ENVST--‐UA.400/PHL--‐UA.0053
Ethics and the Environment
Fall 2016
Lecture: meets MW 2:00-3:15 pm in Global Center for Academic and Spiritual Life (rm. 269) with Duncan Purves
ENVST-UA/PHIL UA Recitation section 002: meets Tue 12.30 PM - 1.45 PM at 25W4 C-3 with Chelsea Rosenthal
ENVST-UA/PHIL UA Recitation section 003: meets Wed 5.00 PM - 6.15 PM at BOBS 837 with Chelsea Rosenthal
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces philosophical ethics through their application to environmental issues. It requires no prior background in philosophy. We will discuss an array of questions relevant to environmental ethics, including: are ethics “real” and does our ethical vocabulary refer to objective facts about the word? What ethical framework is appropriate for tackling environmental issues? What kinds of things (humans, animals, plants, and ecosystems) have moral worth or morally relevant interests? How do we weigh the interests of the current generation against the interests of future generations when choosing environmental policies? Are the emissions of western countries unjust? How do we balance conservation of species against the interests of indigenous people? Do our ethical obligations to protect the environment prohibit us from procreating? The two main goals of the course are to provide students with a more sophisticated conceptual vocabulary to make and evaluate ethical arguments across domains and to engage students’ ethical reasoning and reflection on environmental issues in particular.
Instructor: Duncan Purves
Contact:
Office hours: M & W 3:30-‐5:00 pm and by appointment.
To reserve an appointment during office hours: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UUVFTXdJaU9hMVZqfGRlZmF1bHR8NzcyMzFkOGUzMDU3NGJhOGZiNDMyM2U1NDE2NTI4ZjE
Office location: 285 Mercer, Rm 908
Teaching Assistant: Chelsea Rosenthal
Contact:
Office hours: M 12:00—1:45 pm and by appointment, in 5 Washington Place (Philosophy Building), Rm 414
To book an appointment during office hours: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UVB0bmtQLUlOQkhJfGRlZmF1bHR8MjdlM2YzNGIyMGY1NDdhMWE3MTUxNGNkYTIyZmUzMzc*
* If you ‘drop in’ to office hours you may have to wait for students who made reservations to finish their meeting. You may email either instructor to set up a meeting outside of office hours.
READINGS
Readings can be found in the form of PDFs on the course website or as chapters of books in NYU’s Ebrary system. Ebrary books you will need to access:
Jamieson, Dale. 2008. Ethics and the Environment. Cambridge
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Short paper (150 pts): Students will be required to write one short paper (900—1000 words). This paper is due on MONDAY, 10/24 More details TBD
2. Long paper (250 pts): Students will be required to write one long paper (1400-1500 words). The long paper is due WEDNESDAY, 12/14. More details TBD.
Recommended: Jim Pryor’s guides to philosophical terms and methods, reading philosophy, and writing a philosophy paper, available here: http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/vocab/index.html,
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html,
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html
3. Exam 1 (250 pts): Exam 1 will cover all material covered up to the date of the exam, WEDNESDAY, 10/19
4. Exam 2 (250 pts): Exam 2 will cover all material covered between Exam 1 and the date of Exam 2, WEDNESDAY, 12/7*
*Each exam may consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions.
5. Class Participation and discussion questions (100 pts): Class participation includes contributing in a healthy way to class discussion and regularly attending class. You will also be required to bring one discussion question to each recitation meeting.
GRADING SCALE:
Your final letter grades will be computed according to the following 1000 point scale:
925-1000 A
895-925 A-
875-895 B+
825-875 B
795-825 B-
775-795 C+
725-775 C
695-725 C-
675-695 D+
625-675 D
600-625 D-
0----595 F
Grades that fall exactly on the upper threshold are awarded the higher grade.
COURSE WEBSITE
Pdf readings can be found on the course website “Ethics & the Environment,” accessible through NYU Classes
CLASSROOM CONDUCT
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment. Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals and topics dealing with differences of race, culture, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender, gender variance, and nationalities. Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name. I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun. Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.
Please note: Please turn off your cellphone (don’t just silence it) when you enter the classroom. You get one cellphone warning per semester. Further warnings will result in you being asked to leave the classroom. If you use a laptop for readings and notes, please disable your wireless connection when you enter the classroom. Please leave any material not related to this course in your bag during class.
DISABILITIES ACCOMMODATION (From the University Website)
Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities
New York University is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and participation for students with disabilities. It is the University’s policy that no qualified student with a disability be excluded from participating in any University program or activity, denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or otherwise subjected to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity.
The Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) determines qualified disability status and assists students in obtaining appropriate accommodations and services. CSD operates according to anIndependent Living Philosophyand strives in its policies and practices to empower each student to become as independent as possible. Our services are designed to encourage independence, backed by a strong system of supports.
