PI3004: Environmental Ethics
(Single Module, Level 3)
Module Guide
Semester 2, Academic Year 2011-12
Module Tutor: Dr Peter Lucas
Tel: (01772) 89 2548
E-mail: plucas1@uclan.ac.uk
Room: Livesey 120
General administrative inquiries concerning philosophy modules should be
directed to the ESS Programme Administrator:
Tracy Thornton – tmthornton@uclan.ac.uk
(01772) (89)3680
This module guide contains information on:
Teaching times, teaching format, and module tutor availability
Module aims and outcomes
Programme of topics
Advice on further reading
Assessment methods and information on the essay and exam
Teaching time and venue:
Tuesday 1-3, Livesey 227
Tutor Availability for this Semester:
My office hours for this semester are Monday 1-2, Tuesday 3-4 & Friday 1-2.
In addition, I’m happy to deal with queries whenever I am in my office. If I
can’t see you immediately then please contact me (preferably by email –
plucas1@uclan.ac.uk), and we’ll arrange a suitable time to meet.
Module Aims and Outcomes
(a) Aims
This module aims to enable students to explore the relatively new (new, that
is, in terms of the history of philosophy) but vigorously developing area of
environmental ethics. Among other things, the module will aim to convey the
ideas that environment ethics is not merely an applied offshoot of a central
area of inquiry known as “ethics” but rather represents a vast enlargement of
the domain of interest of ethics (which has historically been overwhelming
confined to the study of interhuman ethics) and that this development
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presents new kinds of challenges to traditional ethical theories. The module
also aims to highlight the importance of working the edge between theoretical
concerns and practical issues in discussing environmental ethical questions.
(b) Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module you should be able to:
1. Outline and critically evaluate central ideas and lines of argument
associated with the main approaches to environmental ethics.
2. Identify and critically reflect on the main ethical ideas and
approaches – such as those associated with virtue, deontological, and
consequentialist perspectives and the instrumental/intrinsic value
distinction – that underpin the particular approaches discussed in (1).
3. Deploy the conceptual tools referred to in (1) and (2) in order to
demonstrate clear and critical argumentation in the expression of their
own thoughts on environmental ethical issues.
A Week-by-Week Outline of the Course
The module will be taught over twelve weekly sessions, and these sessions
have been divided into four subgroups (A-D). See below for a week-by-week
breakdown of lecture topics, core readings and suggested background
readings.
The majority of the core readings are drawn from Andrew Light and Holmes
Rolston (eds) Environmental Ethics, (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003). For copyright
reasons we cannot put this quantity of readings from a single source onto
eLearn, so you should buy your own copy of this book. Other core readings
will be on eLearn, and since we will not be using Light and Rolston until week
3, there should be plenty of time for you to acquire a copy.
N.B.: Many more background texts are available than can be listed here. The
module bibliography contains additional suggestions, and you can use
references and bibliographies from any of these texts, as well as the library
catalogue, to track down further relevant material.
A. Environmental economics, and beyond
Week 1 (24.1.12): Sustainability and (mal)development
Core reading:
- Bruntland et al Our Common Future (overview) (1987)
- United Nations Environment Programme Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development (1992)
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Further reading:
Vandana Shiva, Staying Alive (1989), chapter 1
Week 2 (31.1.12): Valuing environmental goods
Core reading:
-William F. Baxter, excerpt from People or Penguins: The Case
for Optimal Pollution (1974)
-Myrick A. Freeman III ‘The Ethical Basis of the Economic View
of the Environment’ in Pierce and VanDeVeer (1994)
-David Pearce, Blueprint for a Green Economy (1989), chapter 3
Week 3 (7.2.12): Conservation versus preservation
Core reading:
- Excerpts from: Theodore Roosevelt, John L. Knapp and John
Muir, in Carolyn Merchant, Major Problems in American
Environmental History (1993)
-Richard Routley: “Is There a Need for a New, an
Environmental, Ethic?” (In Light and Rolston (2003), pp. 47-52)
B. Environmental values
Week 4 (14.2.12): Non-human welfare and/or rights
Core reading:
-Peter Singer “Not for Humans Only: The Place of Nonhumans
in Environmental Issues”(in Light and Rolston (2003), pp. 55-64)
-Tom Regan “Animal Right: What’s in a Name?” with a brief
extract from The Case for Animal Rights (in Light and Rolston
(2003) pp. 65-73)
Further reading:
Lori Gruen, “The Moral Status of Animals”, Stanford
Encyclopaedia of Philosophy
Singer, “All Animals are Equal” online at
http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/philosophy/animals/singertext.html
Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights” online at
http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/philosophy/animals/regantext.html
Week 5 (21.2.12): The life-based approach
Core reading:
Paul W. Taylor “The Ethics of Respect for Nature” (in Light and
Rolston (2003), pp. 74-84)
Week 6 (28.2.12): Holistic approaches
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Core reading:
Aldo Leopold “The Land Ethic” (in Light and Rolston (2003), pp.
