IPP 503: Environmental Ethics

AWAYMAVE - The Distance Mode of MA in Values and the Environment at Lancaster University

Bibliography

1. Texts and Collections

The main text will be A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. (2003) Environmental Ethics (Oxford: Blackwell). This anthology contains most of the basic texts for the course.

A second recent Blackwell anthology of papers on different topics we will cover is D. Jamieson ed. Blackwell Companion to Environmental Philosophy.The course will also draw on book I am writing with Alan Holland and Andrew Light, Values and the Environment, which I will make available on the web. Another excellent text, which covers much of the material we will discuss here is J. Benson (2000) Environmental Ethics: An Introduction with Readings (London: Routledge).

On the basic issues in ethical theory we will discuss two excellent collections are P. Singer ed. A Companion to Ethics and P. Singer ed. Ethics.

An excellent recent introduction to problems in both meta-ethics and normative ethics which covers major figures in the history of philosophy is R. Norman The Moral Philosophers second edition. J. Rachels The Elements of Moral Philosophy is also accessible introduction to the issues in normative ethics that form the background to the questions we will be discussing. A more advanced discussion of the issues in normative ethics is S. Kagan Normative Ethics.

Other environmental philosophy collections or texts

Zimmermann, M. et al. (1998) Environmental Philosophy: from animal rights to radical ecology (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall) A collection of some of the main texts in environmental philosophy.

Schmidtz and Willott (2002) Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works (New York: OUP) Has a number of classic articles and some commentary.

Cooper, David and Palmer, Joy eds. (1992) The Environment in Question: Ethics and Global Issues. (New York: Routledge).

Des Jardins, J.R. (1993) - Environmental Ethics (Wadsworth) A useful introductory single-authored text, but somewhat overpriced

Elliot, R. & Gare, A. (1983) - Environmental Philosophy (Milton Keynes: Open UP) An early, but still useful collection.

Passmore, John (1974) Man's Responsibility for Nature, (Duckworth). An early exploration of questions about environmental philosophy, which still is worth a read.

2. Web Resources

A good starting point on the web for environmental ethics is the Center for Environmental Philosophy , which is at the University of North Texas. It contains excellent links to numerous other resources, including the search engine for the bibliography of the International Society of Environmental Ethics (ISEE).

Lawrence Hinman's Ethics Updates - intended to provide updates on current literature, both popular and professional that relates to a wide range of issues in ethics, including environmental ethics.

The British Society for Ethical Theory – lots of interesting links on general ethical theory.

3. Useful Journals

Environmental Ethics
From the Center for Environmental Philosophy PO Box 13496 University of North Texas Denton TX 76203-6496United States. This quarterly publication is the oldest and most important journal in the field, publishing articles, discussion papers, book reviews and news relevant to environmental ethics.

Environmental Values
From your very own department! A quarterly publication, bringing together contributions from philosophy, law, economics and other disciplines to discussion concerning the foundations of environmental policy.

Ethics and the Environment
From Georgia State University. Recently taken over by a new publisher, this journal was founded in 1996. It is available to members of Lancaster University on-line and thus may be a particularly useful resource for distance learning.

4. Readings and topics

4.1. Introduction:

Basic reading:
C. Palmer ‘An Overview of Environmental Ethics’ in Light and Rolston Environmental Ethics
O’Neill, Light and Holland Values and the Environment ch.1
Benson, Environmental Ethics: An Introduction with Readings ch.1

4.2. Utilitarianism and Well-being

Basic reading:

O’Neill, Light and Holland Values and the Environment ch.2
Benson, Environmental Ethics: An Introduction with Readings ch.2
J. Bentham An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation, chs I and IV
Available on the Internet at the following site:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Bentham-Project/wwwtexts.htm
J. S. Mill Utilitarianism especially ch.2
Available on the Internet at the following sites:
http://www.vt.edu/vt98/academics/books/mill/utilitarianism http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/en/utility1.htm
http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/etext/m/m645u/

Further reading:

On utilitarianism:

R. Norman The Moral Philosophers 2nd edition ch.7
P. Petit ‘Consequentialism’ in P. Singer ed. A Companion to Ethics
P. Singer ed. Ethics chs.77-79
J. Rachels The Elements of Moral Philosophy ch. 7
J. Smart ‘An Outline of a System of Utilitarian Ethics’ in J. Smart and B. Williams Utilitarianism for and Against
S. Kagan Normative Ethics ch.2
R. Hare ‘Ethical Theory and Utilitarianism’ in A. Sen and B. Williams Utilitarianism and Beyond
J.L Mackie Ethics ch.6
J. Smart ‘An Outline of a System of Utilitarian Ethics’ in J. Smart and B. Williams Utilitarianism for and Against

On 'What makes life go best?'

