Impact of the message conveyed through the series Parasite: Maxim cannot be denied. Upon reaching the end of the series, viewers often feel a new or heightened appreciation for non-human life and the world around them. recognizes the value of the lessons taught while inhabiting the human body. Both explicit and implicit themes that become apparent as the plot progresses allude to an environmental philosophy opposite reality.
By demonstrating the diversity of interspecies relationships, three fundamental perspectives of environmental philosophy are presented, including biocentrism, anthropocentrism, and ecocentrism. Each philosophy is central to thinking about humanity’s relationship with other life and nature. It is important to note that the philosophy closest to the world view Shinichi adopted at the end of the series was biocentricism. changing to
Shinichi’s transition from anthropocentrism to biocentrism marks the growth of his character
Biocentrism is defined as the view or belief that human rights and needs are not superior to those of other organisms, and is a philosophy that emphasizes the inherent worth of individual organisms. A key step in gaining this ethical perspective for Shinichi was a journey to fully understand what it means to have value in something. Instrumental value is measured by how valuable one thing is in relation to another, whereas intrinsic or intrinsic value is independent of the value derived from the relationship of one thing to another. . In other words, organisms that serve a purpose for humanity are viewed as instrumentally valuable, and those that have value ‘in themselves’ are viewed as intrinsically valuable.
Shinichi’s acceptance of the biocentric ideology that all life deserves equal moral consideration came when he finally realized that instrumental value and intrinsic value were not mutually exclusive. Biocentrism is recognized by many as the best approach to environmental conservation. That philosophy seems to be the most realistic and practical of the three. Unlike ecocentrism, the emphasis is on the individual organisms that make up an ecosystem rather than abstracting whole species or populations. Also, unlike the anthropocentric view that nature has only instrumental value, biocentricism does not fail to capture the intrinsic value of the natural world.
Prior to personality development, Shinichi was unaware of the flaws in the human-centered worldview he shared with the majority of society. Treat and focus primarily or exclusively on people. Parasite: Maxim The series Parasite delves deeper into this idea as it continually questions humans about their self-centered worldview.
Conflicting philosophical views of humans and parasites
In anthropocentrism, humans are valued above nature. Nature is regarded as having only instrumental value. In other words, the natural world is judged solely on its usefulness and functionality. From this philosophical point of view, nature is usually viewed as an object of study and exploitation, and humans are viewed as distinct and even transcendent from nature. Shinichi’s moral anthropocentrism underpinnings was demonstrated through his aversion to the alien species’ blatant disregard for human existence and human emotions.
Conversely, Parasite perceived human life to be irrelevant and disposable in the same way that animal life is important to humans. In a way, the series challenges the importance of human life in order to make viewers think about the relevance of non-human life. This is directly applicable when examining human influences on the animals we eat.
Abiotic components, such as rivers, and systems with abiotic components, such as ecosystems and watersheds, are often included in the ecocentric perspective. Ecocentric thinkers often take a more holistic view, placing value on individual species, ecosystems, or the planet as a whole. Individuals are valuable because they are part of a larger whole, such as species, ecosystems, and the earth. Value is inherently found in these larger wholes.
All reasonably good, even environmentalism
Parasite: Maxim is a series that is self-aware and very aware of the reality of how science and humans affect life on Earth. That said, the series does show that while environmentalism has some merit because of its scientific and real-world roots, if taken too far, it is simply eco-friendly. It also shows that it will develop into terrorism.
The introduction of environmental terrorist Takeshi Hirokawa in the series serves as a prime example of how radical environmentalists with environment-centric views not based on practicality can become radical. He argues that non-human life should be treated on an equal footing with humans and, as a result, the population must be curtailed to reduce the impact of humans on the biosphere. , while anthropocentrist views can be harmful, ecocentrism is equally dangerous when the moral considerations of philosophy are distorted or used as justifications for unethical behavior. It’s meant to show you what’s possible.
Through existential themes and a showcase of complex interspecies relationships, Parasite: Maxim It effectively explores the three fundamental perspectives of environmental philosophy: anthropocentrism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism. Viewers are asked to question the ethics behind each philosophy and decide whether humanity really has intrinsic values. Fan agrees that, much like Shinichi, the audience is taken on an adventure of introspection, ultimately gaining a better understanding of mankind’s role and relationships in nature.
