Doing Environmental Ethics

by Traer, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780813343976
• ISBN10: 0813343976
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-02-24
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

Doing Environmental Ethics offers a way to face our ecological crisis that draws on environmental science, economic theory, international law, religious teachings, and philosophical arguments. It engages readers in constructing ethical presumptions based on our duty (to other persons, species, and ecosystems), our character (personal virtues), our relationships (with other persons and nature), and our rights (to sustainable development and a healthy environment). Then it tests these moral presumptions by predicting the likely consequences of acting on them. Readers apply what they have learned to specific policy issues discussed in the final Part of the book: sustainable consumption, environmental policy, clean air and water, agriculture, managing public lands, urban ecology, and climate change. Questions after each chapter and a worksheet aid readers in deciding how to live more responsibly as consumers and as citizens. "What you do matters," Robert Traer writes, "and the person you are also matters. In ethics we look for reasons to explain why this is so." Book jacket.

Author Biography

Robert Traer led the International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) from 1990-2000. He served with the Ecumenical Accompaniment program in Israel/Palestine sponsored by the World Council of Churches. In 2002 he was a resident scholar at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies in Israel. He is a member of the core faculty at Dominican University and teaches courses in ethics and religion.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Ethics and Science
Moral Philosophy: An Adventure in Reasoning	p. 3
Right and Good	p. 4
Reasoning about Our Feelings	p. 6
Environmental Ethics	p. 9
Learning from Diverse Theories	p. 10
Doing Ethics Together	p. 13
Questions-Moral Philosophy: An Adventure in Reasoning	p. 17
Ethics and Science: Moral Consideration	p. 19
What We Know and Can't Know	p. 20
An Evolving Theory of Evolution	p. 22
Ecosystems and Emergent Properties	p. 25
Ascribing Value to Nature	p. 29
Questions-Ethics and Science: Moral Consideration	p. 33
Ethics and Economics: The Common Good	p. 35
Invisible Hand?	p. 35
Economic and Ethical Issues	p. 37
Globalization and Economic Growth	p. 40
Green Economics	p. 45
Questions-Ethics and Economics: The Common Good	p. 50
Constructing and Testing Ethical Presumptions
Duty: Nature and Future Generations	p. 55
Doing Our Duty	p. 55
Right Action	p. 58
Commanded by God: Jews and Muslims	p. 60
Government, Land, and Property	p. 62
Applying the Golden Rule	p. 65
Animals, Species, Ecosystems, and Landscapes	p. 67
Questions-Duty: Nature and Future Generations	p. 68
Character: Ecological Virtues	p. 71
Being Good	p. 72
Children's Stories	p. 75
Christian Stewardship	p. 76
Virtues: Integrity, Gratitude, and Frugality	p. 81
Respecting and Appreciating Nature	p. 83
Questions-Character: Ecological Virtues	p. 85
Relationships: Empathy and Integrity	p. 87
Empathy Is Natural	p. 88
Culture and Human Nature	p. 90
Deep Ecology	p. 94
Ecofeminism: A Social Ecology	p. 97
Ecological Integrity	p. 100
Questions-Relationships: Empathy and Integrity	p. 102
Rights: Humans and Animals?	p. 103
Human Rights Law	p. 104
Environmental Rights	p. 108
Animal Rights?	p. 111
A Rights Strategy	p. 117
Questions-Rights: Humans and Animals?	p. 118
Consequences: Predicting the Future	p. 121
Utilitarianism	p. 122
Animal Suffering	p. 124
Cost-Benefit Analysis	p. 128
Biocentric Consequentialism	p. 130
Scientific Consequences	p. 134
Questions-Consequences: Predicting the Future	p. 136
Worksheet	p. 138
Learning from Nature
Ecological Living: Sustainable Consumption	p. 145
Duty: To Reduce Our Consumption	p. 146
Character: Consumer Choices	p. 146
Relationships: Our Natural Community	p. 152
Rights: To a Healthy Environment	p. 154
Consequences: Sustainable Consumption	p. 157
Questions-Ecological Living: Sustainable Consumption	p. 161
Environmental Policy: Governments, Corporations, NGOs	p. 163
Governments: International and US Policies	p. 163
Corporations: Moral Leadership	p. 166
Nongovernmental Organizations: Advocacy and Action	p. 173
Collaborative Strategies: GLWQA and the Apollo Alliance	p. 176
Consequences: Incentives and Taxes	p. 178
Questions-Environmental Policy: Governments, Corporations, NGOs	p. 181
Air and Water: A Healthy Environment	p. 183
The Earth's Atmosphere	p. 183
Air: Pollution and Greenhouse Gases	p. 184
Water: Quality and Scarcity	p. 189
Economic Predictions: Shortsighted	p. 195
Questions-Air and Water: A Healthy Environment	p. 198
Agriculture: Land and Food	p. 201
Nature's Cycles	p. 202
Industrial Agriculture	p. 203
Poor Farmers	p. 208
Sustainable Farming	p. 210
Questions-Agriculture: Land and Food	p. 216
Public Land: Adaptive Management	p. 219
Conservationists versus Preservationists	p. 220
National Forests and Parks	p. 223
Restoring Deserts and Wetlands	p. 226
Wildlife Reserves in Asia and Africa	p. 230
Ethical and Legal Presumptions	p. 234
Questions-Public Land: Adaptive Management	p. 234
Urban Ecology: Building Green	p. 237
The Built Environment	p. 238
Transportation	p. 243
Water and Waste	p. 245
Sustainable Cities	p. 248
Consequences	p. 251
Questions-Urban Ecology: Building Green	p. 255
Climate Change: Global Warming	p. 257
The Carbon Cycle	p. 258
Responsibility	p. 259
Predicting Consequences	p. 263
Taking Action	p. 271
Questions-Climate Change: Global Warming	p. 274
Notes	p. 275
Bibliography	p. 349
Index	p. 357
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