ETHICS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: CONCEPTUAL DEBATES

Abstract

The article examines conceptual debates in the field of ethics of sustainable development, which are becoming increasingly relevant in connection with the deepening of global environmental, political, social, and moral challenges. The author analyzes key ethical approaches to justifying moral responsibility to future generations, in particular the problem of non-identity, formulated by Derek Parfit, which questions the possibility of causing harm to non-existent individuals. Particular attention is also paid to the criticism of the principle of human impact and the concept of impersonal goods in the works of Robin Attfield, according to which moral obligations can concern not only specific individuals, but also the conditions necessary for the existence of humanity in the future – such as ecological integrity or climate stability. It is shown that the rejection of a purely relational model of morality opens up space for ethical argumentation focused on the preservation of long-term collective goods that have intrinsic value regardless of the needs of current individuals. The article also examines John Rawls's principle of savings as the basis of intergenerational justice, the opportunities approach of M. Nussbaum and A. Sen, as well as the arguments of critics of classical utilitarianism, in particular S. Gardiner, regarding the risk of "tyranny of the future". Considerable attention is paid to the analysis of the conceptual opposition of anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric models in the field of environmental ethics, as well as the concepts of weak and strong sustainability, which differently determine the admissibility of replacing natural capital with its other forms. The question of the limits of economic growth and the need to revise the dominant expansive paradigm of development is raised. In conclusion, the author justifies the need to form a new normativity capable of shaping a responsible way of thinking and acting and ensuring a balanced coexistence of man, society, and nature in the long term.