The contemporary instrumental approach towards time and its influence on our moral motivations to fight climate change: An enquiry into the influence of Scheffler’s temporal parochialism and geographical cosmopolitanism towards our environmental moral sensitivity

Abstract

The environmental ethical debate regarding the moral motivations to fight climate change has been recently connected with intergenerational issues. In this thesis, starting from analysing Scheffler’s argumentation in his book Why Worry about Future Generations 1, I will focus on his account of temporal parochialism and geographical cosmopolitanism. In chapter 2, I will decide to deepen his theoretical framework considering Harvey’s theory of time-space compression2 and Rosa’s theorisation of social acceleration3. This will help me in inscribing temporal parochialism and geographical cosmopolitanism in a broader and more comprehensive sociological framework. In chapter 3, I will firstly point out a critic Heath moved against Rosa, to investigate the methodological limits of social critical theory. Secondly, I will investigate the influence of an instrumental view over what I will define our environmental moral sensitivity, to finally rethink entirely temporal parochialism and geographical cosmopolitanism renaming them temporal instrumentalism and spatial domination. In light of this analysis, I will normatively conclude that an intrinsic valorisation and enhancement of nature is more desirable to strengthen our environmental moral sensitivity and make us more motivated to fight climate change, than an instrumental approach towards nature.