Comments due by 11:59pm Saturday, November 23, 2013.
In class you have read both "Deep Ecology" by Bill Devall and George Sessions and "People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution" by William Baxter. Here I want you to reflect critically on both essays.
What claims did you find striking in both essays? Did they make any plausible arguments? If so, which ones? And why should we find them plausible? Did they offer some implausible arguments? If so, which ones, and why should we think they are implausible?
Press each other here. Challenge one another. Get after these issues. Demand reasons. And as always, be gracious, charitable, and humble. Learn from each other.
Monday, November 18, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Environmental Harms, Radical Injustices?
Comments Due: 11:59pm on Tuesday, November 19, 2013.
Here's an infographic that seems to correspond well to Barbara MacKinnon's essay.
In the same vein, this website maintains that the injustices here are widespread and profound--of course, they are not alone in making such claims--and it seeks to address in very practical ways such injustices.
What do you make of all this? Should we be alarmed? Where do these sources go wrong, if anywhere? Assuming their claims are true, are these indeed gross injustices? What ought to be done as a result?
Think carefully through these issues. Learn from others. Be gracious and charitable. Be humble. We all have something to learn.
Here's an infographic that seems to correspond well to Barbara MacKinnon's essay.
In the same vein, this website maintains that the injustices here are widespread and profound--of course, they are not alone in making such claims--and it seeks to address in very practical ways such injustices.
What do you make of all this? Should we be alarmed? Where do these sources go wrong, if anywhere? Assuming their claims are true, are these indeed gross injustices? What ought to be done as a result?
Think carefully through these issues. Learn from others. Be gracious and charitable. Be humble. We all have something to learn.
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
R.G. Frey on Animal Experimentation
Comments due by 11:59pm Sunday, November 10, 2013.
On Blackboard you will find an article by R.G. Frey on the use of animals in research. You can also find the paper here.
Here's one passage from his paper:
"If we are going to use animals, the argument that I have raised in this essay seems to require that we at least be prepared to use certain humans as well, depending upon their respective qualities of life. Can we bring ourselves to do this?"
Read the entire paper closely. What do you make of his arguments? Where do they go wrong, if anywhere?
Engage each other in good conversation. Be gracious, charitable, and humble. Learn from each other!
On Blackboard you will find an article by R.G. Frey on the use of animals in research. You can also find the paper here.
Here's one passage from his paper:
"If we are going to use animals, the argument that I have raised in this essay seems to require that we at least be prepared to use certain humans as well, depending upon their respective qualities of life. Can we bring ourselves to do this?"
Read the entire paper closely. What do you make of his arguments? Where do they go wrong, if anywhere?
Engage each other in good conversation. Be gracious, charitable, and humble. Learn from each other!
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