Any student who needs a reasonable accommodation based on a qualified disability is required to register with the CSD for assistance.
Disability Disclosure Statement Academic accommodations are available to any student with a chronic, psychological, visual, mobility, learning disability, or who is deaf or hard of hearing. Students should please register with the Moses Center for Students with Disabilities at 212-998-4980.
NYU's Henry and Lucy Moses Center for Students with Disabilities
726 Broadway, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10003-6675
Telephone: 212-998- 4980
Voice/TTY Fax: 212-995- 4114
Web site: http://www.nyu.edu/csd
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES
See the following link for NYU’s policy regarding religious observances: https://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/compliance/documents/religious_holidays.pdf
ACADEMIC HONESTY AND SUPPORT
Plagiarism results in failure in the class and referral to your academic dean. It includes: copying sentences or fragments from any source without quotes and references; not citing a source used in your papers; using internet information without proper citation; presenting someone else’s work as your own; or inadvertently copying verbatim from any source. More detail can be found at http://cas.nyu.edu/page/academicintegrity. NYU offers academic support and tutoring at the University Learning Center: www.nyu.edu/cas/ulc, (212) 998-8085.
You can find more student support services below:
The NYU Student Resource Center (212-998-4411.http://www.nyu.edu/src)
The NYU Wellness Exchange (for personal support and assistance) (212-443-9999 http://www.nyu.edu/999)
The NYU Center for Multicultural Education and Programs (212-998-4343 http://www.nyu.edu/cmep)
The NYU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queers Student Center at(212-998-4424 http://www.nyu.edu/lgbt)
The NYU Student Health Service at(212-443-1000 http://www.nyu.edu/shc)
NYU Counseling & Behavioral Health Services at(212-998-4780 http://www.nyu.edu/counseling)
EMAIL:
The best way to reach me is by email (). Although I typically check my email numerous times per day, you shouldn’t expect me to reply to an email before the next business day. In particular, please plan ahead if you have questions before major assignments are due. I am happy to answer whatever questions you have over email, so long as they are the kinds of questions that can be answered in just a few sentences. I would prefer that you ask more involved questions during my office hours.
*I will occasionally email the class list with important information, like changes in the reading, discussion questions, or modifications for assignments. Therefore, please check your email regularly.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Date / Topic / ReadingsW 9/7 / Welcome to the course, welcome to philosophy! Styles
of ethical reasoning.
Outline of the course. Why environmental ethics? / Make sure you have access to Jamieson’s book Ethics and the Environment through Ebrary and to the course website where PDFs will be posted.
Recommended: Jim Pryor’s guides to philosophical terms and methods, reading philosophy, and writing a philosophy paper, available here: http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/vocab/index.html,
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/reading.html,
http://www.jimpryor.net/teaching/guidelines/writing.html
Unit 1: Some Background in Ethical Theory
M 9/12 / Environmental problems as ethical problems / Jamieson, ch. 1, “The environment as an ethical question”
Brennan and Lo. “The Early Development of Environmental Ethics” from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Sections 1 and 2), available online here: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-environmental/
W 9/14 / Challenges to ethics: amoralism, theism, relativism ethics / Jamieson, Ch.2, “Human morality”
Rachels, J., and Rachels S. 2011. “The Challenge of Cultural Relativism,” from The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill Education.
Huemer, “Moral Knowledge,” from Ethical Intuitionism. Palgrave Macmillan (Sections 5.1 and 5.5)
M 9/19 / Normative ethical
theories: consequentialism, deontology, virtue theory. / Jamieson, ch. 4, “Normative ethics.”
W 9/21 / The Ethics of Belief / Clifford. 1877. “The Ethics of Belief,” Contemporary Review.
Anderson, E. “Democracy, Public Policy, and Lay Assessments of Scientific Testimony”
In-class Video: Political Irrationality
Unit 2: Anthropocentric Issues in Environmental Ethics
M 9/26 / Climate Science / IPCC, 2014: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change. Contribution of Working Group III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
W 9/28 / Do my emissions make a difference? / Sinnott-Armstrong, “It’s not My Fault: Global Warming and Individual Moral Obligations”
M 10/3 / Populations growth, pollution, and resource over-exploitation / Hardin, G. 1968. “Tragedy of the Commons.” Science, 162, 1243--‐1248.
W 10/5 / The global carbon sink and the tragedy of the commons: climate change and global justice / Shue, H. 2010. “Global Environment and International Inequality.” In Gardiner, S.M. et al. eds. Climate Ethics: Essential Readings. Oxford. (Accessible through Ebrary)
M 10/10 / Fall Recess, No Class
W 10/12 / Environmental justice / Shrader-Frechette. 2005. “Introduction” from Environmental Justice: Creating Equality, Reclaiming Democracy. Oxford.
