PHI 3682: Honors Environmental Philosophy

Fall 2002

See my Web page for Office Hours: http://wise.fau.edu/~dwhite

 

Course Description: This course provides a study of contemporary environmental philosophy, including ethical and practical issues related to the natural environment.  As part of this inquiry the course focuses on the history of ideas regarding nature, on the relevance of traditional ethical standpoints to environmental issues, and the significance of both for current scientific reportage regarding the ecological crisis.  Students will study contributions of the European philosophical tradition as well as those of other world cultures to the ideas of nature, humanity, community, and morality underlying environmental issues. They will consider ecological ideas from an interdisciplinary perspective, including the natural and social sciences as well as the humanities.  The contributions of ecological feminism to the study of gender and the environment will also be our concern. Our discussion will be both theoretical and practical, encouraging each class participant to explore options for a viable ecological ethic.  Each student will be responsible for developing her/his own point of view based on the study of primary and secondary sources.  Each will participate in class discussion, write essays and dialogues, cooperate in a group presentation, and explore the range of sources available in environmental studies. We will pay special attention to the widening range of electronic media relevant to ecological issues.   Our study will be historical, thematic, multicultural and interdisciplinary, as the character of environmental thinking requires. This course has been approved for the Environmental Studies requirement in the HC Core and for the Environmental Studies concentration.

 

This course fulfills the Gordon Rule writing requirement of 6,000 words.

Course Requirements and Grades:

1)  A series of three responses, in essay or dialogue form, written outside of class, each at least  1,000 words in length (for a total of 3,000 words): each 15% of the final grade = 45% of final grade.

2)  A series of in-class responses (assigned in class), in essay form (totaling a minimum of 1,500 words): =  altogether 20% of final grade.

3)  A final essay, written outside of class, of at least 1,000 words: 15 % of final grade.

4)  A group presentation or project, including a 500 word summary: 20% of final grade.

5)  Regular class attendance and participation are required; repeated unexcused absences will result in a reduction of grade.

6)  Essays and dialogues written outside of class will be graded for composition and content; in-class essays will be graded holistically. 

 

Students enrolled in this course agree to abide by the Honors College Honor Code.  Please review this important document:  http://www.fau.edu/divdept/honcol/students/honorcode.html

 

Required Texts and Sources:

1) Brown, Lester, State of the World 2002   (World Watch Institute): http://www.worldwatch.org/

2) ---.  Worldwatch CD ROM (Honors College Computer Lab): contains complete

publications of Worldwatch for the last 3 years.

3) Zimmerman, Michael et al.  Environmental Philosophy, 3rd Edition (abbreviated Z; all readings are

from this text  unless otherwise indicated)

4) Readings on Library Reserve (see syllabus below for authors and texts)

5) Online sources (please see syllabus below)

6) Environmental Ethics.  Leading journal in the titular field, available in our library. You may either read the issues available in the library or, for your convenience, order them online (one year, 4 issues, is $25.00, Volume 23, 2001, would be the most useful to have as it is cited most below) at: http://www.cep.unt.edu/   

7)  Ethics and the Environment is available online at Project Muse:  http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/een/.You will need to access the Muse archive either from on

    campus or with a proxy server. To set up the latter see:  http://www.library.fau.edu/ecollect/proxy.htm .

 

Syllabus

 

Week                                                      Assignments

 

1-2) August 22-29
Introductory perspectives:  Z, Ch. 1; J. Baird Callicott, “General Introduction” ; Lynn White: “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis.” Science.10 March 1967, v. 155, 1203-1207; [1] also in Reflecting on Nature, on reserve. Manussos Marangudakis: “The Medieval Roots of Our Environmental Crisis,” Environmental Ethics 23 (Fall 2001), on reserve. Brown, Preface. Film and discussion:  Waters of Destiny (on the Kissimmee River Project). Brown, Ch. 1, “The Challenge for Johannesburg” (and don’t forget to follow the news on the Johannesburg conference now proceeding).

3) September 3-5
Ethical perspectives:  Film: Bill Moyers, Earth on Edge. See the PBS Website for the program:  http://www.pbs.org/earthonedge/ ;  ;  Goodpaster, “On Being Morally Considerable” Z  56-70;  Holmes Rolston III, “Challenges in Environmental Ethics” Z 126-146 Z ; Sylvan (Routley), “Is There a Need for a New, an Environmental, Ethic?” Z  17-25; Taylor, “Ethics of Respect for Nature” Z 71-86.

