CS 247: Environmental Ethics
Laura Sizer
T, TH: 2:00pm - 3:20pm ASH 222
Most ethical debates concern the moral obligations of human beings. But what moral obligations Ð if any Ð do we have towards non-human entities? Do non-human animals have rights? Do trees and rivers? What about entire ecosystems? What might ground such rights and obligations? We will discuss how traditional ethical theories have approached questions about moral obligations towards non-humans, and see whether these views can be extended to include some or all of the non-human natural entities mentioned above. We will also discuss other approaches that explicitly include natural entities such as ecosystems within the sphere of moral concern. Vegetarianism, hunting and vivisection will also be explored. Note that this is not a class for building advocacy but for rationally exploring philosophical arguments. Students will read and critically analyze philosophical positions and will be able to articulate arguments on several different sides of the issues. Short and longer argument papers are required.
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