environmental aesthetics. (shrink)

Journal of Social Philosophy, EarlyView.