4) September 10-12
 Environmental  Ethics, continued.  Leopold, “The Land Ethic” Z  97-110; Philip Cafaro, “Thoreau, Leopold, and Carson: Toward an Environmental Virtue Ethics,” Environmental Ethics 23 (Spring 2001).  Callicott, “Holistic Environmental Ethics and the Problem of Ecofascism” Z  111-125; Daniel Berthold-Bond, “The Ethics of "Place": Reflections on Bioregionalism,” Environmental Ethics vol. 22 (Spring 2000), on reserve or CD ROM.  Brown, Ch.7., “Breaking the Link between Resources and Repression”;  J. Baird Callicott: “Many Indigenous Worlds or the Indigenous World” EnvironmentalEthics  22 (Fall 2000); McPherson et al., “Indigenous Worlds and Callicott’s Land Ethic.” Environmental Ethics 22 (Fall 2000).

5) September 17-19  

Animal Liberation and Environmental Ethics: Film: Butterfly. Sagoff, “Animal Liberation, Environmental Ethics: Bad Marriage,Quick Divorce” Z 87 96;Singer,  “All Animals are Equal,”  Z 26-40; Tom Regan, “Animal Rights, Human Wrongs,” Z 41-56;  Callicott, “Animal Liberation and Environmental Ethics: Back Together Again,”  Z  147-156;         

 

6) September 24-26  Response 1 Due.

Frank Schalow, “Who Speaks for the Animals? Heidegger and the Question of Animal Welfare,” Environmental Ethics 22 (fall 2000). Brown, Ch 5, “Redirecting International Tourism.”  Beth Dixon, “Animal Emotion,” Ethics & the Environment, 6.2, Autumn 2001 (online, Project Muse). Clare Palmer: “‘Taming the Wild Profusion of Existing Things’? A Study of Foucault, Power, and Human/Animal Relationships,” Environmental Ethics 23

(Winter 2001).


7) October 1-3

Deep Ecology and Ecological Aesthetics:   Film:  Nova:  The Gaia Hypothesis. Sessions,  “Deep Ecology: Introduction,” Z 157-174;  Berry, “The Viable Human” Z 175-184; Naess, “The Deep Ecological Movement:  Some Philosophical Aspects”Z 185-203; Glasser,  “Demystifying the Critiques of Deep Ecology” Z 204-218; “Ecocentrism, Wilderness, and Global Ecosystem Protection,” Z  236-252; Simon P. James: “Thing-Centered Holism in Buddhism, Heidegger, and Deep Ecology,” Environmental Ethics 22 (Winter 2000). Emily Brady, “Aesthetic Character and Aesthetic Integrity in Environmental Conservation,” Environmental Ethics 24

(Spring 2002). 

 

8)  October 8-10            

Multicultural Perspectives:  Film:  In Light of Reverence,” Cultural conflict between Native and Euro America over the significance and use of the land;  see the  PBS Website for the film:  http://www.pbs.org/pov/inthelightofreverence/thefilm.html .   Thompson: “Environment as Cultural Heritage,” Environmental Ethics 22 (fall 2000); Vinay Lal: “Gandhi and the Ecological Vision of Life: Thinking beyond Deep Ecology,” Environmental Ethics 22 (Summer 2000);  Foltz: “Is There an Islamic Environmentalism?” Environmental Ethics 22 (spring 2000); Schmidtz: “Natural Enemies: An Anatomy of Environmental Conflict,” both in  Environmental Ethics 22 (winter 2000).  Ronnie Hawkins, “Cultural Whaling, Commodification, and Culture Change,” Environmental Ethics 23 (fall 2001).

 

 9)  October 15-17 

Ecofeminism, Gender and environmental philosophy:  Fox, “The Deep Ecology-Ecofeminism Debate and Its Parallels” Z 218-235; Karen J. Warren, “Ecofeminism: Introduction” Z 253-272; Merchant, from The Death of Nature Z 273-286, Shiva, “The Impoverishment of the Environment: Women and Children Last” Z 287-304; Curtin, “Recognizing Women’s Environmental Expertise” Z 305-321; Warren, “The Power and the Promise of Ecological Feminism” 322-342;  Goff-Yates: “Karen Warren and the Logic of Domination: A Defense” Environmental Ethics 22 (Summer 2000);  Brown, Ch. 6, “Rethinking Population,

Improving Lives.”  Mark Twine, “Ma(r)king Essence-Ecofeminism and Embodiment”; Chaone Mallory, “Acts of Objectification and the Repudiation of Dominance: Leopold, Ecofeminism, and the Ecological Narrative,” both in Ethics and the Environment 6.2 (Autumn 2001) online, Project Muse. Mary Jo Deegan and Christopher W. Podeschi, “The Ecofeminist Pragmatism of Charlotte Perkins Gilman” Environmental Ethics 23 (Spring 2001).

