The Environmental Ethics of Culture in Mekong Region: A Case Study of Thai – Lao Culture in Mukdaharn Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research study are: 1) to study the environmental  ethics of  Thai-Lao  culture and 2) to study the change  in  environmental  ethical concepts of  Thai-Lao  culture  in  Mukdaharn  province.  The data were analyzed by theories of environmental ethics and presented   in a descriptive analysis.  The  research  found  that  the  environmental  ethics  of  culture  in  the Mekong region  depend  upon  supernatural  and  religious  beliefs  in  Thai-Lao culture, are  in harmony with the  environment, and  reject  all  means  of  environmental  exploitation.  Moreover,  they   help  us   realize  the  value  of  the  environment  and  assert  that   humans  should  treat  the  environment   with care because  we  have a specific  moral  obligation  to it.  Environmental ethics   encourage  humans to  consider  the environment  as  being  valuable  in  and  of  itself.  Thus,  the  concepts  are  more  holistic  and communal  than those of theo-centric   and  anthropocentric  ethics. In  recent  years  in  Mekong societies,  environmental  concerns    are  often centered  around  the destruction of the environment  as  it  affects    lives  rather  than  on the environment  having  value  in  and  for  itself.  The  present   study showed  that  the  current  concepts  in  environmental  ethics  of  Thai-Lao culture  in  Mukdaharn  province  are more  likely to be those of  anthropocentric  ethics.