38-46)
C. Foundational Issues
Week 7 (6.3.12): The objectivity of environmental values
Core reading:
-J. Baird Callicott “Can a Theory of Moral Sentiments Support a
Genuinely Normative Environmental Ethic?” Inquiry 35 (1992)
-Holmes Rolston III “Value in Nature and the Nature of Value” (in
Light and Rolston (2003), pp. 153-153)
Further: Callicott “The Conceptual Foundations of the Land
Ethic” in Zimmerman (1998)
Week 8 (13.3.12): The value of ecosystems
Core reading:
Harley Cahen “Against the Moral Considerability of Ecosystems”
(in Light and Rolston (2003), pp. 114-128)
Week 9 (20.3.12): What is intrinsic value?
Core reading:
John O’Neill “The Varieties of Intrinsic Value” (in Light and
Rolston (2003) pp. 131-142)
D. Radical environmentalism
Week 10 (27.3.12): Ecological consciousness
Core reading:
-John Rodman, “Four Forms of Ecological Consciousness
Reconsidered” in Attig and Scherer (1983)
-Warwick Fox “Deep Ecology: A New Philosophy of our Time?
(in Light and Rolston (2003) pp. 252-261)
Week 11 (17.4.12): Deep ecology for and against
Core Reading:
-Arne Naess “The Deep Ecological Movement: Some
Philosophical Aspects” (in Light and Rolston (2003) pp. 262274)
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-Ramachandra Guha “Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique” Environmental
Ethics 11, (1989)
Further:
Bill Devall and John Sessions, “Deep Ecology”/ “Some Sources
of the Deep Ecology Perspective” Devall and Sessions (1985)
Week 12 (24.4.12): Ecofeminism and (mal)development
Core Reading:
Greta Gaard and Lori Gruen “Ecofeminism: Toward Global
Justice and Planetary Health” (in Light and Rolston (2003) pp.
276-293)
Val Plumwood “Feminism and Ecofeminism: Beyond the
Dualistic Assumptions of Women, Men and Nature” The
Ecologist 22 (1992)
Attendance
There is an attendance requirement for all taught philosophy modules.
Students will only pass modules if, in addition to satisfactorily completing all
assessed elements, they attend a minimum of 75% of scheduled classes.
Module tutors keep weekly attendance records. It is the student’s
responsibility to ensure that they sign the attendance sheets circulated in
class, and to inform tutors of any unavoidable absence due to illness etc.
Students who do not respond to communications concerning continuous
unauthorised absence may be deemed to have withdrawn from the course date of withdrawal will be recorded as the last day of attendance.
Assessment
Assessment is by coursework (50%) and pre-seen exam (50%).
Note that the Academic Regulations of the University require that coursework
submitted late and without a pre-arranged extension can be awarded no more
than a bare pass mark (40%). Work submitted more than five working days
late will be awarded 0%. Therefore, if you think you may not be able to submit
your work on time you MUST contact me as soon as possible. In appropriate
circumstances extensions to the deadline will be given. In some cases it may
also be appropriate for you submit a claim for extenuating circumstances.
Again, if you think this may be necessary make sure to contact me at the
earliest possible opportunity.
Submission of essays
Assessment in Philosophy is by coursework and/or exam. Individual module
tutors will set assignments, and deadlines for submission. Details will be
given in module guides, lectures and on eLearn. All philosophy coursework
(except for modules featuring portfolio assessment – where module tutors will
provide module-specific instructions) must be submitted both electronically
and in hard copy.
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The hard copy of your work should be posted in the module tutor’s essay box
in Livesey House 102a, on or before the published deadline. Before
submitting the work you should complete and sign a Submission and
Feedback form (available from the stand outside the ESS admin office –
Livesey House 113), and attach it securely to the submitted work.
As well as submitting a hard copy of your essay, you must submit an
electronic copy through Turnitin. To do this:
First find the Web CT space for your module. On the front page, you
will see an icon that looks something like this (though the title will
probably be different):
Click on the icon. Then, on the next page to appear, click on the
“submit” button to the right of the name of the assignment you wish to
submit (this will usually, for modules on the Philosophy BA, simply be
“Assignment 1”).
