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"Life on the Brink" aspires to reignite a robust discussion of
population issues among environmentalists, environmental studies
scholars, policymakers, and the general public. Some of the leading
voices in the American environmental movement restate the case that
population growth is a major force behind many of our most serious
ecological problems, including global climate change, habitat loss
and species extinctions, air and water pollution, and food and
water scarcity. As we surpass seven billion world inhabitants,
contributors argue that ending population growth worldwide and in
the United States is a moral imperative that deserves renewed
commitment.
Hailing from a range of disciplines and offering varied
perspectives, these essays hold in common a commitment to sharing
resources with other species and a willingness to consider what
will be necessary to do so. In defense of nature and of a vibrant
human future, contributors confront hard issues regarding
contraception, abortion, immigration, and limits to growth that
many environmentalists have become too timid or politically correct
to address in recent years.
Ending population growth will not happen easily. Creating genuinely
sustainable societies requires major change to economic systems and
ethical values coupled with clear thinking and hard work. "Life on
the Brink" is an invitation to join the discussion about the great
work of building a better future.
Contributors: Albert Bartlett, Joseph Bish, Lester Brown, Tom
Butler, Philip Cafaro, Martha Campbell, William R. Catton Jr.,
Eileen Crist, Anne Ehrlich, Paul Ehrlich, Robert Engelman, Dave
Foreman, Amy Gulick, Ronnie Hawkins, Leon Kolankiewicz, Richard
Lamm, Jeffrey McKee, Stephanie Mills, Roderick Nash, Tim Palmer,
Charmayne Palomba, William Ryerson, Winthrop Staples III, Captain
Paul Watson, Don Weeden, George Wuerthner.
Whatever its origins, EVE (Environmental Virtue Ethics) now appears
to be a vital part of the environmental philosophy landscape.
Whether you look to it for an alternative to other theoretical
approaches to environmental ethics, or as a complement to them,
there are a number of ways EVE clarifies our environmental choices
and responsibilities. This is an exciting collection that addresses
compelling issues, not only in EVE, but in environmental philosophy
more broadly. In addition to their individual merits, these
articles collectively demonstrate the value of EVE to environmental
philosophy and the value of environmental philosophy in helping
create sustainable societies and preserve nature. Recent movement
on negotiating a strong successor to the Kyoto Treaty gives some
hope that the world is waking up to the moral imperative to protect
the Earth. But whether people will be willing to ratchet down our
economic demands and reshape our economies to reflect this
hoped-for moral progress remains to be seen. Previously published
in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Volume 23
(1-2), 2010
Whatever its origins, EVE (Environmental Virtue Ethics) now appears
to be a vital part of the environmental philosophy landscape.
Whether you look to it for an alternative to other theoretical
approaches to environmental ethics, or as a complement to them,
there are a number of ways EVE clarifies our environmental choices
and responsibilities. This is an exciting collection that addresses
compelling issues, not only in EVE, but in environmental philosophy
more broadly. In addition to their individual merits, these
articles collectively demonstrate the value of EVE to environmental
philosophy and the value of environmental philosophy in helping
create sustainable societies and preserve nature. Recent movement
on negotiating a strong successor to the Kyoto Treaty gives some
hope that the world is waking up to the moral imperative to protect
the Earth. But whether people will be willing to ratchet down our
economic demands and reshape our economies to reflect this
hoped-for moral progress remains to be seen. Previously published
in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Volume 23
(1-2), 2010
There is one certainty regarding the human relationship with
nature-there is no getting away from it. But while a relationship
with nature is a given, the nature of that relationship is not.
Environmental ethics is the attempt to determine how we ought and
ought not relate to the natural environment. A complete
environmental ethic requires both an ethic of action and an ethic
of character. Environmental virtue ethics is the area of
environmental ethics concerned with character. It has been an
underappreciated and underdeveloped aspect of environmental
ethics-until now. The selections in this collection, consisting of
ten original and four reprinted essays by leading scholars in the
field, discuss the role that virtue and character have traditional
played in environmental discourse, and reflect upon the role that
it should play in the future. The selections also discuss the
substantive content of the environmental virtues and vices, and
apply them to concrete environmental issues and problems. This
collection establishes the indispensability of environmental virtue
ethics to environmental ethics. It also enhances the breadth and
quality of the ongoing discussion of environmental virtue and vice
and the role they should play in an adequate environmental ethic.
"Thoreau's Living Ethics is the first full, rigorous account of
Henry Thoreau's ethical philosophy. Focused on "Walden but ranging
widely across his writings, the study situates Thoreau within a
long tradition of ethical thinking in the West, from the ancients
to the romantics and on to the present day. Philip Cafaro shows
Thoreau grappling with important ethical questions that agitated
his own society and discusses his value for those seeking to
understand contemporary ethical issues. Cafaro's particular
interest is in Thoreau's treatment of virtue ethics: the branch of
ethics centered on personal and social flourishing. Ranging across
the central elements of Thoreau's philosophy--life, virtue,
economy, solitude and society, nature, and politics--Cafaro shows
Thoreau developing a comprehensive virtue ethics, less based in
ancient philosophy than many recent efforts and more grounded in
modern life and experience. He presents Thoreau's evolutionary,
experimental ethics as superior to the more static foundational
efforts of current virtue ethicists. Another main focus is
Thoreau's environmental ethics. The book shows Thoreau not only
anticipating recent arguments for wild nature's intrinsic value,
but also demonstrating how a personal connection to nature furthers
self-development, moral character, knowledge, and creativity.
Thoreau's life and writings, argues Cafaro, present a positive,
life-affirming environmental ethics, combining respect and
restraint with an appreciation for human possibilities for
flourishing within nature.
America has been built by immigrants, a history often used as a
rallying cry for progressives who fight against tightening our
borders. This is all well and good, Philip Cafaro thinks, for the
America of the past, but the fact of the matter is we can't afford
to take in millions of people anymore. One might think Cafaro is
toeing the conservative line, but here's the thing: he's as
progressive as they come, and it's progressives at whom he aims
with this book's startling message: massive immigration simply
isn't consistent with progressive ideals. Cafaro roots his argument
in human rights, equality, economic security, and environmental
sustainability. He shows us the undeniable realities of mass
migration to which we have turned a blind eye: how it has driven
down workers' wages and driven up inequality; how it has fostered
unsafe working conditions; how it has stalled our economic maturity
by keeping us ever-focused on increasing consumption; and how it
has caused our cities and suburbs to sprawl far and wide,
destroying natural habitats and cutting us off from nature. In
response, Cafaro lays out a comprehensive and progressive plan for
immigration reform. He suggests that we shift enforcement efforts
away from border control and toward the employers who knowingly
hire illegal workers. He proposes aid and foreign policies that
will help people create better lives where they are. And indeed he
supports amnesty for those who have already built their lives here.
Above all, Cafaro attacks our obsession with endless material
growth, offering in its place a mature vision of America, not
brimming but balanced, where all the different people who
constitute this great nation of immigrants can live sustainably and
well, sheltered by a prudence currently in short supply in American
politics.
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