Spring 2011

Ethics and the Environment

Listed in: Environmental Studies, as ENST-28  |  Philosophy, as PHIL-25

Faculty

Thomas R. Kearns (Section 01)

Description

(Offered as PHIL 25 and ENST 28.) As our impact on the environment shows itself in increasingly dramatic ways, our interaction with the environment has become an important topic of cultural and political debate.  In this course we will discuss various philosophical issues that arise in such debates, including: What obligations, if any, do we have to future generations, to non-human animals, and to entire ecosystems?  How should we act when we are uncertain exactly how our actions will affect the environment?  How should we go about determining environmental policy?  And how should we implement the environmental policies we decide upon?  What is the most appropriate image of nature?

Limited to 30 students. Professor Kearns. Spring Semester.

If Overenrolled: Amherst students will have first preference, then seniors, then juniors, then by lot among those registered and attending on the first day

Offerings

2022-23: Not offered
Other years: Offered in Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Spring 2014, Spring 2016, Fall 2018