Ethics: The Environment



Ethics: The EnvironmentInstructor: Laura Guidry-GrimesEmail: lkg8@georgetown.eduOffice Hours: TBA*NOTE: This syllabus is in progress and subject to change.*OverviewEnvironmental ethics is a branch of applied philosophy, and it spans over a number of issues. Do landscapes, trees, or animals have value? If so, what is the source of this value? How should human needs and wants be weighed? Philosophers disagree on the contours of our obligations and duties regarding nature and non-humans. Technological developments and increases in scientific knowledge have further complicated the picture.This course will begin by helping to motivate moral concern for the environment. After briefly discussing the enterprise of applied ethics, we will look at some classic texts on different philosophical approaches to environmental ethics. Students will be asked to critically analyze these approaches so as to recognize the benefits and burdens of each position. From here we will delve into three topics: animal ethics, global justice, and climate change. The class concludes with a conversation about environmental activism. How can policy-makers responsibly balance the competing interests and values involved in any one of these issues? How should we, in our daily interactions with the environment, make these determinations and promote responsible behavior?LogisticsWe will be meeting Monday-Thursday from 1:00-3:00, room TBA. Our class will utilize Blackboard. There will be one field trip, location TBA.AssignmentsYou are expected to participate regularly and thoughtfully. You should demonstrate that you have read the required material, and you should also engage with your classmates.You are required to write a four short (500 words) papers based on the prompt that I provide the Monday before they are due. Note that these papers must be submitted electronically to Blackboard by the specified date and time.You are also required to give a presentation 10 minutes in length. This presentation needs to address a pressing environmental issue—one that we mention in class or something that you stumble on in your own research. You must send me your idea for a presentation topic by the end of the first week. In your presentation, you should explain the issue and what you think is a promising way for thinking about or handling the problem at hand. For this presentation, you must either a) make a Power Point or b) distribute handouts. Your presentation will be followed with 10 minutes of Q&A. This presentation is an opportunity for you to receive valuable feedback from your peers and me, so you will be better prepared for the final project.At the end of the summer session, you will submit a final project that expands on the work you did for the presentation. The final project can be in one of three formats: 1) a traditional term paper, 2) a website, or 3) an extended Power Point (which you would not present). Regardless of which format you choose, your project should have the equivalent of 7-10 pages of text. You will submit the project through Blackboard. This project is meant to serve as a launching pad in case you wish to pursue environmental advocacy. You are free to take up any well-argued and well-researched position you find compelling.Attendance & participation: 20%Short papers: 40% (each paper worth 10%)Formal presentation: 15% Final project: 25%MaterialsNote: All required readings will be available on Blackboard.Recommended:Anthony Weston’s A Rulebook for ArgumentsFilm Options (Not exhaustive list!):(which film is selected for specified dates will depend on interests of students and trajectory of course)Tapped; Collapse; The Future of Food; Food, Inc.; Carbon Nation; Flow: For Love of Water; Six Degrees Could Change the World; Fuel; Global Warming: The Signs and the Science; e2; Dirt! The MovieDaily Breakdown of Readings & DeadlinesWeek One Monday, July 2ndTopic: Applying values to the environment—introduction“Ethics and Environmental Ethics” by Andrew Light and Holmes Rolston III“Is There a Need for a New, an Environmental, Ethic?” by Richard Sylvan“Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Value” by Michael J. Zimmerman (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)Tuesday, July 3rd Topic: Valuing nature“The Ethics of Respect for Nature” by Paul W. Taylor“Values in and Duties to the Natural World” by Holmes Rolston III“The Land Ethic” by Aldo LeopoldWednesday, July 4th No classThursday, July 5th Topic: Valuing nature (cont’d)“What’s Wrong with Plastic Trees?” by Martin H. Krieger“The Good of