A dialogue box will appear, which should already be filled out with your
name. All you need to do is to write the title of your essay in the
appropriate box, then click the “Browse” button to locate your essay on
your computer. Please note the list of accepted document formats that
appears below the “Browse” button, and make sure that your essay is
in one of these formats. Ideally, it should be an MS Word or RTF file.
When you have found your essay on your computer, click “Open”.
Then, on the dialogue box, click “submit” to upload your assignment.
You’ll be asked to confirm that the document you are uploading is the
correct one. Once you have done so, you will see a digital receipt for
your work. Now click on the “portfolio” icon to be taken to your
assignment inbox.
In the inbox, you will see an entry for your submitted assignment.
Beneath the “contents” header, you will see a small rectangle, which
initially will be grey. After a few minutes (for your first submission), it
will change colour. This change indicates that an “originality report” has
been generated for your assignment. Click the rectangle to view the
report.
This report is very important. It will act as a guide to whether or not
your essay contains material copied verbatim from elsewhere, and so
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whether it is at risk of being considered an example of plagiarism. Of
course, some of the copied material may be in the form of properly
referenced quotations. If that’s the case, you have nothing to worry
about.
However, if the duplicated material in your essay is not referenced and
presented as quoted, there may be a problem. Happily, provided you
have submitted ahead of the deadline, you’ll be able to remedy the
problem. That is, you’ll be able to alter your essay and resubmit it. Note
that now, it will take the system 24 hours to generate a new originality
report.
Sometimes, very small amounts of text (say, 1%) will show up as
duplicated when you have not copied from elsewhere; you just happen
coincidentally to have reproduced a form of words found in a book,
article, or piece of student work. This is probably nothing to worry
about; however, if you’re in doubt, contact your tutor.
The Turnitin submission process probably sounds quite complicated,
but it isn’t really, and you will soon get used to it. However, if you have
any difficulties at all in submitting, contact Peter Herissone-Kelly
(pnherissone-kelly@uclan.ac.uk). You might also like to consult the
“Student Guide to Using Turnitin”, which you should find on your
module’s Web CT space.
Philosophy exams take place in the standard University exam periods, at the
end of each semester. Tutors will notify you in lectures, and via eLearn, when
these are published. You can also access the University exams timetable at
the appropriate point of each semester via the University website.
Notes on the assessment essay
Sources
Essays should show evidence of sufficient study, and independent reading
(as a (very) rough guide, four to six background sources, in addition to the
core texts, are adequate at this level). All sources must be properly
referenced (citing author name, title and publication details, and page
number). Your essay should also include a full bibliography.
N.B. You are encouraged to utilise other people’s work and ideas, but it
is important that you acknowledge them when you do so. To copy or
paraphrase someone else’s words or arguments without crediting your
source - so as to give the reader the impression that the work is your
own - is a form of theft called plagiarism.
Written style
Aim to be clear and consistent. You may need to use specialised
philosophical terms, but make sure you explain what you mean by them.
Remember, there are no marks for using big words, but there are marks for
clear well-written English.
Presentation
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Essays should be typed or word-processed, and double-spaced. They should
be submitted with a cover sheet but no other covering. Remember to keep an
independent copy of your work.
Assessment criteria
The feedback you receive on your essay will be divided into short sections as
follows:
(i) Relevance (in terms of chosen topic/title). To fulfil this criterion you must
address the question that is asked; you'd be amazed how many essays fail to
do this adequately.
(ii) Knowledge and sources (accuracy, appropriate selection, citations,
bibliography).
(iii) Analysis, argument and structure (clarity, relevance, fairness, coherence).
(iv) Independence of thought (including critical engagement with other views).
(v) Written presentation (spelling, punctuation, grammar, appropriate
language).
(vi) Overall comments and mark.
A detailed breakdown of the marking criteria used for philosophy coursework
and exams is given in the Philosophy course handbook. You should bear all
these criteria in mind when writing. Use them as a check list, and consider
the draft of your essay under each one, as if you were marking your own
essay. When you've done this, make the appropriate improvements, and only
then submit the final version of your essay!
Marked essays will be returned in class, and will be available for collection 15
working days after the submission deadline.
Information on the Exam
You will receive a copy of the exam paper in week eleven, for discussion in
week twelve. The exam paper will contain six questions, from which you will
need to select two to answer in the exam. The exam will last for two hours,
and the best tactical advice anyone can give you is to spend one hour on one
question and one hour on the second question. It's always easier to get the
first 50% of the marks than the second 50%. This means that two good
answers will almost always average out to a better overall mark than a long,
brilliant answer on one question and a one or two paragraph scribble on the
second.
