Oldal 26 [26]
1. INTRODUCTION
natural world at the top of the list of priorities. According to this view, all
living beings in the world are egually important, that is to say, the lives of
animals are as important as those of humans. Biocentrism is a philosophical
and ethical view, arguing that all living organisms have egual moral and
intrinsic value, regardless of their role for humans or in the ecosystem.
Biocentrism puts life at the centre and believes that all living things — humans,
animals, plants, or even microorganisms — deserve respect and consideration.
Biocentric ethics encourages us to take into account the well-being of all living
beings in human decisions, such as environmental protection, resource use or
technological developments. It is often associated with the ideals of deep
ecology and sustainability, emphasizing the unity of ecosystems and the
interdependence of living beings.
Although it cannot be defined as a legal regulatory concept, the approach
present in society and thus ecocentrism is also worth mentioning in this
context, attaching special importance to the ecosystem as a whole, and
considering both living and inanimate components to be important. Ecocentrism
is thus another philosophical and ethical approach that places ecosystems as
a whole, as well as their internal connections and processes, at the centre of
moral and value considerations. Unlike anthropocentrism (anthropocentrism)
or biocentrism (all living beings are equal), ecocentrism considers not only
individual living beings, but the entire ecological system, including the
interactions of living and non-living elements (e.g. rivers, mountains, soil), as
valuable and worthy of protection. According to an ecocentric approach, the
destruction of a river (e.g. pollution or dam construction) is problematic not
only because of the fish or plants that live in it, but also because the balance
of the entire ecosystem, including the surrounding forests, soil and human
communities, is disrupted. Ecocentrism is often associated with the deep
ecology movement, which was founded by the philosopher Arne Naess. Deep
ecology emphasizes the intrinsic value of ecosystems and the need for a radical
transformation of the human way of life. Aldo Leopold, in his Sand County
Almanac, introduced the concept of “land ethics”, which reflects an ecocentric
view and treats man as part of the Earth’s community.”
A fourth perspective on the relationship between humanity and nature is
emerging, though it has not been explicitly incorporated into legal frameworks.
This perspective emphasizes the protection of creation’s integrity, a principle
recognized and promoted in Christian social teachings.*° Other religions
# Aldo Leopold, À Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There (New York: Oxford
University Press, 1949).
16 Pope Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum (encyclical, 15 June 1891), Acta Sanctae Sedis 23 (1891):
641-70; Pope Pius XI, Quadragesimo Anno (encyclical, 15 May 1931), Acta Apostolicae Sedis
23, no. 6 (1931): 177-285; Pope John XXIII, Mater et Magistra (encyclical, 15 May 1961),
Acta Apostolicae Sedis 53 (1961): 401-64; Pope Paul VI, Populorum Progressio (encyclical, 26
March 1967), Acta Apostolicae Sedis 59 (1967): 257-99; Pope Paul VI, Octogesima Adveniens
24