PHIL 15.1
Environmental Ethics
Professor Vitrano
We currently face a multitude of environmental problems such as deforestation, soil loss, water and air pollution, desertification, loss of species habitat, loss of biodiversity, suburban sprawl, escalating populations, escalating consumption, global warming, among others. Many of these threats to nature are caused by human beings.
The movement in environmental ethics seeks to bring about social and political changes in the way we understand the value of nature and how we organize human societies. Environmental ethics is a branch of applied ethics that focuses on the moral grounds for protecting non-human animals and their natural habitats, and it is concerned with describing the value of the non-human natural world and determining the appropriate ethical response to that value.
This course will begin with an examination of what environmental ethics is, and whose interests (humans, animals, plants, ecosystems) it should take into consideration. We will also consider the question of the intrinsic value of nature or whether its value in some way depends on human beings and their interests. Other issues that will be discussed include the deep ecology movement, ecofeminism, the sustainability of our natural resources, and whether we should “restore” nature. At the end of the course, we will consider several human social issues, including the tension between feeding starving people and saving nature, and questions of international justice.
If you have any questions or would like to talk about this course, stop by during my office hours (room 3315) or email me at cvitrano@brooklyn.cuny.edu.