 

10) October 22-24          

Political and Social Perspectives: Clark, “Political Ecology: Introduction” Z 343-364; Anderson and Leal, “Free Market vs. Political Environmentalism” Z  365-375; Bliese, “Traditionalist Conservatism and Environmental Ethics” Z 376-391; Hawken, “A Declaration of Sustainability” Z 392-402;  de-Shalitt, “Is Liberalism Environmentally Friendly?” Z 403-422;  O’Connor, “Socialism and Ecology” Z 423-435;  Davidson: “Sustainable Development: Business as Usual or a New Way of Living?” Environmental Ethics 22 (Spring 2000).  Collins-Chobanian: “Beyond Sax and Welfare Interests: A Case for Environmental Rights,” Environmental Ethics 22 (Summer 2000); Mick Smith, “Environmental Anamnesis: Walter Benjamin and the Ethics of Extinction” (Winter 2001).Brown, Ch.8, “Reshaping Global Governance.”

 

11) October 29-31  Response 2 Due.

Political and Social Perspectives, con’t. Bookchin, “What is Social Ecology?” Z 436-454; Clark, “The Matter of Freedom: Ecofeminist Lessons in Social Ecology” Z 455-470;  Hadjilambrinos : “An Egalitarian Response to Utilitarian Analysis of Long-Lived Pollution” Environmental Ethics 22 (Spring 2000) ; Davradou and  Wood: “The Promotion of Individual Autonomy and Environmental Ethics,” both in  Environmental Ethics 22 (Spring 2000).  Brown, Ch. Brown, Ch. 3, “Farming in the Public Interest.” Film: Burke, After the Warming. 

 

12)  November 5-7 

Postcolonial and Postmodern Environmentalism:  Kidner: “Fabricating Nature: A Critique of the Social Construction of Nature” Environmental Ethics 22 (Winter 2000); Ramachandra Guha, “Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique,” handout and on reserve.  Daniel White, Modernity/Post-Modern Environmentalism,” The Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change.  Volume 4 (in our library). Stephen Vogel, “Environmental Philosophy after the End of Nature,” Environmental Ethics 24 (Spring 2002);  Robert Briggs, “Wild Thoughts: A Deconstructive Environmental Ethics” (Summer 2001).   Burke: After the Warming, Cont’d. Brown, Ch. 2, “Moving the Climate Change Agenda Forward.”

 

13)  November 12-14

Communication Theory, Cybernetics, Informatics and ecology: Asterios Kefalas, “The Environmentally Sustainable Organization (ESO): A Systems Approach,” Ethics and the Environment 6.2 (Autumn 2001), online, Project Muse.  Scott Friskics, “Dialogical Relations with Nature,” Environmental  Ethics 23 (Winter 2001). “A Cyborg Manifesto”: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/HPS/Haraway/CyborgManifesto.html . McCormick: “The Island of Dr. Haraway,” Environmental Ethics 22 (Winter 2000). Preston: “Conversing with Nature in a Postmodern Epistemological Framework,” Environmental Ethics 22 (Fall 2000). Eugene Thacker, “bio_informatics” Ctheory:  http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=106  ; Daniel White, “Dreams in Rebellion:The Battle of Seattle,” Ctheory:  http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=123.

 

14)  November 18-21 

        Presentations and Discussion

 

15)  November 26-28 (Nov. 28 is the Thanksgiving holiday)

       Presentations and Discussion

 

16)  December 3-5: 

       Presentations and Discussion.

 

17)  December 6-12

     Exam Week:  Final Response Due by class time, December 10.

     Presentations, if necessary.


[1] [1] Lynn White’s “Historical Roots of the Ecological Crisis” is available in the journal Science under the database JSTOR in FAU’s Electronic Collection.  The full citation is Lynn White, Jr., “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis,”  Science, New Series, Vol. 155, No. 3767. (Mar. 10, 1967), pp. 1203-1207. Go into the FAU Electronic Collection at www.fau.edu/library ; click on Journals by Title, go to Science; click on the JSTOR (rather than the Ovid) version; search the article in JSTOR by author and (partial) title.  Be sure to specify the journal (Science) from the journal list below—you’ll need to click on “advanced list” to find it). When the citation appears click “view article.”