SUS1501
Assignment 6 Semester 2 2026
Unique number:
Due date: 11 September 2026
, 1. My original answer and why
My original answer was e. We must save the blue whale because it is the right
thing to do. At the time, I chose this answer mainly because I believed that humans
have a moral responsibility not to allow another living species to disappear because
of human behaviour. I did not think deeply about whether protecting the whale could
benefit people economically or environmentally. My response came more from the
feeling that a blue whale has value simply because it exists as part of the natural
world. I now understand that this way of thinking is closely connected to intrinsic
value, which means that something has value in itself and not only because it is
useful to somebody else.
Looking back, my original response was mainly non-anthropocentric because I was
not placing human interests at the centre of the decision. The course material
explains that a non-anthropocentric position accepts that nature can have intrinsic
value and deserves protection because of that value. This fits the reason why I
originally chose option e. I felt uncomfortable with the idea that human beings should
decide whether a species deserves to continue existing only according to what that
species can provide for us. A blue whale existed long before any individual person
alive today, and I do not believe that its right to survive should depend only on
whether people can make money from it or benefit directly from it. My original
answer was therefore based mainly on respect for life and the belief that human
beings should avoid destroying something that cannot be replaced once it becomes
extinct.
2. My current answer and why
My current answer is still e, although my reasons are now broader than they were
when I first answered the question. I still believe that the blue whale has intrinsic
value, meaning that it has worth simply because it exists as a living part of nature.
However, I now also recognise that the whale has instrumental value, because
living species and natural systems can contribute to the wellbeing and survival of
human beings. Instrumental value refers to the value something has because of
what it can provide or do for people. The course material makes this distinction very
clearly by explaining that nature may provide people with air, food, water and other
Assignment 6 Semester 2 2026
Unique number:
Due date: 11 September 2026
, 1. My original answer and why
My original answer was e. We must save the blue whale because it is the right
thing to do. At the time, I chose this answer mainly because I believed that humans
have a moral responsibility not to allow another living species to disappear because
of human behaviour. I did not think deeply about whether protecting the whale could
benefit people economically or environmentally. My response came more from the
feeling that a blue whale has value simply because it exists as part of the natural
world. I now understand that this way of thinking is closely connected to intrinsic
value, which means that something has value in itself and not only because it is
useful to somebody else.
Looking back, my original response was mainly non-anthropocentric because I was
not placing human interests at the centre of the decision. The course material
explains that a non-anthropocentric position accepts that nature can have intrinsic
value and deserves protection because of that value. This fits the reason why I
originally chose option e. I felt uncomfortable with the idea that human beings should
decide whether a species deserves to continue existing only according to what that
species can provide for us. A blue whale existed long before any individual person
alive today, and I do not believe that its right to survive should depend only on
whether people can make money from it or benefit directly from it. My original
answer was therefore based mainly on respect for life and the belief that human
beings should avoid destroying something that cannot be replaced once it becomes
extinct.
2. My current answer and why
My current answer is still e, although my reasons are now broader than they were
when I first answered the question. I still believe that the blue whale has intrinsic
value, meaning that it has worth simply because it exists as a living part of nature.
However, I now also recognise that the whale has instrumental value, because
living species and natural systems can contribute to the wellbeing and survival of
human beings. Instrumental value refers to the value something has because of
what it can provide or do for people. The course material makes this distinction very
clearly by explaining that nature may provide people with air, food, water and other
