Description
This module will introduce students to environmental philosophy, providing them with a critical understanding of the ontological, political and ethical issues surrounding the environment . The topics to be studied in the module cover the major issues of environmental philosophy: theories of Nature, the Anthropocene, intrinsic value and inherent value in nature, animal consciousness and rights, human rights and the environment, the ethics of over-population, consumerism and mass-extinction, holism and atomism, future generations, distribution of harms and benefits, geoengineering, food systems, solutions, mitigation. These issues are the most pressing issues confronting humanity in the 21st century.
Students taking the module will gain an understanding of the philosophical concepts framing our relationship with the environment. Students will gain an understanding of the cutting edge ontological and ethical issues raised by climate change, extinction risks, and over-population. Students are expected to attend and contribute to lectures, and to engage with the recommended texts and readings as they progress through the module.
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Indicative Reading List
- Mary Midgley: 1978, Beast and Man, 1st, Routledge, London,
- Peter Singer: 2011, The Expanding Circle, Princeton University Press, 9780691150697
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