Environmental ethics is the study of the value of the natural and built environment that encompasses human life. There are three fundamental questions relating to the value of the environment: Does the environment have an intrinsic value, independent of the human species? Is the environment only important in its relation to humanity? Or does the environment have no inherent value at all? Also three types of environmental activism are examined: the ‘light’ green of environmental consumerism, the ‘dark’ green of environmental radicalism, and the ‘bright’ green convergence of technological progress and environmental preservation. In this course, the moral and political implications of these positions are critically discussed.
Level: Beginner to Advanced
Key words: environment; value; intrinsic; utilitarianism; consumerism; technology;