Visit the Environmental
Protection Agency’s website on environmental justice here: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/
M 10/17 / Sustainability, future generations, and the non‐identity problem / Nolt. 2014. “Long-term Anthropocentrism,” sec. 4.5—4.6.4. Environmental Ethics for the Long Term: An Introduction. Routledge.
Parfit, D. 2010. “Energy Policy and the Further Future,” in Climate Ethics: Essential Readings. Oxford. Available on NYU’s Ebrary.
Unit 3: Non-Anthropocentric Issues in Environmental Ethics
W 10/19 / Exam 1
M 10/24 / Speciesism and challenging anthropocentrism
Short Paper Due / Jamieson, ch. 5.1--‐5.2.
Norton, B.G. 1984. “Environmental Ethics and Weak Anthropocentrism.” Environmental Ethics, 6, 2.
W 10/26 / Eating animals / Jamieson, ch. 5.3-5.4
Pollan, M. 2003. “An Animal’s Place.” New York Times. Here: http://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/an-animals-place/
Recommended: Wallace, D. F. 2004. “Consider the Lobster” Gourmet Here:
http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2004/08/consider_the_lobster18ff.html?currentPage=1
M 10/31 / Anderson, E. 2004. “Animal Rights and the Values of Nonhuman Life” In Sunstein and Nussbaum (eds.). Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions. Oxford.
W 11/2 / Zoos / Jamieson, D. 2003. “Against Zoos.” In Morality’s Progress: Essays on Humans, Other Animals, and the Rest of Nature. Oxford.
M 11/7 / Biocentric Individualism / Muir, Cedar Keys
Jamieson, ch. 6.1.
Woolf, V. 1942. “The Death of the Moth” from The Death of the Moth: and other Essays. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co.
Taylor. 1981. “Biocentric Egalitarianism,” Environmental Ethics 3
Recommended: Schweitzer, A. “Reverence for Life” from The Philosophy of Civilization. Prometheus Books
W 11/9 / Biocentric Holism / Partridge, E. 1993. “The Philosophical Foundations of Aldo Leopold’s ‘Land Ethic’” igc.org/gadfly.
Russow, L. 1981. “Why Do Species Matter?” Environmental Ethics, 3, 101--‐112.
Optional: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2015/1102/Why-hunting-of-Yellowstone-grizzly-bears-could-resume
M 11/14 / Species Preservation and Conservation / Sober, Elliott. 1986. “Philosophical Problems for Environmentalism.” In B.G. Norton, ed. The Preservation of Species.
Biotech Firm 3-D Prints Rhino Horn
W 11/16 / Plural Values, conservation, and human livelihoods / Jamieson, ch. 6.3--‐6.5.
Recommended: Jacobson, R. 2011. “Number One With a Bullet.” Outside. Here: http://www.outsideonline.com/1819076/number-one-bullet
M 11/21 / Conservation and Indigenous People / Dowie, M. “Conservation Refugees” Orion Magazine. Here: https://orionmagazine.org/article/conservation-refugees/
W 11/23 / Thanksgiving Break
M 11/28 / Ecocentrism and Deep Ecology / Jamieson, 6.2.
Naess, A. 1973. “The Shallow and the Deep, Long--‐Range Ecology Movement.” Inquiry, 16, 95--‐100.
Recommended: Stone, C. 1972. “Should Trees Have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects.” Southern California Law Review, 45, 450--‐501.
W 11/30 / Wilderness, Nature, and their critics / Muir, J. 1912. “Hetch Hetchy Valley”
Vogel, S. 2011. “Why ‘Nature’ Has No Place in Environmental Ethics” in Kaebnick (ed.) The Ideal of Nature: Debates about Biotechnology and the Environment. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Scientists say that 'nature' is entirely gone
M 12/5 / Critiquing Wilderness Conservation / Guha, R. 1989. “Radical Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: a Third World Critique.” Environmental Ethics 11: 71--‐83
W 12/7 / Exam 2
M 12/12 / Case Study: Climate Change and Procreation / Having Children Brings High Carbon Impact: NYT (2009)
Guardian: Half of all US food produce is thrown away, new research suggests
Young, T. 2001. “Overconsumption and Procreation: Are they Morally Equivalent?” Journal of Applied Philosophy 18(2).
T 12/13 / Meet according to Monday Schedule
Case Study: Geo-engineering / Gardiner, S. 2010. “Is Arming the Future with Geo-engineering Really the Lesser Evil?” In Climate Ethics: Essential Readings
W 12/14 / Long Paper Due / Final Class Period. Course recap and a bit about the value of a liberal arts education
Recommended: Target cashier finds Internet fame after his patience and kindness to customer goes viral