R. Nozick Anarchy, State and Utopia ‘The Experience Machine’ pp.42-5 (seminar reading)
P. Singer ed. Ethics Part II section A
R. Goodin ‘Utility and the Good’ in P. Singer ed. A Companion to Ethics
J. Griffin Well-Being Part One
D. Parfit Reasons and Persons Appendix I What Makes Someone's Life go Best
J.S. Mill Utilitarianism ch.2
J. O'Neill The Market: Ethics, Knowledge and Politics chs. 3 and 4
R. Layard Happiness
R. Crisp Mill on Utilitarianism chs.2-3
L.W. Sumner Welfare, Happiness and Ethics
J. Raz The Morality of Freedom ch. 12
R. Kraut 'Two Concepts of Happiness' Philosophical Review 88, 1979
W. Kymlicka Contemporary Political Philosophy ch.2
A. Sen 'The Standard of Living' in S. McMurrin , Tanner Lectures in Human Values vol. VII
B. Williams Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy ch.3
J. Finnis Natural Law and Natural Rights chs. 3-6
M. Nussbaum and A. Sen eds The Quality of Life
M. Nussbaum 'Aristotelian Social Democracy' in R. Douglass et. al. Liberalism and the Good
J. Griffin 'Against the Taste Model' In J. Elster and J. Roemer eds Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being

4.3. Consequentialism and environmental value

Basic reading:

O’Neill, Light and Holland Values and the Environment ch.3
R. Elliot ‘Normative Ethics’ in D. Jamieson ed. A Companion to Environmental Philosophy

Further reading:

On consequentialism and its critics

P. Petit ‘Consequentialism’ in P. Singer ed. A Companion to Ethics (seminar reading)
P. Singer ed. Ethics chs. 82-86
J. Smart and B. Williams Utilitarianism for and Against
J. Rachels The Elements of Moral Philosophy ch. 8
S. Kagan Normative Ethics ch.3
S. Scheffler ed. Consequentialism and its Critics
S. Scheffler The Rejection of Consequentialism
R. Crisp Mill on Utilitarianism ch. 6
M. Slote, Common-sense Morality and Consequentialism
P. Railton ‘Alienation, Consequentialism and the Demands of Morality’ Philosophy and Public Affairs 13, 1984 and in Scheffler ed. The Rejection of Consequentialism
R. Nozick Anarchy, State and Utopia ch.3
J. Rawls A Theory of Justice section 5
T. Nagel The View from Nowhere
J. O’Neill ‘Intrinsic Evil, Truth and Authority' Religious Studies 1995, 31. pp.209-19

4.4. Maximisation, commensurability and value pluralism

Basic reading:

O’Neill, Light and Holland Values and the Environment ch.5
T. Nagel 'The Fragmentation of Value' in C. Gowans ed. Moral Dilemmas and in T. Nagel Mortal Questions
J. O’Neill Ecology, Policy and Politics: Human Well-Being and the Natural World ch. 7
J. Bentham An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation ch.IV
J.S. Mill Utilitarianism ch.2
J.S. Mill A System of Logic Book 6, ch.12, section 11, reprinted in C Gowans ed. Moral Dilemmas

Further reading:

J. O'Neill The Market: Ethics, Knowledge and Politics ch.9
R. Chang ed. Incommensurability, Incomparability and Practical Reason see in particular R. Chang ‘Introduction’ and J. Griffin ‘Incommensurability: What’s the Problem?’
J. Griffin 'Are There Incommensurable Values' Philosophy and Public Affairs 1977, 7, 39-59
J. Griffin Well-Being ch.5
J. Griffin 'Mixing Values' Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society supplementary volume 65, 1991
J. Raz 'Mixing Values' Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society supplementary volume 65, 1991
J. Raz The Morality of Freedom ch. 13
M. Nussbaum 'Plato on Commensurability and Desire' in Love's Knowledge
C. Taylor 'The Diversity of Goods' in A. Sen and B. Williams eds. Utilitarianism and Beyond

4.5. The moral considerability of the non-human world

Basic reading:

Goodpaster, K. 'On Being Morally Considerable' Journal of Philosophy, 75, 1978, pp.308-325 reprinted in J. O’Neill, I. Bateman and R. K. Turner eds. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy and Zimmerman et. al. Environmental Philosophy

Further reading:

