East St. Louis Savage Inequalities Jonathan Kozol.
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Transcript of East St. Louis Savage Inequalities Jonathan Kozol.
East St. LouisEast St. Louis
Savage InequalitiesJonathan Kozol
Environmental EthicsEnvironmental Ethics
The Earth as seen from space.
OutlineOutlineDefining Environmental Ethics
and Ethical StandardsExtended Ethical ConsiderationsEnvironmental Philosophers from
the Industrial RevolutionConservation and PreservationAldo Leopold’s “Land Ethic”Deep Ecology and EcofeminismEnvironmental Justice
Defining Environmental Ethics Defining Environmental Ethics and Ethical Standardsand Ethical Standards
Environmental EthicsEnvironmental Ethics
Ethics is one branch of philosophy; it seeks to define what is right and what is wrong.
Ethics can help us understand what actions are wrong and why they are wrong.◦Relativists◦Universalists
Aristotle, “virtue”
Immanuel Kant, “the golden rule”
John Stuart Mill, “utility”
Classic Ethical Standar
ds
Conflicting Ethical Conflicting Ethical PositionsPositionsSometimes an individual’s ethical
commitments can conflict with each other.◦A mayor might have an ethical commitment
to preserving land in a city but also have an ethical commitment to bringing in jobs associated with construction of a new factory.
In many cases, what is good for the environment is also good for people.◦While forest protection may reduce logging
jobs, a healthier forest might lead to new jobs in recreation, fisheries, and tourism.
Ethical Questions to ConsiderEthical Questions to Consider(Extended Ethical (Extended Ethical Consideration)Consideration)
Does the present generation have an obligation to conserve resources for
future generations? If so, how much are we obligated to sacrifice?
Are there situations that justify exposing some communities to
disproportionate share of pollution? If not, what actions are warranted in
preventing this problem?
Are humans justified in driving species to extinction? If destroying a forest would drive extinct an insect
species few people have heard of but would create jobs for 10,000 people,
would that action be ethically admissible? What if it were an owl
species? What if only 100 jobs would be created?
The Expanding Concept of Rights, pg.30.
Pre-ethical past
Ethical past
Present
Future
Three Philosophical Approaches Three Philosophical Approaches to Environmental Ethicsto Environmental Ethics
Philosophical approaches
“ The land is our ancestral home and we must cherish it even more than children cherish their mother.” ---Plato
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living think that moves upon the earth.”---The Bible
“You shall not defile the land in which you live.”—The Bible
Industrial Revolution Kicks-Industrial Revolution Kicks-Off More…Off More…
Crap
John Ruskin, 1819-1900
TranscendentalismTranscendentalismEvery creature is better alive than
dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it.
Henry David Thoreau
Everything in Nature contains all the powers of Nature. Everything is made
of one hidden stuff. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Now I see the secret of making the best person: it is to grow in the open
air and to eat and sleep with the earth.
Walt Whitman
Conservation and Conservation and PreservationPreservation
Environmental AttitudesEnvironmental AttitudesBecause ethical commitments pull
in different directions at different times, it is often easier to talk in terms of environmental attitudes or approaches.
The three most common attitudes/approaches are:◦Development approach◦Preservation approach◦Conservation approach
ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDESENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES
Development, preservation, and conservation are different attitudes toward nature. These attitudes reflect a person’s ethical commitments.
DevelopmentDevelopmentThis approach is the most
anthropocentric.◦It assumes the human race is, and
should be, master of nature.◦It assumes that the Earth and its
resources exist solely for our benefit and pleasure.
◦This approach is reinforced by the capitalist work ethic.
◦This approach thinks highly of human creativity and holds that continual economic growth is a moral ideal for society.
PreservationPreservationThis approach is the most ecocentric.
◦It holds that nature has intrinsic value apart from human uses. Preservationists such as John Muir, Ralph Waldo
Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman articulated their positions differently, but all viewed nature as a refuge from economic activity, not as a resource for it.
Some preservationists wish to keep large parts of nature intact for aesthetic or recreational reasons (anthropocentric principles).
John MuirJohn Muir(1838-1914)(1838-1914)
ConservationConservationThis approach finds a balance between
unrestrained development and preservationism.
Conservationism promotes human well-being but considers a wider range of long-term human goods in its decisions about environmental management.
Many of the ideas in conservationism have been incorporated into an approach known as sustainable development.
Gifford PinchotGifford Pinchot(1865-1946)(1865-1946)
Aldo Leopold’s “Land Aldo Leopold’s “Land Ethic”Ethic”
“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise….We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”
—Aldo LeopoldA Sand County Almanac, 1949
Deep Ecology and Deep Ecology and EcofeminismEcofeminism
Other areas of philosophical thought address environmental issues
Environmental JusticeEnvironmental JusticeIn 1998, the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) defined environmental justice as fair treatment, meaning: ◦“No group of people, including racial,
ethnic, or socioeconomic groups, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies.”
◦Environmental justice is closely related to civil rights.
Environmental JusticeEnvironmental Justice
The direct action in Warren County, NC, marked the birth of the environmental justice movement in the
U.S.
Environmental JusticeEnvironmental JusticeStudies show that the affluent
members of society generate most of the waste, while the impoverished members tend to bear most of the burden of this waste.
Environmental JusticeEnvironmental JusticeEnvironmental justice encompasses a
wide range of issues, including:◦Where to place hazardous and polluting
facilities◦Transportation◦Safe housing, lead poisoning, and water
quality◦Access to recreation◦Exposure to noise pollution◦Access to environmental information◦Hazardous waste cleanup◦Exposure to natural disasters (e.g.,
Hurricane Katrina)
Not only must we be good, but Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for we must also be good for
something. something. Henry David Thoreau