Environmental Philosophy (INTD 425)
Manchester University, Spring 2018 Instructor: Steve Naragon
Reading and Assignment Schedule
Required Texts
• Pojman and Pojman, Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Application, 5th ed. (Thomson/Wadsworth, 2008). [ISBN: 978-0-495-09503-3]
• Additional required readings (available with the links below) from John Locke, Robert Solow, Martha Nussbaum, Chief Seattle, Amartya Sen, and others. When I have access to a PDF of the anthology reading, I’ll include a link to that as well.
Print these few articles and bring to class!
Various assignment due dates are listed below. Your work should be submitted on Canvas, in the appropriate drop box or discussion forum. There are five Discussion Forums, and for each you will need to write one post and two comments; due dates for these are listed in the schedule below.
The other due dates are all related to the short research essay (indicated below as: Research Essay).
(The “Additional Material” listed with many of the topics, below, is offered for your continued exploration, as time allows. Some of these items are brief and easily assimilated; others are quite lengthy.)
Thu, Feb 1
Introduction to the class.
DF #1 is due at midnight on Friday, Feb 2 (see Canvas) [rubric]
Private Property and the Public Good
Tue, Feb 6
Is the Privatization of Common Resources the Best Way to Preserve Them?
Reading: Garrett Hardin, “The Tragedy of the Commons” (#45)[pdf].
Comments on DF #1 are due at midnight (see Canvas) [rubric]
Tuesday Essay: Why does Hardin believe that using a common resource (a “commons”) will result in tragedy? Does he offer a way to avoid this tragedy? What do you think?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Feb 8
Where Does Private Property Come From?
Reading: John Locke, “Of Property” [pdf]; Chief Seattle, “If we sell you our land…” [pdf].
Additional Material [show]
Tue, Feb 13
Justice and Future Generations
Reading: Robert Solow, “Sustainability: An Economist’s Perspective” [pdf].
Tuesday Essay: We often speak of “sustainable practices” or “sustainable development” or a “sustainable lifestyle” — these are all good things, no doubt, but what does it mean to be “sustainable”? Do you agree with Solow’s account?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Feb 15
Distributive Justice as Fairness
Reading: Martha Nussbaum, “The Enduring Significance of John Rawls” [pdf].
Small Solutions Research Project: Please write a brief paragraph that describes the research topic or topics that you are considering, and upload into the "Topic Selection" dropbox on Canvas.
Additional Material [show]
Population, Consumption, and
Food Ethics
Tue, Feb 20
Are We Living on a Lifeboat?
Reading: Garrett Hardin, “Lifeboat Ethics” (#49)[pdf]; William Murdoch and Allan Oaten, “Critique of Lifeboat Ethics” (#50)[pdf].
Tuesday Essay: How would you characterize the principle of distributive justice (that is, the rule for deciding who gets to be in the boat) that Hardin uses in his discussion of lifeboat ethics? Do you agree with Hardin’s argument?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Feb 22
Patterns of Consumption
Reading: Bill McKibben, “A Special Moment in History: The Challenge of Overpopulation and Overconsumption” (#44); Gary Gardner, Erik Assadourian, and Radhika Sarin, “The State of Consumption” (#47) [pdf].
DF #2 is due at midnight on Friday (see Canvas) [rubric]
Additional Material [show]
Tue, Feb 27
Population and Vegetarianism
Reading: Michael Allen Fox, “Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly” (#55).
Comments on DF #2 are due at midnight (see Canvas) [rubric]
Tuesday Essay: Suppose someone dismissed Fox’s arguments for a vegetarian diet by noting that “what I eat is my own business, and so is of no concern of yours.” How might Fox respond? What do you think?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Mar 1
When our Neighbors Starve
Reading: Mylan Engel, Jr., “Hunger, Duty, and Ecology” (#51); Amartya Sen, “Property and Hunger” [pdf].
Small Solutions Research Project: Thesis paragraph and preliminary list of (at least two) sources (Canvas).
Additional Material [show]
Tue, Mar 6
First Exam [study guide]
On The Moral Standing of
Non-Human Animals
Thu, Mar 8
Animal Welfare
Reading: Peter Singer, “Animal Liberation” (#9)[pdf].
DF #3 is due at midnight on Friday (see Canvas) [rubric]
Additional Material [show]
Tue, Mar 13
Animal Rights
Reading: Tom Regan, “The Radical Egalitarian Case” (#10); Mary Ann Warren, “A Critique of Regan” (#11).
