Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the moral relationship of human beings to, and also the value and moral status of, the environment and its nonhuman contents. A discussion of basic concepts in ethical theory in part i is followed by an application of these thoughts across a variety of major environmental problems such as pollution, population, animals in part ii. For this reason the following inventory is selective. Ron epstein i originally constructed this web site primarily for the benefit of the students in my classes at san francisco state university, from which i am now retired. An introduction to environmental philosophy introduces you to ethical theory in new and easily understood ways. Rather than overviewing abstract conceptual categories, the authors focus on specific controversies involving the environment. Ethics in a general sense can be interpreted as moral philosophy in which we look upon as what is right and what is wrong. Though ethics dates back to time immemorial, environmental ethics has come into lime light only recently.
Leever, wileyblackwell, 2009, a casebased approach to introducing ethics and. Nonetheless, the papers chosen are very wideranging in difficulty, meaning that both the introductory and. From science to synthesis with frank golley, 2000, and coauthor of ethics in action with peggy connolly, becky coxwhite, and martin g. Other articles where environmental ethics is discussed. The big questions presents a series of interdisciplinary readings that examine the moral dimensions of the delicate relationship between human beings and the environment. This brief yet wideranging introduction to environmental ethics offers an overview of the major issues and schools of thought in the field. Ethics in earlier times, as nature loving, man led a calm and peaceful life, without inflicting much harm to the nature and its. Aug 16, 2002 he is often called the father of environmental ethics as an academic discipline and was featured in fifty key thinkers on the environment 2001.
The text opens with a series of case studies in which engineers. Synopsis this work undertakes an analysis of how heidegger s thought can contribute to environmental ethics and to the more broadly conceived field of environmental philosophy. Environmental ethics ebook by 9781118658017 rakuten kobo. Succeeding chapters examine different ideas about environmental ethics for engineers, including professional codes and both modern and historical discussions of environmental responsibility. May 04, 2014 until recently, given the relative scarcity of courses in environmental ethics and philosophy, maintaining a collection of syllabi for such courses was an invaluable service. Spring 2012 environmental ethics syllabus course format classroom sessions will be both lecture and discussion. The field of environmental ethics concerns human beings ethical relationship with. Environmental ethics five books expert recommendations. According to environmental ethics, humans are part of the natural community rather than managers of it. Andrew light is assistant professor of environmental philosophy at new york university, and research fellow at the institute for environment, philosophy, and public policy at lancaster university, uk. Environmental ethics starts with human concerns for a quality. This terrific book delivers mostly on the subtitle.
Jan, 2012 environmental ethics, fifth edition offers brief yet wideranging introduction to issues of environmental ethics and major schools of thought in the field. He specializes in business ethics and environmental ethics and has also published contemporary issues in business ethics fifth edition, wadsworth, 2005 with john mccall. Such an ethic places limits on human activities such as uncontrolled resource use that may adversely affect the natural community. Keller is professor of philosophy and director of the center for the study of ethics at utah valley university. The second edition of environmental ethics combines a strong theoretical foundation with applications to some of the most pressing environmental problems. Environmental ethics covers all aspects of humanitys moral relationship with the environment. In addition to books on environmental ethics, he has also published works on health care ethics, public policy, and paternalistic intervention. I sketch the major debates in the field from its inception in the 1970s to today, explaining both the central tenets of the schools of thought within the field and the arguments. The routledge companion to environmental ethics routledge. His confrontation with nietzsche, his contributions to environmental philosophy suny series in environmental philosophy and ethics storey, david e. Articles included in this anthology are distinguished for their relevance to reallife policy making and for their ability to promote rich and lively discussion about. The main competing paradigms are anthropocentrism, physiocentrism called ecocentrism as well, and theocentrism.
This book makes the case that engineers have special professional obligations to protect and enhance the environment, and the authorsone an engineer and the other a philospher seek to provide an ethical basis for these obligations. An overview katie mcshane colarado state university abstract this essay provides an overview of the field of environmental ethics. Articles are welcome in any area of philosophy or environmental affairs. Donald vandeveer and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Together, these creatures shine light on a number of important issues in environmental ethics, including the tensions between animal welfare and environmentalism, the ways human interests and categories pervade even ecocentric perspectives, and the complex place of. A weaker position is the biocentric one, arguing that living things merit moral consideration. Environmental ethics san francisco state university. An anthology brings together seminal writings on the central questions in environmental ethics. Manuscripts are judged on their philosophical merit and their relevance to. Syllabi international society for environmental ethics. The routledge companion to environmental ethics is comprised of sixty original essays, which focus on how ethical questions intersect with real and pressing policy issues. Modern science and technology have brought about a unique, humancaused transformation of the earth.
The text opens with a series of case studies in which engineers face complex and challenging decisions about the environment. And obviously, environmental ethics takes up ethics in considering what moral obligations humans have to nonhuman nature. In exploring these ethical issues, the authors aim to show that engineers make a difference. Heidegger, environmental ethics, and the metaphysics of nature.
Carefully chosen selections drawn from philosophy, the social and life sciences, economics, history, legal studies, business, and literature are. Through a mix of classic and new essays, it discusses applied issues such as pollution, climate change, animal rights, biodiversity, and sustainability. Together, these creatures shine light on a number of important issues in environmental ethics, including the tensions between animal welfare and environmentalism, the ways human interests and categories pervade even ecocentric perspectives, and the complex place of science in environmental ethics and advocacy. At the outset, i am answering your question in a straight way before its further elaboration.
