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AESS Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies
and Sciences Series

Kimberly K. Smith

Exploring
Environmental
Ethics
An Introduction
AESS Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies
and Sciences Series

Series editor
Wil Burns
Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment
School of International Service
American University
Washington, DC, USA
Environmental professionals and scholars need resources that can help them to
resolve interdisciplinary issues intrinsic to environmental management, governance,
and research. The AESS branded book series draws upon a range of disciplinary
fields pertinent to addressing environmental issues, including the physical and
biological sciences, social sciences, engineering, economics, sustainability
planning, and public policy. The rising importance of the interdisciplinary approach
is evident in the growth of interdisciplinary academic environmental programs, such
Environmental Studies and Sciences (ES&S), and related ‘sustainability studies.’
The growth of interdisciplinary environmental education and professions,
however, has yet to be accompanied by the complementary development of a
vigorous and relevant interdisciplinary environmental literature. This series
addresses this by publishing books and monographs grounded in interdisciplinary
approaches to issues. It supports teaching and experiential learning in ES&S and
sustainability studies programs, as well as those engaged in professional
environmental occupations in both public and private sectors.
The series is designed to foster development of publications with clear and
creative integration of the physical and biological sciences with other disciplines in
the quest to address serious environmental problems. We will seek to subject
submitted manuscripts to rigorous peer review by academics and professionals who
share our interdisciplinary perspectives. The series will also be managed by an
Editorial board of national and internationally recognized environmental academics
and practitioners from a broad array of environmentally relevant disciplines who
also embrace an interdisciplinary orientation.

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13637


Kimberly K. Smith

Exploring Environmental
Ethics
An Introduction
Kimberly K. Smith
Carleton College
Northfield, MN, USA

ISSN 2509-9787     ISSN 2509-9795 (electronic)


AESS Interdisciplinary Environmental Studies and Sciences Series
ISBN 978-3-319-77394-0    ISBN 978-3-319-77395-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77395-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018934704

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018


This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of
the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation,
broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information
storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication
does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant
protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book
are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors
or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims
in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Printed on acid-free paper

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
part of Springer Nature.
The registered company address is: 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, U.S.A.
Preface

Exploring Environmental Ethics is just that: an exploration. It is not a typical


scholarly monograph offering an ethical theory, nor is it a stand-alone textbook
intended to serve as a comprehensive introduction to the field of environmental
ethics for students of philosophy. It is instead an introduction to the discipline of
environmental ethics for people outside of that field. Specifically, it is intended
for students in interdisciplinary environmental studies programs who want to
engage with the scholarly literature on environmental ethics but don’t have train-
ing in philosophy.
I wrote this text to serve what I see as a growing need. As interdisciplinary
environmental studies programs become more common in higher education, we
need teaching materials that not only expose students to typical scholarship in
different academic disciplines but also help explain different academic disci-
plines. We need texts that clarify disciplinary assumptions and methodologies,
highlight important cross-disciplinary conversations, and discuss how terms
may acquire different meanings as they migrate across fields. In short, we need
texts that help us navigate the often confusing interdisciplinary landscape of
environmental studies.
I come to this project not as a professional ethicist but as an intellectual historian
whose primary field is political theory. From this vantage, standing just outside the
field of ethics, I explore conversations among scholars of environmental ethics
that are central to environmental studies as a field. Drawing on my experience
teaching environmental ethics, I also discuss topics that are particularly important
to environmental studies students but not typically addressed in standards texts
on environmental ethics. My hope is that the book will serve as a map or guide, a
resource that can help readers confidently to pursue their own explorations of this
rich and important field.
In developing this book, I benefitted from conversations with and feedback from
many people, including Dale Jamieson, Jennifer Everett, Jeremy Bendik-Keymer,
the members of the 2009 NEH Workshop on Aldo Leopold, Glenn Adelson, Daniel
Groll, Roger Jackson, Thabiti Willis, the ­anonymous reviewers at Springer, and the

v
vi Preface

many students in my Environmental Ethics courses. I am particularly grateful for


the many conversations I have had with my mother, Judy Smith, who is the inspira-
tion for the character of Judy K. I have tried to capture some of her wisdom about
land management, stewardship, and the good life in this book.

