Natural Resources 433

Applied Environmental Philosophy

Spring Semester 2006 (3 credit hours) Jim Tantillo, Instructor

Tuesday Thursday 10:10-11:25 am Office: 8-A Fernow Hall

Fernow 304 email: jat4@cornell.edu

Phone: 255-0704

A. OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE

The focus of this seminar is on environmental philosophy considered as an academic field. The major themes of the course will include environmental ethics, anthropocentrism versus non-anthropocentrism, intrinsic value, monism versus pluralism, animal rights versus environmental ethics, environmental aesthetics, and various approaches to environmental philosophy, including deep ecology, ecofeminism, and pragmatism.

The course presupposes a familiarity with some basic elements of ethical theory, e.g., deontology and consequentialism, realism and relativism, egoism, virtue ethics, etc. Students lacking any background in ethics may still take the course but are encouraged to consult a good introductory text in ethics for review of basic concepts. Helpful online resources include the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy at http://www.iep.utm.edu/ , Robert Cavalier’s “Online Guide to Ethics and Moral Philosophy” at http://caae.phil.cmu.edu/Cavalier/80130/index.html , and Lawrence Hinman’s “Ethics Updates” site at http://ethics.acusd.edu/index.html .

Open to graduate students and upper division undergraduates. Meets twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10:10 to 11:25. 3 credit hours, may be taken S/U.

B. EXAMS, PAPERS, AND PARTICIPATION

Course requirements: regular attendance and reading/discussion of the materials. Occasional reading quizzes if needed. Each student will complete a seminar paper on a topic of the student's choosing with instructor's approval. A final exam will be held in the regularly scheduled exam period.

This is primarily a reading and discussion seminar. Each student in the seminar will assist with leading discussion of a small number of the readings throughout the semester. In advance, students agree to carefully read the assigned article and provide summary notes and/or overview of the argument being presented by the author. With roughly 45 readings, this means each student will be directly responsible for assisting with the discussion of 5-6 readings over the course of the semester.

C. GRADING

(1) Seminar discussion and quizzes: 50%

(2) Seminar paper: 25%

(3) Final exam: 25%

D. COURSE MATERIALS

Required Books to Buy:

The following books have been ordered at the campus store. You are required to buy the texts and bring them to class for discussion:

Carlson, Allen, and Arnold Berleant, eds., 2004. The Aesthetics of Natural Environments. Orchard Park, NY: Broadview Press.

Light, Andrew, and Holmes Rolston, III, eds. 2003. Environmental Ethics: An Anthology. Malden, MA: Blackwell.

N.B. The Carlson and Berleant text is a late book order at the campus store but will be available within a week or two.

Xeroxed Materials and Electronic Reserve:

All other assigned short readings, book excerpts, articles, etc. will be placed on electronic reserve via Mann Library. http://catalog.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&PAGE=rbSearch. Please print a copy of each reading for your own use and bring the appropriate readings to seminar for discussion.

Other Resources:

I will be putting together a list of additional resources in environmental ethics as well as additional bibliography for students working on term papers.

E. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

Readings are from Light and Rolston or from Carlson and Berleant unless otherwise noted.

WEEK ONE Introduction

Jan. 24 Introductory meeting

Jan. 26 Light and Rolston, “Introduction: Ethics and Environmental Ethics,” pp. 1-11.

Watson, Richard A. “The Identity Crisis in Environmental Philosophy.” (Handout) from Environmental Philosophy and Environmental Activism, edited by Don E. Marietta, Jr., and Lester Embree (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 1995) pp. 203-214.

WEEK TWO Overview of Environmental Ethics

Jan. 31 Palmer, Chap. 1, “An Overview of Environmental Ethics,” pp. 15-37.

Leopold Chap. 2, “The Land Ethic,” pp. 38-46.

Routley, Chap. 3, “Is There a Need for a New, an Environmental, Ethic?” pp. 47-52.

Feb. 2 Animals and Animal Rights

Singer, Chap. 4, “Not for Humans Only: The Place of Nonhumans in Environmental Issues,” pp. 55-64.

Regan, Chap. 5, “Animal Rights? What’s in a Name? With a brief extract from The Case for Animal Rights,” pp. 65-73.

WEEK THREE

Feb. 7 Taylor, Chap. 6, “The Ethics of Respect for Nature,” pp.74-84.

Katz, Chap. 7, “Is There a Place for Animals in the Moral Consideration of Nature?” pp. 85-94.

Feb. 9 Varner, Chap. 8, “Can Animal Rights Activists Be Environmentalists?” pp. 95-113.

Cahen, Chap. 9, “Against the Moral Considerability of Ecosystems,” pp. 114-128.

WEEK FOUR Intrinsic Value

Feb. 14 O’Neill, Chap. 10, “The Varieties of Intrinsic Value,” pp. 131-142.

Rolston, Chap. 11, “Value in Nature and the Nature of Value,” pp. 143-153.

Lee, Chap. 12, “The Source and Locus of Intrinsic Value: A Reexamination,” pp. 154-162.

Feb. 16 Norton, Chap. 13, “Environmental Ethics and Weak Anthropocentrism,” pp. 163-174.

Hargrove, Chap. 14, “Weak Anthropocentric Intrinsic Value,” pp. 175-190.

