Assigned Readings

Week 1

Optional: Sober - Philosophical Problems for Environmentalism

Rachels - The Challenge of Cultural Relativism

Week 2

Dupre - Utilitarianism

Rachels - Debate Over Utilitarianism

Dupre - Kantian Ethics

Dupre - Prima Facie Duties

Ross - What Makes Right Actions Right?

Baxter - People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution

Week 3

Cohen - The Case for the Use of Animals

Singer - All Animals Are Equal

Regan - The Case for Animal Rights

Warren - Difficulties With the Strong Animal Rights Position

Week 4

Anderson - Animal Rights and the Values of Non-Human Life

Norcross - Puppies, Pigs, and People

Norcross - The Significance of Death for Animals

Harman - The Moral Significance of Animal Pain and Animal Death

Week 5

Taylor - The Ethics of Respect for Nature

Schmidtz - Are All Species Equal?

Week 6

Leopold - The Land Ethic

Hill - Ideals of Human Excellence and Preserving the Natural Environment

Warren - The Power and Promise of Ecological Feminism

Week 7

Elliott - Faking Nature

Jamieson - Against Zoos

Russow - Why Do Species Matter?

Week 9

Broome - Intro to Climate Ethics

Gardiner - The Problem of Political Inertia

Broome - Climate Matters (chapters 4-5)

Jamieson - Respect for Nature

Week 10

Broome - Climate Matters (excerpt from ch. 4)

Parfit - The Non-Identity Problem

Broome - Climate Matters (chapter 7)

Broome - The Social Discount Rate

Parfit - Energy Policy and the Further Future

Week 11

Young - Overconsumption and Procreation

Vance - Procreation is Immoral on Environmental Grounds (read sections 1-4)

Week 12

Sinnott-Armstrong - It's Not My Fault

Vance - Climate Change, Individual Emissions, and Foreseeing Harm

Vance - Procreation is Immoral on Environmental Grounds (read sections 5-6)

Week 13

Singer - One Atmosphere

Traxler - Fair Chore Division for Climate Change

Gardiner - Ethics and Global Climate Change (excerpt)

Week 14

Gardiner - Arming the Future With Geoengineering

Back To PHIL 308 Home Page