Bibliography and learning support material
Core text:
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Light, A. and Rolston, H. (eds) Environmental Ethics (Oxford: Blackwell, 2003)
Books and articles:
Attig, T and Scherer, D. Ethics and the Environment (New York: Prentice-Hall,
1983)
Baxter, W. People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution (New York:
Columbia University Press, 1974)
Bekoff, M. and Meaney, C. eds Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal
Welfare (London: Fitzroy Dearborn, 1998)
Bruntland et al. Our Common Future (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987)
Callicott, J. B.. In Defence of the Land Ethic: Essays in Environmental
Philosophy (New York: State University of New York Press, 1989)
Callicott. J. B. “Can a Theory of Moral Sentiments Support a Genuinely
Normative Environmental Ethic?” Inquiry 35 (1992)
Cohen, C. and Regan, T. The Animal Rights Debate (Lanham, MD: Rowman
and Littlefield, 2001)
DeGrazia, D. Taking Animals Seriously: Mental Life and Moral Status.
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996)
Des Jardins, J.. Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental
Philosophy (Belmont, Ca.: Wadsworth, 1997)
Devall, B. and Sessions, J. Deep Ecology (Salt Lake City Ut.: Peregrine
Smith, 1985)
Fox, W. Toward a Transpersonal Ecology: Developing New Approaches for
Environmentalism (New York: State University of New York Press, 1995).
Goldin, O. and Kilroe, P. eds. Human Life and the Natural World: Readings in
the History of Western Philosophy (Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press.
1997)
Hargrove, E. ed. The Animal Rights/Environmental Ethics Debate: The
Environmental Perspective (New York: State University of New York Press,
1992)
Hursthouse, R. Humans and Other Animals (Milton Keynes: Open University,
1999)
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Jamieson, D. Ethics and the Environment (Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2008)
Johnson, L., A Morally Deep World: An Essay on Moral Significance and
Environmental Ethics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993)
Keller, D. ed. Environmental Ethics: The Big Questions (Malden, MA: WileyBlackwell, 2010)
LaFollette, H. ed. Ethics in Practice: An Anthology (Oxford: Blackwell, 1997)
Leopold, A., A Sand County Almanac (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981
[1949])
Merchant, C., Major Problems in American Environmental History (Lexington
Ma.: D.C.Heath & Co., 1993)
Nash, R. The Rights of Nature: A History of Environmental Ethics (Madison,
Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1989)
Pearce, D., Blueprint for a Green Economy (London: Earthscan, 1989)
Pierce, C. and VanDeVeer, D. The Environmental Ethics and Policy Book first
edition (New York: Wadsworth, 1994)
Ryder, R. Animal Revolution: Changing Attitudes towards Speciesism (Oxford
and New York: Berg, 2000)
Ryder, R., Painism: A Modern Morality (London: Centaur Press, 2001)
Regan, T., The Case for Animal Rights (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul,
1984)
Regan, T. Animal Rights, Human Wrongs: An Introduction to Moral
Philosophy (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003)
Regan T. and Singer P. eds. 1989. Animal Rights and Human Obligations 2nd
ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Schmidtz D. and Willott, W. eds. Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters,
What Really Works (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002)
Shiva, V., Staying Alive (London: Zed Books, 1989)
Singer, P. Animal Liberation 2nd ed. (London: Jonathan Cape, 1990)
Singer, P. Practical Ethics 2nd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1993)
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Taylor, P. Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics (Princeton,
New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1986)
United Nations Environment Programme (1992), Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development http://www.unep.org/Documents
Varner, G., In Nature’s Interests?: Interests, Animal Rights, and
Environmental Ethics (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998)
Warren, K. J., Ecological Feminism (London: Routledge, 1994)
Warren, M. A., Moral Status: Obligations to Persons and Other Living Things
(Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2000)
Zimmerman, M. ed. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical
Ecology 2nd ed. (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998)
Journals:
Environmental Ethics (the main US based academic journal in the area)
Environmental Values (the main UK based academic journal in the area)
Ethics and the Environment
Inquiry (An academic philosophy journal founded in 1953 by deep ecology
mainstay Arne Naess, and concerned particularly with promoting
interdisciplinary understanding)
The Ecologist (Environmental magazine and journal)
The Web
Particularly useful is the British Academy’s PORTAL. This contains links to a
large number of philosophy sites. Just go to:
www.britac.ac.uk/portal click on ‘philosophy’ and off you go…
Also very useful (and accessible via the above) are:
The Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy:
www.seop.leeds.ac.uk
The Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy:
www.utm.edu/research/iep
Finally, for a huge range of links to philosophy resources on the internet, try:
www.epistemelinks.com
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