Northfield, MN, USA Kimberly K. Smith


Contents

1 Introduction������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 1
1.1 Managing Spring Lakes���������������������������������������������������������������������� 1
1.2 What This Book Is About ������������������������������������������������������������������ 2
1.3 Ethics as Part of an Interdisciplinary Environmental Education�������� 3
1.4 Overview of the Book������������������������������������������������������������������������ 4
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 5
2 Why Study Environmental Ethics?���������������������������������������������������������� 7
2.1 The Problem of Purple Loosestrife���������������������������������������������������� 7
2.2 Why Ethics?���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8
2.3 The Method of Ethical Inquiry ���������������������������������������������������������� 9
2.3.1 Ethical Inquiry Versus Scientific Inquiry�������������������������������� 10
2.3.2 Empirical Versus Normative Study of Values ������������������������ 12
2.4 A Brief Tour of Metaethics ���������������������������������������������������������������� 14
2.4.1 Moral Objectivism������������������������������������������������������������������ 14
2.4.2 Moral Subjectivism���������������������������������������������������������������� 15
2.4.3 Pragmatism ���������������������������������������������������������������������������� 16
2.4.4 Purple Loosestrife Revisited �������������������������������������������������� 17
2.5 Why Environmental Ethics? �������������������������������������������������������������� 18
2.6 Schools of Environmental Ethics�������������������������������������������������������� 19
2.6.1 Deep Ecology�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
2.6.2 Ecofeminism �������������������������������������������������������������������������� 20
2.7 Ethics and Social Change ������������������������������������������������������������������ 21
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 22
3 Justice and Political Duties������������������������������������������������������������������������ 23
3.1 The Problem of Pond Maintenance���������������������������������������������������� 23
3.2 Two Theories of Justice���������������������������������������������������������������������� 24
3.3 The Social Contract and the Limits of Government �������������������������� 26
3.4 Distributive, Procedural, and Structural Justice���������������������������������� 28
3.5 Pond Maintenance Revisited�������������������������������������������������������������� 31
3.6 Duties of Government������������������������������������������������������������������������ 31

vii
viii Contents

3.7 Duties of Citizens ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 34


3.7.1 Restorative Justice������������������������������������������������������������������ 34
3.7.2 Ecological Citizenship������������������������������������������������������������ 35
3.7.3 Citizenship and Global Environmental Problems������������������ 36
3.8 Duties of Corporations������������������������������������������������������������������������ 37
3.9 Spring Lakes, Inc. ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 38
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 39
4 Do We Have Duties to Nonhumans?�������������������������������������������������������� 41
4.1 The Deer Problem������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 41
4.2 Defining the Moral Community���������������������������������������������������������� 42
4.2.1 Value Theory�������������������������������������������������������������������������� 42
4.2.2 Living Humans������������������������������������������������������������������������ 43
4.2.3 Nonhuman Animals���������������������������������������������������������������� 44
4.2.4 All Living Things�������������������������������������������������������������������� 45
4.2.5 Pluralist-Expressivist Value Theory���������������������������������������� 47
4.2.6 Species������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 51
4.2.7 Ecosystems������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 53
4.3 The Deer Problem Revisited�������������������������������������������������������������� 55
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 56
5 Do We Have Duties to Future Generations?�������������������������������������������� 57
5.1 The Future of Spring Lakes���������������������������������������������������������������� 57
5.2 Future Generations������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 58
5.3 Future Generations and Public Policy������������������������������������������������ 59
5.3.1 Ethics and Discounting in Climate Policy������������������������������ 60
5.3.2 Population Control������������������������������������������������������������������ 62
5.4 The Future of Spring Lakes Revisited������������������������������������������������ 65
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 65
6 Property and Stewardship������������������������������������������������������������������������ 67
6.1 The Problem of Sand Mining ������������������������������������������������������������ 67
6.2 Property Rights ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 68
6.2.1 What Is a Property Right?������������������������������������������������������ 68
6.2.2 Property Rights and Freedom in the United States���������������� 70
6.2.3 Property Rights and Environmental Protection���������������������� 70
6.2.4 Community Interests in Private Property�������������������������������� 72
6.3 Stewardship and the Good Life���������������������������������������������������������� 73
6.4 The Problem of Sand Mining Revisited �������������������������������������������� 75
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 76
7 Valuing Landscapes ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 77
7.1 The Problem of the Diseased Oaks���������������������������������������������������� 77
7.2 Landscape and Meaning �������������������������������������������������������������������� 78
7.3 The Value of Wilderness �������������������������������������������������������������������� 80
7.4 The Value of Biodiversity ������������������������������������������������������������������ 82
7.5 Aesthetics and Ecology���������������������������������������������������������������������� 83
Contents ix

7.6 Landscapes and Injustice�������������������������������������������������������������������� 85


7.7 The Problem of the Diseased Oaks Revisited������������������������������������ 87
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 88
8 Stewardship as a Vocation������������������������������������������������������������������������ 89
8.1 The Problem of Stewarding Spring Lakes������������������������������������������ 89
8.2 The Concept of Vocation�������������������������������������������������������������������� 90
8.3 Consumerism�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 91
8.4 Environmental Ethics on the Job�������������������������������������������������������� 91
8.5 Environmental Ethics in College�������������������������������������������������������� 93
8.6 Moral Ecologies���������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 94
8.7 Politics as a Vocation?������������������������������������������������������������������������ 94
8.8 Stewarding Spring Lakes Revisited���������������������������������������������������� 95
Further Reading ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 96

Index������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 97
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