Time Schedule:
Joseph T. Ricci
PHIL 243
Seattle Campus
Focuses on some of the philosophical questions that arise in connection with environmental studies. Topics to be considered include: the ideological roots of current issues, values and the natural world, public policy and risk assessment, intergenerational justice, and social change. Offered: jointly with ENVIR 243.
Class description
Environmentalists all agree that we should care for the environment, protect it, preserve it, etc. This course asks them: “why should we care for the environment?” It turns out that various philosophers and environmentalists answer this question very differently. The bulk of our work will be reading foundational papers in the discipline to begin to see the various reasons one might have for considering environmental issues. By doing so we will slowly arrive at a general picture of how those multifarious reasons compare and contrast philosophically. No previous environmental or philosophical background is required, although a sense of humor is strongly recommended. TEXT: Environmental Ethics: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies) [Paperback], Andrew Light (Editor), Holmes Rolston III (Editor)
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