Grappling with Questions Concerning the Natural WorldHumanity’s complex relationship to nature raises a wide array of pressing ethical questions such as the following: Is it morally wrong to cause the extinction of species? Do humans have any ethical duties towards ecosystems and individual animals? Is it ethical to alter the global climate? What about future generations? It is ethical to deprive future generations of the opportunity to appreciate natural beauty or the use of some natural resource? If so, what are the grounds for saying so? Do some natural objects have value beyond their usefulness to human beings? If not, what could be the point of preserving parts of nature useless to us?
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What is Our Place? |
Throughout this course, we will grapple with these questions and conceptualize central notions in environmental ethics. We will focus on defining what it means to have moral standing or to be a (moral) agent with respect to the environment. Finally, we will critically reflect on environmental issues and discuss how detailed choices effect the natural environment.
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