J. Benson Environmental Ethics ch. 5
G. Varner ‘Sentientism’ in Jamieson ed. Blackwell Companion to Environmental Philosophy.
Taylor, P. ‘The Ethics of Respect for Nature’ Environmental Ethics, 3, 1981, pp.197-218. Also in J. O’Neill, I. Bateman and R. K. Turner eds. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy and is A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology.
Attfield, R. ‘The Good of Tress’ Journal of Value Inquiry 15, 1981, pp.35-54 in J. O’Neill, I. Bateman and R. K. Turner eds. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy.
Singer, P. ‘All Animals are Equal’ in P. Singer eds. Applied Ethics and J. O’Neill, I. Bateman and R. K. Turner eds. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
Singer, P. ‘Not for Humans Only: The Place of Nonhumans in Environmental Issues’ in A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology
Feinberg, J. 'The Rights of Animals and Unborn Generations' in Rights, Justice and the Bounds of Liberty
Routley, R. and V. (1980) 'Human Chauvinism and Environmental Ethics' in D. Mannison, M. McRobbie and R. Routley Environmental Philosophy
Routley R. 'Is There a Need for a New, an Environmental Ethic?' in A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology and the web-site: http://www.uq.edu.au/~pdwgrey/web/res/sylvan.neweth.html
Wright, G. H. von The Varieties of Goodness ch. 3
Warren, Mary Anne 'The Rights of the Non-Human World' . in Elliot, R and Gare, A (1983) Environmental Philosophy pp109-134.)
Taylor, P. Respect for Nature
Callicott, J. (1989) In Defence of the Land Ethic
Leopold, A. (1949) A Sand County Almanac
Leopold, A. ‘The Land Ethic’ in A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology
See also the other papers in A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology Part II: Who Counts in an Environmental Ethics? Animals? Plants? Ecosystems?

On Environmental Ethics and Animal Ethics

Basic Reading:
Callicott, J B (1980) 'Animal liberation: a triangular affair'. This article is can be found in various places, including, E Hargrove (ed) (1992) The Animal Liberation/Environmental Ethics Debate (New York: SUNY Press) and Elliot (ed.) (1995) Environmental Ethics pp. 29-59

Further Reading:
Hargrove, E. (ed) (1992) The Animal Liberation/Environmental Ethics Debate (New York: SUNY Press)
Sagoff, M. “Animal liberation and environmental ethics: bad marriage, quick divorce” in J. P. Sterba ed., Earth Ethics: Environmental Ethics, Animal Rights, and Practical Applications
J. Baird Callicott, “Animal liberation and environmental ethics: back together again” in J. P. Sterba (ed.), Earth Ethics: Environmental Ethics, Animal Rights, and Practical Applications
Jamieson, D. (1998) 'Animal Liberation is an Environmental Ethic' in Environmental Values Vol. 7, pp.41-57
J. Baird Callicott, (1998) ‘“Back Together Again” Again’ Environmental Values Vol. 7 pp.461-75

4.6. The intrinsic value of nature

Basic reading:
J. O’Neill 'The Varieties of Intrinsic Value', The Monist, 1992, 75, pp.119-137 .Reprinted in A. Brennan (ed.) The Ethics of the Environment (Aldershot: Dartmouth, 1994) and A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology (Oxford: Blackwell, 2002)
J. O’Neill Ecology, Policy and Politics chs.1 and 2
J. O’Neill 'Meta-ethics' in D. Jamieson ed. Blackwell Companion to Environmental Philosophy

Further reading:
A. Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology Part III: Is Nature Intrinsically Valuable?
Midgley, M., “Duties Concerning Islands” in Elliot, R. and Gare, A. (eds.) (1983) Environmental Philosophy
Rolston III, H. (1989a) 'Are Values in Nature Subjective or Objective?' pp.92-95 in Philosophy Gone Wild Prometheus Books, Buffalo
Rolston III, H. (1989b) 'Is There an Ecological Ethic' in Philosophy Gone Wild Prometheus, New York
Callicott, J. B. in 'Intrinsic Value, Quantum Theory, and Environmental Ethics', Environmental Ethics, 7, 1985 pp.257-275
Naess, A. (1973) 'The Shallow and the Deep, Long Range Ecology Movement' Inquiry, 16, pp.95-100 reprinted in. O’Neill, I. Bateman and R. K. Turner eds. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy.
Naess, A. (1984) 'A Defence of the Deep Ecology Movement', Environmental Ethics, 6
Naess, A. and Rothenberg (1989) Ecology, Community and Lifestyle
Moore, G. E. (1922) 'The Conception of Intrinsic Value' in Philosophical Studies
Moore, G. E. (1903) Principia Ethica Cambridge, Cambridge University Press
Korsgaard, C. M., (1996) ‘Two distinctions in Goodness’, in Korsgaard, Creating the Kingdom of Ends, Cambridge University Press: 249-74; re-printed from The Philosophical Review XCII (1983): 169-95.
Rabinowicz, W. & Rønnow-Rasmussen, T. 2000, “A Distinction in Value: Intrinsic.
and For Its Own Sake”, Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 100, 33-49 ...
Zimmerman The Nature of Intrinsic Value

