Symbiosis as a Moral Paradigm for Applied Ethics | James McRae | TEDxWestminsterCollege

Kyōsei, or symbiosis, is a Japanese philosophical paradigm that is the cornerstone for the Caux Roundtable Principles of business ethics. Though this notion comes from the idea of mutualistic symbiotic relationships in the biological sciences, it has only recently been applied to the discipline of environmental ethics. It has important implications for environmental security, a branch of environmental studies that investigates the relationship between environmental sustainability, socio-economic stability, and violent conflict. By using kyōsei as the guiding principle for international business and politics, we can create policies and laws that allow us to live sustainably and flourish, both economically and ecologically. James McRae is an ethicist who holds a Ph.D. in comparative philosophy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Westminster College. His books include Japanese Environmental Philosophy (with J. Baird Callicott, forthcoming in 2016 from Oxford University Press), Environmental Philosophy in Asian Traditions of Thought (with J. Baird Callicott, SUNY Press, 2014), and The Philosophy of Ang Lee (with Robert Arp and Adam Barkman, University Press of Kentucky, 2013). This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at