PHIL 231 Environmental and Animal Ethics

This course will examine the ethical dimensions of our relationship to non-human animals and the environment, including a special emphasis on climate justice as the site of interconnected and global moral, political, and scientific concerns. Some of the questions we will address include: What is the relation between the environment and human health and well-being? Are there reasons other than human health and well-being for protecting the environment? Do nonhuman animals have rights? Do trees? Are we morally permitted to eat/experiment on/keep in zoos/hunt nonhuman animals? How do we compare environmental values against other values in making reasonable decisions?