It looks at the status of nature and related concepts such as earth in his thought. His confrontation with nietzsche, his contributions to environmental philosophy suny series in environmental philosophy and ethics. It considers the relationship between human beings and the surrounding environment. Through a mix of classic and new essays, it discusses applied issues such as pollution, climate. Prior to the emergence of environmental ethics as an academic field, conservationists such as john muir and aldo leopold argued that the natural world has an intrinsic value, an approach informed by aesthetic appreciation of natures beauty, as well as an ethical rejection of a purely exploitative valuation of the. Environmmental ethics exerts influence on a large range of. Environmental ethics internet encyclopedia of philosophy. List of books and articles about environmental ethics. An environmental ethic refers to our natural surroundings in giving the answer. But keeping a definitive list has become impossible and largely irrelevant with the surge of offerings in recent years.
While numerous philosophers have written on this topic throughout history, environmental ethics really. The single sentence of answer here is that unless an inbuilt resistance to sin in each individual is developed based on fear for sin due to the unavoidab. A subsequent section will detail criticisms of nonanthropocentric value theories from within the literature of environmental ethics. University of notre dame is professor of philosophy at the college of saint benedict in minnesota. The role of daoism in environmental ethics in china. Rolston is the most radically ecocentric environmental ethicist of the three and marks the biggest break with modern western value theory and ethics. Environmental ethics stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Until recently, given the relative scarcity of courses in environmental ethics and philosophy, maintaining a collection of syllabi for such courses was an invaluable service. The book comprises both classic and cuttingedge essays that have formed contemporary environmental ethics, ranging from the welfare of animals versus ecosystems to theories of the intrinsic value of nature. Environmental ethics is an established field of practical philosophy which reconstructs the essential types of argumentation that can be made for protecting natural entities and the sustainable use of natural resources. Environmental ethics by michael boylan nook book ebook. A sand county almanac and sketches here and there by aldo leopold, silent spring by rachel carson. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Environmental ethics is a relatively new field within the academic world. Environmental ethics is a forum for diverse interests and attitudes, and seeks to bring together the nonprofessional environmental philosophy tradition with the professional interest in the subject. A sand county almanac and sketches here and there by aldo leopold, silent spring by rachel carson, environmental e. Consisting of an assortment of landmark essays and the best in contemporary scholarship, this anthology delves deeply into the most pressing environmental issues of our times. Nonetheless, the papers chosen are very wideranging in difficulty, meaning that both the introductory and the advanced reader can profit from this collection. Through a series of multidisciplinary readings, environmental ethics. Environmental ethics, fifth edition offers brief yet wideranging introduction to issues of environmental ethics and major schools of thought in the field. Philosophy, ecology, economics by christine pierce. Topics include conceptual approaches in ethical theory and ecological philosophy, such as deep ecology and ecological feminism as they pertain to such environmental issues as environmental education and. Through a comprehensive study of the status of nature and related concepts such as earth in the thought of martin heidegger, foltz attempts to show how heidegger s understanding of the natural environment and our relation to it offer a more promising basis for environmental philosophy than others that have so far been put forward. Environmental ethics is the discipline in philosophy that studies the. He is author of numerous books including philosophy gone wild 1986, environmental ethics 1988, conserving natural value 1997, and genes, genesis and god 1999.
Environmental ethics takes up aesthetics insofar as it concerns questions about the beauty of nature. The big questions contextualizes environmental ethics within the history of western intellectual tradition and traces the development of theory since the 1970s. Heidegger, environmental ethics, and the metaphysics of nature foltz, bruce v. Bryan norton has 1 environmental ethics and intrinsic value. Environmental philosophy is a large subject that involves epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of science, and history of philosophy, as well as such obviously normative areas as ethics, aesthetics, and political philosophy. His confrontation with nietzsche, his contributions to environmental philosophy suny series in environmental philosophy and ethics kindle edition by storey, david e download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Includes an extended introduction that provides an historical and thematic introduction to the field of environmental ethics features a selection of brief original.
Her work includes projects on environmental ethics, gender, individualism, communitarianism, and feminist ethics. Although humans have for thousands of years had measurable terrestrial impacts with fire, agriculture, and urbanization, since the industrial revolution the scope, scale, and speed of such impacts have exceeded all those in the past kates, turner, and clark 1990 and. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading naturalizing heidegger. Topics include conceptual approaches in ethical theory and ecological philosophy, such as deep ecology and ecological feminism as they pertain to such. Environmental ethics routledge encyclopedia of philosophy. A sustainable ethic is an environmental ethic by which people treat the earth as if its resources are limited. The main focus of this book is environmental ethics, but i discuss the.
He has edited or coedited thirteen books, including environmental pragmatism 1996, social ecology after bookchin 1999, and technology and the good life 2000. As environmental ethics continued to grow in the twenty. Hourdequin, who has a special interest in environmental ethics, divides the volume into two roughly equal. Until lynn white published his controversial article, the historical roots of our ecological.
It may claim that all natural things and systems are of value in their own right and worthy of moral respect. By classical accounts, ethics is people relating to people in justice and love. To know the meaning of environmental ethics to be acquainted with different kinds of views of environmental ethics to understand the concept of principle of fair carbon share. Syllabi isee international society for environmental ethics.