4.7. The value of nature

Basic reading:
O’Neill, Light and Holland Values and the Environment chs. 7-9
Mill, J. S. 1874 'Nature', in Three Essays on Religion London: Longmans
Hume, D, 1739 A Treatise of Human Nature, III.I.ii

Further reading:
Katz, E. 1993. ‘Artefacts and Functions: A Note on the Value of Nature’, Environmental Values 2, pp. 223-32.
Soper K. What is Nature?

4 .8. Nature restoration

Basic reading:
Elliot R. "Faking nature", Inquiry 25, 1982 pp. 81-93 reprinted in A.Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology and J. O’Neill, I. Bateman and R. K. Turner eds. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy

Further reading:
Katz, E. 1996 ‘The Big Lie: Human Restoration of Nature’ in Nature as Subject reprinted in A.Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology
Elliot R. Faking nature
Light, A. ‘Ecological Restoration and the Culture of Nature’ in A.Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics
Attfield, R. 1994. ‘Rehabilitating nature and making nature habitable’, in R. Attfield and A. Belsey. Eds. Philosophy and the Natural Environment

4.9. The Value of Wilderness

Basic reading:
M. P. Nelson. ‘An Amalgmation of Wilderness Preservation Arguments’ in Callicott J. B. and Nelson, M. eds. (1998)The Great Wilderness Debate and A.Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology

Further reading:
Callicott J. B. and Nelson, M. eds. (1998)The Great Wilderness Debate
J. O’Neill ‘Wilderness, Cultivation and Appropriation’ Philosophy and Geography 5, 2002, pp.35-50
J. O’Neill Markets, Deliberation and Environment ch.7
Guha, R. ‘Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique’ Environmental Ethics, 11, 1989, pp.71-83 reprinted in J. O’Neill, I. Bateman and R. K. Turner eds. Environmental Ethics and Philosophy
Guha, R. and J. Martinez-Alier (1997) Varieties of Environmentalism: Essays North and South
Guha, R. (1997) ‘The Authoritarian Biologist and the Arrogance of Anti-Humanism' The Ecologist 27, 1, pp.14-20
Cronon W. ed. (1995) Uncommon Ground
Light and Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology Part VI: Focusing on Central Issues: Sustaining, Restoring, Preserving Nature: Can and Ought We Restore Nature? Should We Preserve Wilderness?
Emerson (1836) Nature
Muir, John. A variety of texts, including Our National Parks and My First Summer in the Sierra. In Muir (1992 ed.) John Muir: The 8 Wilderness Discovery Books (London: DiademBooks) Sierra Club: John Muir Exhibit
Oelschlaeger, Max (1991). The Idea of Wilderness. New Haven: Yale University Press
Nash, Roderick. (1983). Wilderness and the American Mind. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Thoreau (1854; 1965 ed) Walden (New York: Harper and Row) The Thoreau Reader

4.10. Feminism and ecology

Basic reading:
G. Gaard and L. Gruen ‘Ecofeminism: Toward Global Justice and Planetary Health’ in A.Light and H. Rolston III eds. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology
Karen Warren's introduction to the section on ecofeminism in Zimmerman et. al. Environmental Philosophy

Further reading
Merchant, C (1992) Radical Ecology
Plumwood, V (1993) Feminism and the Mastery of Nature
Shiva, V (1989) Staying Alive: Women, Ecology and Development
Warren, K ed. (1994) Ecological Feminism
Warren, K (1996) Ecological Feminist Philosophies
Agarwal, B (1998) "Environmental management, equity and ecofeminism: debating India's experience" Journal of Peasant Studies Vol.25, No.4, pp.55-95.
Plumwood, V (1986) “Ecofeminism: An Overview and Discussion Of Positions and Arguments” Women & Philosophy- A Supplement Of The Australian Journal Of Philosophy Vol. 64 pp.120-138
Plumwood, V (1988) “Women, Humanity and Nature” Radical Philosophy No.48, pp.16-24
Plumwood, V (1992) “Feminism and Ecofeminism: Beyond the Dualistic Assumptions of Women, Men and Nature” The Ecologist Vol. 22, no.1 Jan/Feb
Ecofem.org