Trees” by Robin Attfield“Duties Concerning Islands” by Mary Midgley*Idea for presentation topic must be emailed to Laura by 11:59 pm on Sunday, July 8th Week Two Monday, July 9th Topic: Environmental holism“Deep Ecology: A New Philosophy of Our Time?” by Warwick Fox“Biocentric Individualism” by Gary Varner“Philosophical Problems for Environmentalism” by Elliott SoberTuesday, July 10th Topic: Ecofeminism“The Power and the Promise of Ecological Feminism” by Karen J. Warren“Ecofeminism: Toward Global Justice and Planetary Health” by Greta Gaard and Lori Gruen“Women, Poverty, and Population: Issues for the Concerned Environmentalist” by Gita SenWednesday, July 11th Topic: Human-centered ethics“Environmental Ethics and Weak Anthropocentrism” by Bryan G. Norton“Anthropocentrism vs. Nonathropocentrism: Why Should We Care?” by Katie McShaneThursday, July 12th *Student presentationsTopic: Critics and concerns“Against the Moral Considerability of Ecosystems” by Harley Cahen“Another Look at Leopold’s Land Ethic” by Boris Zeide“When Preservationism Doesn’t Preserve” by David Schmidtz“Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique” by Ramachandra Guha*Short writing assignment due by 11:59 pm on Saturday, July 14th Week Three Monday, July 16th *Student presentationsFilm and discussion, TBATuesday, July 17th *Student presentationsTopic: Animals vs. the environment?“Animal Liberation and Environmental Ethics: Bad Marriage, Quick Divorce” by Mark Sagoff“Can Animal Rights Activists Be Environmentalists?” by Gary E. Varner“Is There a Place for Animals in the Moral Consideration of Nature?” by Eric KatzWednesday, July 18th Topic: Animal interests, animal rights“Animal Rights: What’s in a Name?” by Tom Regan“All Animals Are Equal” by Peter Singer“The Rights of Animals and Future Generations” by Joel Feinberg (excerpt)Animals and Why They Matter by Mary Midgley (excerpt)Thursday, July 19th *Student presentations Topic: Species“Are All Species Equal?” by David Schmidtz“How to Worry about Endangered Species” by Tom Regan“Why Do Species Matter?” by Lilly-Marlene Russow*Short writing assignment due by 11:59 pm on Saturday, July 21st Week Four Monday, July 23rd *Student presentationsTopic: Eating habits, animals, and the environmentThe Ethics of What We Eat by Peter Singer and Jim Mason (excerpts)“Meat Is Good for You” by Stuart Patton “Ethics and Genetically Modified Foods” by Gary ComstockTuesday, July 24th *Student presentationsTopic: Animal ethicsFilm and discussion, TBAWednesday, July 25th *Student presentations Topic: Global justice and the environment“Don’t Stop Thinking about Tomorrow: Two Paradoxes about Duties to Future Generations” by David Boonin-Vail“Do We Consume Too Much?” by Mark Sagoff“Redefining the Good Life in a Sustainable Society” by Lester W. MillbrathThursday, July 26th *Student presentations Topic: Global justice and the environment (cont’d)Film and discussion, TBA*Short writing assignment due by 11:59 pm on Saturday, July 28th Week Five Monday, July 30th Topic: Global justice and the environment (cont’d)“Living on a Lifeboat” by Garrett Hardin“The Tragedy of the Commons” by Garrett Hardin“The Real Tragedy of the Commons” by Stephen GardinerTuesday, July 31st Topic: Global justice and the environment (cont’d)“Recent Population Trends” by Elizabeth Willott“Sustainability and Intergenerational Justice” by Brian Barry“Global Environment and International Inequality” by Henry ShueWednesday, August 1st Topic: Global justice and the environment (cont’d)“Feeding People versus Saving Nature?” by Holmes Rolston III“Saving Nature, Feeding People, and Ethics” by Robin AttfieldThursday, August 2nd Field trip*Short writing assignment due by 11:59 pm on Saturday, August 4th Week Six Monday, August 6th Topic: Climate change“Selling Environmental Indulgences” by Robert E. Goodin“Ethics and Global Climate Change” by Stephen M. Gardiner“Ethics, Public Policy, and Global Warming” by Dale JamiesonTuesday, August 7th Topic: Climate change (cont’d)“Winners and Losers in a Changing Climate” New York Times ()Climate Change Justice by Eric Posner and David Weisbach (excerpts)Wednesday, August 8th Film and discussion, TBAThursday, August 9th Topic: Activism and advocacy“Environmental Philosophy Is Environmental Activism: The Most Radical and Effective Kind” by J. Baird Callicott“Taking Environmental Ethics Public” by Andrew Light“The Environmentalists’ Dilemma: Dollars and Sand Dollars” by Bryan G. Norton *Final project due by 11:59 pm on Friday, August 10th ................
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