WEEK FIVE Monism vs. Pluralism

Feb. 21 Stone, Chap. 15, “Moral Pluralism and the Course of Environmental Ethics,” pp. 193-202.

Callicott, Chap. 16, “The Case Against Moral Pluralism,” pp. 203-219.

Feb. 23 Wenz, Chap. 17, “Minimal, Moderate, and Extreme Moral Pluralism,” pp. 220-228.

Light, Chap. 18, “The Case for a Practical Pluralism,” pp. 229-247.

WEEK SIX

Feb. 28 Deep Ecology

Fox, Chap. 19, “Deep Ecology: A New Philosophy for Our Time?” pp. 252-261.

Naess, Chap. 20, “The Deep Ecological Movement: Some Philosophical Aspects,” pp. 262-263.

March 2 Ecofeminism

Gaard and Gruen, Chap. 21, “Ecofeminism: Toward Global Justice and Planetary Health,” pp. 276-293.

Warren and Cheney, Chap. 22, “Ecological Feminism and Ecosystem Ecology,” pp. 294-305.

WEEK SEVEN Pragmatism and Anti-Foundationalism

March 7 Pragmatism

Weston, Chap. 23, “Beyond Intrinsic Value: Pragmatism in Environmental Ethics,” pp. 307-318.

Minteer and Manning, Chap. 24, “Pragmatism in Environmental Ethics: Democracy, Pluralism, and the Management of Nature,” pp. 319-330.

March 9 Anti-Foundationalism

Minteer, Ben A. 1998. (E-reserve) “No Experience Necessary? Foundationalism and the Retreat from Culture in Environmental Ethics.” Environmental Values 7: 333-348.

Callicott, J. Baird. 1999. (E-reserve) "Silencing Philosophers: Minteer and the Foundations of Anti-foundationalism," Environmental Values 8 (1999): 499-516.

WEEK EIGHT Introduction to the Aesthetics of Natural Environments

March 14 Carlson and Berleant, “The Aesthetics of Nature” pp. 11-42.

Carlson, Allen. 1984 (E-reserve) “Nature and Positive Aesthetics.” Environmental Ethics 6: 5-34.

March 16 Open, mid-course evaluation

(spring break March 18 - 26)

WEEK NINE

March 28 Hepburn, Chap. 1, “Contemporary Aesthetics and the Neglect of Natural Beauty,” pp. 43-62.

Carlson, Chap. 2, “Appreciation and the Natural Environment,” pp. 63-75

March 30 Berleant, Chap. 3, “The Aesthetics of Art and Nature,” pp. 76-88.

Carroll, Chap. 4, “On Being Moved by Nature: Between Religion and Natural History,” pp. 89-107.

WEEK TEN

April 4 Godlovitch, Chap. 5, “Icebreakers: Environmentalism and Natural Aesthetics,” pp. 108-126.

Hepburn, Chap. 6, “Landscape and the Metaphysical Imagination,” pp. 127-140.

April 6 Saito, Chap. 7, “Appreciating Nature on Its Own Terms,” pp. 141-155.

Brady, Chap. 8, “Imagination and the Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature,” pp. 156-169.

WEEK ELEVEN

April 11 Eaton, Chap. 9, “Fact and Fiction in the Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature,” pp. 170-181.

Rolston, Chap. 10, “The Aesthetic Experience of Forests,” pp. 182-196.

April 13 Foster, Chap. 11, “The Narrative and the Ambient in Environmental Aesthetics,” pp. 197-213.

Moore, Chap. 12. “Appreciating Natural Beauty as Natural,” pp. 214-231.

WEEK TWELVE

April 18 Fisher, Chap. 13, “What the Hills are Alive With: In Defense of the Sounds of Nature,” pp. 232-2532.

Crawford, Chap. 14, “Scenery and the Aesthetics of Nature,” pp. 253-268.

April 20 Heyd, Chap. 15, “Aesthetic Appreciation and the Many Stories about Nature,” pp. 269-282.

Sepänmaa, Chap. 16, “Environmental Stories: Speaking and Writing Nature,” pp. 283-293.

WEEK THIRTEEN Where Ethics and Aesthetics Intersect

April 25 Restoring Nature

Eliot, in Light and Rolston, Chap. 28, “Faking Nature,” pp. 381-389.

Katz, Chap. 29, “The Big Lie: Human Restoration of Nature,” 390-397.

Light, Chap. 30, “Ecological Restoration and the Culture of Nature: A Pragmatic Perspective,” pp. 398-411.

April 27 Wilderness

Nelson, Chap. 31, “An Amalgamation of Wilderness Preservation Arguments,” pp. 413-436.

Callicott, Chap. 32, “A Critique of and an Alternative to the Wilderness Idea,” pp. 437-443.

Noss, Chap. 33, “Wilderness—Now More Than Ever: A Response to Callicott,” pp. 444-447.

WEEK FOURTEEN Conclusions

May 4 Feeding People versus Saving Nature

Rolston, Chap. 34, “Feeding People versus Saving Nature?” pp. 451-462.

Attfield, Chap. 35, “Saving Nature, Feeding People, and Ethics,” pp. 463-471.

May 6 Open.

Seminar papers due last day of class.