Environmental Ethics PDF
Preview Environmental Ethics
second “This collection of essays on environmental ethics, now in its second edition, is invaluable. It Edition contains not just the classic groundbreaking essays on the land ethic, on shallow and deep second Edition ecology, and on socialist and feminist approaches to the environment (by Leopold, Naess, E Bookchin, Merchant, and others), but also up-to-the-minute essays on key issues, including E n v i ron m E ntal anthropocentrism and speciesism and the rights of future generations, as well as reviewing n the arguments around climate change. This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to sharpen their moral awareness in addressing the global environmental crisis.” v — Dermot Moran, University College Dublin Eth ics i r “Boylan combines provocative readings on animals, environment, and sustainability with object lessons in how to think clearly about tricky cases. A neat feature of the book is the o way in which the cases are deftly woven into the structure of the collection. The result is a hands-on guide on how to think clearly about some of the baffling issues in n michael Boylan environmental ethics.” Edited by — Andrew Brennan, La Trobe University m E The second edition of Environmental Ethics combines a strong theoretical foundation with applications n to some of the most pressing environmental problems. Through a mix of classic and new essays, it discusses applied issues such as pollution, climate change, animal rights, biodiversity, and sustainability. t Roughly half of the selections are original essays newly commissioned for this edition. a The volume includes a new discussion on ethical decision-making, as well as new coverage of pollution l and climate change, and a new section on sustainability. Pedagogical features include cases and instructions on how to work up cases into argumentative essays. The new edition has been designed E to continue to meet the needs of classroom instruction with a dialogue that is both enriching t and illuminating. h Michael Boylan is Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Marymount University. He is the author and i c editor of 26 books, including his manifesto on social/political philosophy, A Just Society (2004), and his work on cosmopolitanism, Morality and Global Justice: Justifications and Applications (2011). Boylan s was himself the focus of an edited volume, Morality and Justice: Reading Boylan’s A Just Society (2009). He has served on professional and governmental policy committees and was a fellow at the Center for American Progress and a program presenter at the Brookings Institution. He has been an invited speaker in nine countries around the world, and given talks in cities including Oxford, Cambridge, E d Cologne, Oslo, Dublin, Sydney, and Paris. ite d b y B o ISBN 978-1-118-49472-1 y 90000 l a n 9 781118 494721 Environmental Ethics Environmental Ethics Second Edition Edited by Michael Boylan This edition first published 2014 © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc Edition history: Prentice Hall (1e, 2001) Wiley-Blackwell is an imprint of John Wiley & Sons, formed by the merger of Wiley’s global Scientific, Technical and Medical business with Blackwell Publishing. Registered Office John Wiley & Sons Ltd, The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK Editorial Offices 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ, UK The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, UK For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services, and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com/wiley-blackwell. The right of Michael Boylan to be identified as the author of the editorial material in this work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Environmental ethics / edited by Michael Boylan. – Second edition. pages cm Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-118-49472-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Environmental ethics. I. Boylan, Michael, 1952– GE42.B69E67 2015 179′.1–dc23 2013006627 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Cover image: Five Arch Bridge, Virginia Water, Surrey © Martin Stavars, martinstavars.com Cover design by www.simonlevy.co.uk Set in 10.5/12.5pt Dante by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India 1 2014 For Seán Contents Notes on Contributors x Preface to the Second Edition xii Source Credits xiv Part I Theoretical Background 1 1 Ethical Reasoning 3 Michael Boylan 2 The Self in Context: A Grounding for Environmentalism 14 Michael Boylan Evaluating a Case Study: Developing a Practical Ethical Viewpoint 25 3 Worldview Arguments for Environmentalism 32 A. The Land Ethic and Deep Ecology 35 The Land Ethic 35 Aldo Leopold The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement: A Summary 42 Arne Naess What Is Social Ecology? 46 Murray Bookchin B. Eco-Feminism and Social Justice 59 Ecofeminism and Feminist Theory 59 Carolyn Merchant The Power and the Promise of Ecological Feminism 64 Karen J. Warren Patently Wrong: The Commercialization of Life Forms 71 Wanda Teays C. Aesthetics 83 Aesthetics and the Value of Nature 83 Janna Thompson Worldview and the Value-Duty Link to Environmental Ethics 95 Michael Boylan Evaluating a Case Study: Finding the Conflicts 109 4 Anthropocentric versus Biocentric Justifications 115 A. Anthropocentric Justifications 118 Human Rights and Future Generations 118 Alan Gewirth Environmental Values, Anthropocentrism and Speciesism 122 Onora O’Neill B. Biocentric Justifications 135 Environmental Ethics: Values in and Duties to the Natural World 135 Holmes Rolston III Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics 152 Paul W. Taylor C. Searching the Middle 163 Reconciling Anthropocentric and Nonanthropocentric Environmental Ethics 163 James P. Sterba On the Reconciliation of Anthropocentric and Nonanthropocentric Environmental Ethics 176 Brian K. Steverson Reconciliation Reaffirmed: A Reply to Steverson 186 James P. Sterba Evaluating a Case Study: Assessing Embedded Levels 191 Part II Applied Environmental Problems 199 5 Pollution and Climate Change 201 A. Air and Water Pollution 203 Blue Water 203 Michael Boylan Polluting and Unpolluting 216 Benjamin Hale Moral Valuation of Environmental Goods 231 Mark A. Seabright B. Climate Change 243 Does a Failure in Global Leadership Mean It’s All Over? Climate, Population, and Progress 243 Ruth Irwin Collective Responsibility and Climate Change 257 Seumas Miller Evaluating a Case Study: Applying Ethical Issues 268 viii Contents
The list of books you might like