Comments on DF #3 are due at midnight (see Canvas) [rubric]
Tuesday Essay: Given Singer’s utilitarian orientation, would he support the hunting of animals as a means to control their population? (In our area, for instance, whitetail deer lack the natural predators necessary to control their population.) Would Regan or Warren support such hunting practices?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Mar 15
How Wide is our Moral Community?
Reading: Kenneth Goodpaster, “On Being Morally Considerable” (#18) [pdf].
Spring Break
Species, Biodiversity, and
Valuing Nature
Tue, Mar 27
Valuing Species
Reading: Donella Meadow, “Biodiversity” (#30); Lilly-Marlene Russow, “Why Do Species Matter?” (#31).
Tuesday Essay: Should we value members of rare species more than species that are not endangered? For instance, is there any good reason to value a California condor over a turkey buzzard? (That is, to put more effort and resources into their protection?)
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Mar 29
Extending Legal Rights
Reading: Christopher Stone, “Should Trees Have Standing?” (#34).
Small Solutions Research Project: Upload a first draft of your essay to Canvas. [rubric]
Additional Material [show]
Economics and the Environment
Tue, Apr 3
Optimal Pollution
Reading: William Baxter, “People or Penguins” (#58).
Tuesday Essay: Baxter argues two distinct but related points: There is an optimal level of pollution, and this should be decided strictly in terms of human well-being. Do you agree? Why or why not?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Apr 5
Citizens and Consumers
Reading: Mark Sagoff, “At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima (#68).
Additional Material [show]
Tue, Apr 10
Can We Value Anything?
Reading: Martin Krieger, “What’s Wrong with Plastic Trees?” [pdf].
Small Solutions Research Project: Upload the final draft of your essay to Canvas. [rubric]
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Apr 12
Second Exam [study guide]
The Land Ethic and Beyond
Tue, Apr 17
Religion and Ecology
Reading: Lynn White, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis” (#2).
Tuesday Essay: What effects do you think that religious belief has had on how humans understand and interact with the natural environment? (Examples?) Are these effects positive or negative, and are they significant?
Small Solutions Research Project: Upload your poster to Canvas. [rubric]
Additional Material [show]
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Thu, Apr 19
Leopold’s Land Ethic
Reading: Aldo Leopold, “The Land Ethic” (#19); J. Baird Callicott, “Conceptual Foundations” (#20).
DF #4 is due at midnight on Friday (see Canvas) [rubric]
Additional Material [show]
Tue, Apr 24
Deep Ecology
Reading: Arne Naess, “Shallow and Deep Ecology” (#24); Arne Naess, “Ecosophy T” (#25); Bill Devall and George Sessions (#26).
Comments on DF #4 are due at midnight (see Canvas) [rubric]
Tuesday Essay: Compare Leopold’s land ethic with the deep ecology presented by Arne Naess. Which do you find more compelling?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, Apr 26
Social Ecology
Reading: Murray Bookchin, “Social Ecology vs Deep Ecology” (#28).
Additional Material [show]
Environmental Justice
Tue, May 1
Environmental Racism
Reading: Robert Bullard, “Overcoming Racism” (#70); Peter Wenz, “Just Garbage” (#72).
Tuesday Essay: Explain Wenz’s “Principle of Commensurate Burdens and Benefits”. Do you agree with this principle? What implications does it have for where we put our garbage?
Additional Material [show]
Thu, May 3
Third World Critiques
Reading: Ramachandra Guha, “Radical Environmentalism” (#39)[pdf]; Maria Mies, “Deceiving the Third World” (#73).
DF #5 is due at midnight on Friday (see Canvas) [rubric]
Additional Material [show]
Tue, May 8
Capitalism and Conservation
Reading: Lisa Newton, “The Chainsaws of Greed” [pdf].
Comments on DF #5 are due at midnight (see Canvas) [rubric]
Tuesday Essay: (no essay this week)
Additional Material [show]
Thu, May 10
Resisting the Machines
Reading: Dave Foreman, “Strategic Monkeywrenching” (#81); Michael Martin, “Ecosabotage” (#80).
Additional Material [show]
Finals Week
Third Exam [study guide]
Tuesday, May 15 (1:00-2:50 pm)
Manchester University // Registrar // Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies // Last updated: 9 May 2018