EST 640 Environmental Thought and Ethics

About the Course

This course serves as an introduction to some of the philosophical, religious, cultural and historical dimensions of environmental affairs. This area of study is known as environmental thought and it is defined (by me at least) as the critical interdisciplinary study of the ecological implications of human ideas and cultures.

Environmental thought includes considerations of environmental ethics - how we should act in relation to the world. But environmental thought is more than simply environmental ethics for it also involves the thoughtful examination of how ecologically-significant cultural assumptions, attitudes, values, ways of seeing, ways of being, ideologies, representations, and institutionalized practices have contributed to human meanings and relationships with other-than-human-Nature. As the basis for culture and meaning-making, language gets special attention.

This course relies on readings for the bulk of its content. Readings are used as a basis for in-depth class discussions of key concepts, issues, themes and cases. The course combines philosophical and historical analysis of key cultural facets of environmental degradation, including western language systems, religious traditions, ancient Greek philosophy, the scientific revolution, the history of ecology, and contemporary environmental philosophies. Key concepts to be considered include anthropocentrism, resourcism, human-nature dualism, hierarchy of being, ethics, ontology, values, ideology, mechanism, organicism, morality, biocentrism, ecocentrism, deep ecology, ecofeminism, atomism, reductionism, objectification, animal rights, intrinsic value, and utilitarianism.

This course provides an opportunity to reflect on our most fundamental assumptions about the place of humanity in a world threatened by human actions. At the same time, we will consider what motivates our actions or inaction and what are appropriate ways to act in the world, hence the singling out of ethics in the course title. It is hoped that students will engage with the course content as both scholars and members of communities who must make real choices in the world.

Who Should Take the Course?

This is a graduate level course with no prerequisites. It is a required course in the Master's in Environmental Studies program. I am open to having undergraduate seniors petition to take this course. In either case, the course will be of interest to those concerned with environmental ethics, philosophy, values and communication, as well as environmental activism and politics.

Details

• 3 credits
• Spring semester
• Tuesdays 9:30am-12:30pm
• 105 Marshall Hall
• Check the Registrar's timetable to be sure
• Enrollment is approximately 12 students

Syllabus

For more details, download the latest syllabus in PDF format. Future iterations of the course will undoubtedly differ somewhat from what's in this syllabus. Therefore, it is important for prospective students to consult with me before buying books based on a previous syllabus.

"The deterioration of the global ecological context of human life demands from our species a clear and adequate response, but we are seemingly immobilised, even though it is clear that at the technological level we already have the means to accomplish the changes needed to live sustainably on and with the earth. So the problem is not primarily about more knowledge or technology; it is about developing an environmental culture that values and fully acknowledges the non-human sphere and our dependency on it, and is able to make good decisions about how we live and impact on the non-human world."
- Val Plumwood