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Department of Philosophy   Northern Illinois University

Course Offerings: Spring 2008

PHILOSOPHY 335: ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

MONDAY
SECTION 1, 6:00 - 8:40 P.M.

PROFESSOR MYLAN ENGEL, JR.

REQUIRED TEXTS
Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, 2nd ed.
Peter Singer and Tom Regan (eds.), Animal Rights and Human Obligations, 2nd ed.
Joseph DesJardins, Environmental Ethics, 4th ed.

COURSE CONTENT
This course seeks to determine whether and to what extent we have duties and obligations toward animals and the environment. Some questions to be addressed include: What is the value of nature? Is nature intrinsically valuable or merely of instrumental value? Do we have a duty to preserve the environment for future generations? If so, does this imply that we can have duties toward nonexistent beings (since future generations don’t exist yet)? What are the most effective steps we as individuals can take to help preserve the environment? Is global warming real? If so, what steps, if any, should we take to help curb global warming? Should governments be implementing policies which encourage the use of Low Input Sustainable Agriculture [LISA] techniques? Do Western environmental practices oppress humans in developing nations? Are patriarchal patterns of male dominance to blame for many of our current environmental problems? Do we have a duty to protect endangered plant and/or animal species? Is it worse to kill members of an endangered species than it is to kill members of abundant species, and if so, why? Are some ecosystems better and more worthy of preserving than others? What is the moral status of animals? Is it wrong to kill animals for fun? Is it worse to kill animals than it is to kill plants? Is it wrong to torture animals? Is it wrong to wear animals? Is vegetarianism morally obligatory for people living in modern societies? Is animal experimentation (ever?, always?) morally permissible? What is speciesism and is it morally wrong? What bearing, if any, does our current treatment of animals have on the environment? What duties, if any, do we as individuals have regarding the environment?

To provide a framework that will allow us to address these questions systematically, we will begin by surveying some of the most prominent ethical theories including: ethical relativism, subjectivism, utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, rule utilitarianism, and contractarianism. Next, we will examine numerous historical writings which have helped shape our current attitudes toward animals and the environment. These include selections from: The Bible, Aristotle, Aquinas, Descartes, Voltaire, Kant, Bentham, Darwin, Schweitzer, Pinchot, Muir and Leopold. The remainder of the course focuses on contemporary articles from a variety of disciplines (including philosophy/ethics, psychology, nutrition science, biology, ecology, demographics, and animal science) all of which will help us provide well-informed, well-reasoned answers to the questions raised above.

COURSE FORMAT
Lecture and discussion. Grade based on attendance, participation, quizzes, a series of journal entries, a critical book review, two exams, and an optional final exam.