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40A Pragmatic Reconsideration of AnthropocentrismEnvironmental Ethics 21 (4): 377-390. 1999.For much of its brief history, the field of environmental ethics has been critical of anthropocentrism. I here undertake a pragmatic reconsideration of anthropocentrism. In the first part of this essay, I explain what a pragmatic reconsideration of anthropocentrism means. I differentiate two distinct pragmatic strategies, one substantive and one methodological, and I adopt methodological pragmatism as my guiding principle. In the second part of this essay, I examine a case study of environmental…Read more
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2Nature by Design: People, Natural Process, and Ecological Restoration (review)Environmental Ethics 29 (2): 213-216. 2007.
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92Geoengineering, Restoration, and the Construction of NatureEnvironmental Ethics 37 (4): 485-498. 2015.An old book by children’s author Dr. Seuss can be an inspiration to examine the ethical and ontological meaning of geoengineering. My argument is based on my critique of the process of ecological restoration as the creation of an artifactual reality. When humanity intentionally interferes with the processes and entities of nature, we change the ontological reality of the natural world. The world becomes a garden, or a zoo, an environment that must be continually managed to meet the goals of huma…Read more
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87Anne Frank's Tree: Thoughts on Domination and the Paradox of ProgressEthics, Place and Environment 13 (3): 283-293. 2010.Consider the significance of Anne Frank's horse chestnut tree. During her years of hiding in the secret annex, Anne thought of the tree as a symbol of freedom, happiness, and peace. As a stand-in for all of Nature, Anne saw the tree as that part of the universe that could not be destroyed by human evil. In this essay, I use Anne's tree as a starting point for a discussion of the domination of both nature and humanity. I connect the concept of domination to the policy of ecological restoration, t…Read more
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54Organism, community, and the "substitution problem"Environmental Ethics 7 (3): 241-256. 1985.Holistic accounts of the natural environment in environmental ethics fail to stress the distinction between the concepts of comnlunity and organism. Aldo Leopold’s “Land Ethic” adds to this confusion, for it can be interpreted as promoting either a community or an organic model of nature. The difference between the two concepts lies in the degree of autonomy possessed by constituent entities within the holistic system. Members within a community are autonomous, while the parts of an organism are…Read more
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23Nature and Nationalism: Right-Wing Ecology and the Politics of Identity in Contemporary Germany, Jonathan Olsen , 208 pp., $45 cloth (review)Ethics and International Affairs 15 (1): 219-222. 2001.
Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
Areas of Interest
Applied Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |