PHIL 340 - Ethics and the Environment

Units: 3

A study of recent developments in the field of environmental ethics: Examines the moral and ethical status of the natural world. Environmental ethics is the attempt to think through issues such as: the proper place of human beings in nature, the extent of our moral and ethical obligations to the natural world, the ethical foundations of public environmental policy, the principles that govern environmental use and protection, and the legitimacy of various approaches to environmental advocacy. A survey of classical ethical theories will provide context for discussion of environmental ethics, and examination of current environmental issues (i.e., the Endangered Species Act, the debate over use of public lands) will serve as a “testing ground” for the practical application of environmental ethical theories.

Satisfies GE area: CC