UI 429Environmental Ethics

cstl-cla.semo.edu/hill/ui429

H. Hamner Hill, Philosophy and Religion

Introduce Myself & the Course

Overview of Environmental Ethics and Ethical Theory

Topics of Discussion

Website: cstl-cla.semo.edu/hill/ui429

Nature and details of the course

Why we need a course in environmental ethics

Overview of Ethical Theory

Nature of the Course

This is a lecture/Discussion course. The emphasis is on discussion. That means that the students will bear most of the responsibility for keeping the class moving. Students MUST be prepared for class.

Cell Phones

Turn it off. We are in class, your call can wait. Do not text message during class.

Cell phones and class do not mix.

Read this column from the New York Times.

Expectations of Students

Students will be expected to:– 1) Attend class regularly.– 2) Participate in class discussions. – 3) Complete five (5) written case study reports. – 4) Prepare an individual, written research project. – 5) Complete a mid-term essay examination.– 6) Prepare and present a book summary on a book

about contemporary issues in environmental ethics.– 7) Complete a comprehensive final examination.– 8) Thou shalt not plagiarize!

Basis for Student GradesCompletion of all assignments is a necessary

condition for receiving a passing grade in the course. Those students entitled to a passing grade will be evaluated as follows.

20% will be based on the case studies.

40% will be based on the research project,

10% will be based on the mid-term examination.

10% will be based on the book summary.

20% will be based on the final examination.

Texts

VanDeVeer and Pierce, The Environmental Ethics & Policy Handbook, 3rd ed, Wadworth, 2012.

Why Do We Need a Course in Environmental Ethics?

Check the headlinesHydraulic fracturingMonsanto and PCB’sCorps of Engineers and the Missouri RiverEPA standards for arsenic in drinking waterGlobal Climate Change

Why Do We Need a Course in Environmental Ethics?

Technological Change Plus the Technological Imperative– If we can do something, then we should do it

Human impact on the environmentChanging Society– Views of the role of people in our environment– Changing values (religious, social)– Increased wealth

Formal Rules (EPA, RCRA, CERCLA)

Humanity’s Top Ten Problemsfor next 50 years

1. Population & Consumption

2. Energy3. Water4. Food5. Waste & Pollution 6. Poverty7. War8. Emerging Diseases9. Education10. Democracy 2004 6.5 Billion People

2013 >7 Billion People2050 ~ 10 Billion People

Overview of Ethical Theory

What is a Theory? Scientific theories:– Tool for describing our experience– Tool for predicting future experience– Tool for organizing our experiences

Good Theories Must:

Fit (generally) our experience

Be subject to test and refutation

Are Ethical Theories Really Theories?

What are the data in ethics?–Considered moral judgments

Can ethical theories be tested?–Test cases and moral senses

Components of an Ethical Theory

Theory of Value (Axiology)– Monistic (there is only one thing of value)– Pluralistic (several things have value)

Components of an Ethical Theory

Theory of Value (Axiology)

Theory of Obligation (Deontology)

Two Major Types of Theories of Obligation

Relativist

Non-relativist (absolutist)

Relativist Theories

There are no universal or objective standards of right and wrong, there are no universal duties. “Right” is a concept that makes sense only in a context; what is right is relative to a context.

Non-Relativist Theories

There are objective, universal standards of conduct that apply to all people in all settings.

Major Non-Relativist Theories of Obligation

Consequentialist

Duty Based

Rights Based

Natural Law

Virtue Ethics

Consequentialist Theories

The rightness or wrongness of an act is determined through reference to the consequences of the act. Right actions maximize value.

Duty Based Theories of Obligation

Human reason allows us to discover universal duties or obligations that ew have to one another.

Rights Based Theories of Obligation

People come equipped with a basic set of rights, respect for which is a defining feature of moral action. Right actions respect basic rights.

Natural Law

The Divine law sets the standard for all human laws. Humans are obligated to act in accordance with the Divine law, and all human laws should embody it.

Virtue Ethics

Act in ways that promote the development of and display virtuous character traits

Major Ethical Principles

Nonmaleficence

Beneficence

Utility

Distributive Justice

Autonomy

Precautionary Principle

Nonmaleficence

Act in ways that do not cause harm or needless suffering to others. This principle is a formalization of the "above all else, do no harm" edict.

Beneficence

Act in ways that promote the welfare of other people. This principle requires affirmative steps be taken to advance the welfare of others.

Utility

Act in ways that maximize good and minimize harm. Right actions maximize some measurable thing of value.

Distributive Justice

Act in way that promote a just* distribution of social goods. This theory needs an independent theory of just distribution to be workable.

Autonomy

Act in ways that allow rational individuals to govern their own lives. Treat persons with respect and dignity and allow them to make decisions for themselves with regard to their own lives.

The Precautionary Principle

Take precautionary measures to anticipate, prevent or minimize climate change and mitigate its adverse effects. Rather than await certainty, regulators should act in anticipation of any potential environmental harm in order to prevent it.

Roles, Responsibilities, Values and Conflicts

Social Roles and Institutions

Established and continuing parts in a social enterprise

Characterized by distinctive activity

Special contexts of evaluation and appropriateness

Contexts of Evaluation and Appropriateness

Prescribed means (constraints on reasons)

Constraints on actions

Prescribed ends

The Ecology of Social Roles

A role is shaped by the demands of complementary roles surrounding it, and roles change in response to changes in other interacting roles

Responsibilities and Values are Defined by Roles

Role Responsibilities

Expectations that are placed on an agent in virtue of that agent’s acting in a certain role capacity

Included and excluded reasons--agents acting in roles are expected to use, or exclude certain types of reasons

People Fill Several Roles Simultaneously

The fundamental values and responsibilities of different roles may come into open conflict

Inconsistent social messages about values

Three conflicting roles

Consumer

Citizen

Neighbor

Values Vary by Role

What is valued in one role may not be valued in, or may be harmful to, another

Inconsistent Social Messages About Values

Success: wealth and avarice

Work: virtue or punishment

Societal Values: liberty, justice, and equality

Land values: stewardship or dominion

Confusion between morality and legality

M.L. King on Morality and Legality

Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. We cannot change the heart, but we may restrain the heartless.

Law is External

Morality is Internal

Law is about what we MUST Do

Morality is about what we STRIVE to Do and Be

Ethics is about doing more than you are required to do, but less than you are allowed to do

Michael Josephson