This anthology, designed for use in undergraduate courses in environmental ethics, includes new and classic readings by leading writers in the field, full-length case studies, and many short discussion cases. Introductions and discussion questions are provided for all the essays, with each chapter introduced by a summary of the issues and appropriate philosophic, historical and scientific background. Exploring ethical theory, environmental ethics, science and the environmental movement, Earthcare also offers suggestions for students on how to think about ethics and the environment. Through many worldviews, religions and philosophical perspectives, this collection grapples with environmental ethics issues from valuing nature, concerns about the atmosphere, water, land, animals, and human population as well as the interlocking and often problematic interests of business, consumption, energy and sustainability. This book also features examples of a wide variety of environmentally engaged individuals, giving students a way of seeing the connections between the material studied and what they themselves might accomplish.
Preface: The Design of This Book and How to Get the Most Out of It
Acknowledgments
Part I: A Philosophical and Ethical Framework for Environmental Ethics
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: The worldviews of the Abrahamic religions and the environment
Chapter 3: Asian, Native American, and Modern Western Worldviews and the Environment
Chapter 4: Valuing Nature
Chapter 5: Deep Ecology & Biocentrism
Chapter 6: Ecofeminism
Chapter 7: Social Ecology & Environmental Justice
Part II: Environmental Ethics and Areas of Environmental Concern
Chapter 8: Atmospheric Problems
Chapter 9: Waste
Chapter 10: Land Degradation
Chapter 11: Water Pollution and Water Resources
Chapter 12: Biodiversity
Chapter 13: Animal Rights
Chapter 14: Global Population Expansion
Chapter 15: Sustainability, Consumption, Business and Energy
Epilogue
David W. Clowney is an associate professor of philosophy at Rowan University. Patricia Mosto is dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Sciences at Rider University.
"This text features the important classic writings in environmental ethics vital to any effective representation of the subject, while also including a significant number of new voices, enabling students and instructors to gain a sense of the currency and liveliness of the field. Especially valuable, and setting this book apart from most textbooks in environmental ethics, are the 'In The First Person' vignettes from a range of environmental specialists, philosophers, and activists who give eloquent response to the question of why earth care matters. This text shows that environmental ethics is truly theory-in-action; as a field of study it does not merely identify salient conceptual and practical environmental problems, but strives to do something about them."
– Chaone Mallory, Villanova University