by Ayn Rand
Man has undoubtedly become corrupt in pursuing their interests as a selfish organism. Certain unethical entities—of which occupy and run large corporations—have chosen to destroy the environment. There is almost no reversing the damage done, however there may still be time if we consult the ethics and rationality between the mindless robots responsible (25). It is important to address the ethics of these corporate heads in the effort of having them realize their wrongdoings. Private companies have one of two choices to make, to either abide by environmental politics or not. When thinking about sensation (pleasure), then the rational course becomes clear and objective: anti-environmentalism benefits the individual and not society.
When determining what constitutes “sensation,” it is important to understand that man has become lost in their actions, leading them to profit from anti-environmentalism. When man is exposed to pleasure (money for instance), they often continue indulging in actions that provide more of it. From these sensations, any guilt associated with wrong-doing is often ignored, or the guilt from it is not experienced immediately. Value should not be affiliated with self-gain only if it harms others.
When thinking about the Great Barrier Reef for instance, consider the catastrophe that has begun to ensue on our planet. Man became aware of the consequences to environmental negligence long ago, but was anything done to mitigate the damage already done? The answer is no. All was swept under the rug. Man has to recognize his own mistakes and attend to the damage; logically speaking, he has to consider the long-term consequences for himself, indeed, but most importantly for others. It is important for man to learn to learn how to use their rationality to control their pleasure, to protect the environmental for not doing so impacts others.
There may exist a case where man is unaware of his wrongdoing. Some individuals may struggle to differentiate between right or wrong, simply because they have no knowledge in what is considered good or evil. Consider companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi for instance, two of the leading polluters of plastic in the world. There may have been a time where the two were unaware of their doing, but now scientific evidence clearly attributes blame to these companies in particular. It is up to the company to take responsibility where it is due and begin to think about the long-term consequences rationally.
I wish to spend my finals thoughts exploring rationality, and how to acquire it given the circumstances purposed above. Objective reality, which is often understood as the innate rights to life–which also entails respecting the rights of others–, should be considered primarily over private interests (money). Irrational judgment such as polluting the waters of the coast of Australia (the Great Barrier Reef) and therefore impacting fishermen and other local inhabitants, should be considered with great importance. It is clearly unethical to knowingly continue harming others for profit. The fact of the matter is between the following: private interest or the safety of people who rely on these polluted waters. One of the two most be chosen in this binary way of thinking for the advancement of society. These companies have selected the irrational choice by not abiding by global environmental policies–it is time for change.