Foundations of Environmental Ethics Page: 7
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APPLIED ETHICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN
The making of a decision in chess, and I believe equally so in life, is a
very perceptual or intuitive process. The first step that de Groote identifies
is favorite formation, in which a small group of possible solutions appears,
basically out of nowhere. The second step is an empirical investigation in
which possible results of each solution are examined. These results are
evaluated in terms of what de Groote calls maximum and minimum feelings of
expectation, feelings concerning the best and the worst that might be
achieved. The empirical investigation proceeds in accordance with what de
Groote calls progressive deepening, in which the favorite solutions are reex-
amined repeatedly in terms of the feelings of expectation. Although this
continual reexamination of the same possibilities on the surface seems
pointless, and de Goote thought at first that it was an indication of poor
memory, it is the key element in the decision-making process of humans.
The problem being solved is actually only very dimly perceived when the
investigation begins, but it becomes clearer as the investigation proceeds.
Each attempt to solve the problem also contributes to a better understand-
ing of the problem, which, as a result, goes through a series of changes as it
approaches its final form, The reinvestigation of previously rejected solu-
tions is periodically necessary to determine whether one of them is now the
solution to the problem in its newest form. Because the problem is in flux
until it is solved, the decision maker cannot simply apply the appropriate
rule by rote.
This kind of thought process, though rule-governed, is not rule-fol-
lowing. Although the justification of a decision can and should be a presen-
tation of rules as they relate to a specific situation in a rule-following for-
mat, the decision process itself does not conform to this pattern. The
inappropriateness of a rule-following characterization of decision making
is especially clear when one considers the phenomenon of favorite forma-
tion. First, the group of favorite solutions that emerges at the beginning of
the decision process is almost never enlarged. The decision maker reex-
amines the group of favorites with the intention of including new ones only
as a last resort, when extensive investigation of the favorites has produced
results that are below the minimum level of expectation. Second, the favor-
ites in the group usually also appear in ranked form, and the highest-
ranked favorite is usually the solution ultimately selected. It is for this
reason that good chess players are still able to play quite well when they
play quickly, as in lightning chess. Finally, the accuracy of the ranking
increases dramatically with experience and skill level. An international
grandmaster sees more on the chessboard in a few seconds than an average
player sees in thirty minutes. This aspect of the decision process makes it
absolutely clear that decision making is primarily a kind of seeing, not a
kind of rule-following activity.
Although rules are, of course, valuable, they cannot fully account for
the subtleties expressed unconsciously in the perceptual dimensions of the
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Hargrove, Eugene C., 1944-. Foundations of Environmental Ethics, book, 1989; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc52172/m1/19/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Center For Environmental Philosophy.