Environmental Ethics

PHIL255 – Spring 2024

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Module 1 The Problem of the Commons

Week 1 Evaluating moral arguments

01-29-24

01-31-24

  1. J. Rachels and S. Rachels. “What is Morality?” In: The Elements of Moral Philosophy . McGraw-Hill New York, 1993. Link

Week 2 The tragedy of the commons

02-05-24

  1. M. Ridley. “Ecology as Religion.” In: The Origins of Virtue . Penguin UK, 1997. Link

  2. Optional: J. Diamond. “Easter’s End.” Discover (1995). Link

02-07-24

  1. The Tragedy of the Commons (definition). Link

  2. R. Roberts. “Incentives Matter.” Econlib (2016). Link

  3. Optional: G. Hardin. “The tragedy of the commons.” Science 162 (1968), pp. 1243–1248. Link

Week 3 Prices

02-12-24

  1. M. Munger. “They Clapped: Can Price-Gouging Laws Prohibit Scarcity?” Econlib (2007). Link

  2. M. Sandel. “It’s Immoral to Buy the Right to Pollute.” New York Times (1997). Link

  3. S. Shavell. “Emission Trading Will Lead to Less Pollution.” New York Times (1997). Link

  4. L. Gross. “A human taste for rarity spells disaster for endangered species.” PLoS Biology 4 (2006), e439. Link

  5. Optional: M. Friedman and R. Friedman. “The Power of the Market.” In: Free to Choose: A Personal Statement . Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1990. Link

02-14-24

  1. “Handout: Externalities and Government Intervention”. Link

  2. M. Valo. “Guadeloupe and Martinique threatened as pesticide contaminates food chain.” The Guardian (2013). Link

  3. E. Rosenthal and A. Lehren. “Profits on Carbon Credits Drive Output of a Harmful Gas.” The New York Times (2012). Link

  4. Optional: D. Arnold and K. Bustos. “Business, ethics, and global climate change.” Business & Professional Ethics Journal 24 (2005), pp. 103–130. Link

Week 4 Ownership

02-19-24

  1. H. Baetjer. “Free Market Incentives Foster Service to Others.” In: Free Our Markets . Jane Philip Publications, 2013. Link

02-21-24

  1. E. Stokstad. “Deep deficit.” Science (2020). Link

  2. M. Heller and J. Salzman. “How the Salvation of New York City Drinking Water Can Be a Model for Saving the Planet.” LitHub (2021). Link

Week 5

02-26-24

02-28-24

Module 2 Inequality & Sustainable Growth

Week 6 What is wrong with inequality?

03-04-24

  1. J. Boyce. “The environmental cost of inequality.” Scientific American 319 (2018), pp. 72–77. Link

  2. P. Bloom. “Against Empathy.” Boston Review (2014). Link

  3. Optional : H. Frankfurt. “Economic Equality as a Moral Ideal.” In: On Inequality . Princeton University Press, 2015. Link ; S. Bowles and A. Jayadev. “One nation under guard.” The New York Times (2014). Link

03-06-24

  1. R. Shafer-Landau. “Consequentialism.” In: The Fundamentals of Ethics . 2009. Link

Week 7 Global poverty

03-11-24

  1. P. Singer. “The Logic of Effective Altruism.” Boston Review (2015). Link

  2. P. Singer. “Good charity, bad charity.” The New York Times (2013). Link

03-13-24

  1. E. Hoel. “Why I am not an effective altruist.” The Intrinsic Perspective (2022). Link

Week 8

03-18-24*

03-20-24*

Week 9 Growth

03-25-24

  1. J. Sachs, A. Mellinger, and J. Gallup. “The geography of poverty and wealth.” Scientific American 284 (2001), pp. 70–75. Link

  2. M. Hanna-Attisha. “How a Pediatrician Became a Detective.” The New York Times (2018). Link

03-27-24

  1. D. Acemoglu. “The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty.” Cato Policy Report (2012). Link

  2. D. Acemoglu. “Response to Effective Altruism.” Boston Review (2015). Link

  3. Optional : D. Acemoglu and J. Robinson. “The problem with U.S. inequality.” The Huffington Post (2012). Link ; D. Acemoglu and J. Robinson. “Why foreign aid fails—and how to really help Africa.” The Spectator (2014). Link

Week 10

04-01-24

04-03-24

Module 3 Species & Ecosystems

Week 11 Animal welfare

04-08-24

  1. I. Kant. “We have no duties to animals.” Lectures on Ethics (1930). Link

  2. F. De Waal. “Animal rights.” In: Primates and philosophers: How morality evolved . Princeton University Press, 2009. Link

04-10-24

  1. P. Singer. “All animals are equal.” In: Animal Liberation . Harper Collins, 1975. Link

Week 12

04-15-24*

04-17-24

Week 13 Environmentalism

04-22-24

  1. J. Diamond. “Must we shoot deer to save nature?” Natural History 101 (1992), pp. 2–6. Link

  2. N. Hettinger. “Conceptualizing and Evaluating Non-Native Species.” Nature Education Knowledge (2012). Link

04-24-24

  1. M. Sagoff. “Animal liberation and environmental ethics: Bad marriage, quick divorce.” Osgoode Hall Law Journal 22 (1984), pp. 297–307. Link

Week 14 Ecosystems & uncertainty

04-29-24

  1. N. Hettinger and B. Throop. “Refocusing ecocentrism.” Environmental Ethics 21 (1999). Link

05-01-24

  1. M. Pollan. “Precautionary Principle.” The New York Times (2001). Link

  2. A. Stirling. “Why the precautionary principle matters.” The Guardian (2013). Link

  3. T. Brown. “The precautionary principle is a blunt instrument.” The Guardian (2013). Link

  4. J. Norman et al. “Climate models and precautionary measures.” Preprint (). Link

Week 15 Decentralized governance

05-06-24

05-08-24

Week 16

05-13-24