Unit 1: Ethics and the Environment
Our ethics and morals provide a basis for how we respond to, and act toward, the world around us. Our peers, society, religion, and those who teach us influence what we consider "right" and "wrong". Historically, we have typically applied the concept of ethical behavior to our interactions with fellow human beings. In recent years, however, we have begun to apply our sense of ethical conduct to the environment and to the idea of sustaining the world in which we live. We are aware of the long history of environmental mismanagement. A growing environmental movement seeks to change attitudes and prevent further degradation. In this unit we explore how we define ethical behavior, take a detailed look at the major branches of ethics, and explore its application to our environment.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 15 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- identify what is meant by ethics and ethical behavior;
- distinguish between ethics and morals;
- identify the key ethical viewpoints and how they differ from one another;
- define environmental ethics; and
- analyze the issues of environmental responsibility and our duty to the environment.
- identify what is meant by ethics and ethical behavior;
1.1: Overview of Ethics
Read these articles, which introduce ethics and the concept of justice. As you read, think about how these ethical theories relate to your own viewpoints and experiences.
These articles will guide you through the early major philosophical thinkers of the ancient world, and how their thoughts and beliefs helped to shape our society. Compare your beliefs and morals with the ethical and moral theories of these early theorists. How has ethical theory evolved over time?
Read this article, which examines some of the ways ethical behavior and morality differ.
Watch this presentation by Bert Gordijn, a leading international expert in bioethics. He introduces key ethical behaviors, and notes the challenges of ethical behavior that various organizations face. As you watch, relate these behaviors to challenges in the healthcare industry, religious organizations, and the media.
These sections examine a real-world link to ethical behavior in the healthcare sector. They present an example of how we apply ethical behaviors to our fellow human beings and contrasts that to how we treat the environment we live in.
This is the first of three ethical viewpoints presented. As you work through the rest of Unit 1, make sure you can correctly distinguish among these concepts, because they will appear often throughout this course.
Watch this lecture, which introduces ethics and discusses the differences between four theories about moral facts. As you watch, try to frame the main theories within the context of the early philosophers you studied earlier.
This is the second of three ethical viewpoints presented. As you work through the rest of the unit, make sure you can correctly distinguish between these concepts, since they will appear often throughout this course.
Watch this lecture on virtue ethics, which is a key normative ethical theory. As you watch, frame the main theories within the context of the early philosophers you have studied so far, noting the links to Aristotle. How did this branch of ethics evolve since the early ethical philosophers?
Watch this lecture on deontology, which is another of the key normative ethical theories. As you watch, compare these ideas with the ideas in the lecture on virtue ethics. Do you have any strong feelings as to which theory may hold more value in terms of your own beliefs and morals?
Applied ethics is the third of the three ethical viewpoints presented in this unit. Make sure you can distinguish between these concepts, since they will appear often throughout this course.
- Make forum posts: 1
1.2: Environmental Ethics
Read this article, which discusses the economic valuation of the earth's ecosystem services. Ecosystem services are the benefits that people gain from ecosystems in the world. What is the estimated value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital? Are you surprised by this value? Do you think it is too high or low?
Watch this lecture, which introduces the history and basis of the environmental ethics movement. Note the perceived importance of the ecosystem services to the global economy.
Read this article, which discusses a central issue of environmental ethics: whether nature has value. It also outlines some of the major opinions surrounding this issue. Pay particular attention to the summary of Rolston's arguments and the four positions around the value of nature. Do your beliefs fit into any of these arguments?
Read this article, which introduces ways that environmental ethics are viewed around the world. Does Western culture dominate the discussion about environmental ethics today? Is it ahead of or behind the views of other parts of the world? What role do you believe the media plays in this?
Read this article, which introduces several key terms central to an understanding of the tragedy of the commons.
This article talks about what traditional ecological knowledge is, how its use has changed over time, how it is being used by organizations like the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and how data is collected.
Watch this short video that explains what radiometric dating is and how it is used to estimate the age of fossil specimens. This data is important when talking about climate change, how life on Earth has changed over time, and how we can predict what might happen in the future.
Watch this interview with Donald Brown from Penn State University, which discusses ethical questions related to climate. As you listen, think about your own position. Do you believe it is ethical for an energy company to pay for climate change propaganda?
As you watch, also question your understanding of how actions in one part of the world can affect other parts of the world. The basis of this argument begins to form the idea of environmental justice, which we will discuss later in the course.
The participants in the podcast discuss the future of ethical decisions that will affect the balance between economic growth and climate change mitigation. The discussion centers around decisions about environmental issues made during recent world summits, which greatly determine the future for ethical approaches to our climate, and how these goals may be met while still maintaining global development. As you listen, attempt to make a stance on what you believe is the right thing to do in balancing the future of our climate with economic growth.
This video discusses moral status and speciesism, which is how we determine what characteristics of a subject make us consider it in a moral sense.
This video gives a history of the animal rights movement and recounts the struggles of animal rights campaigns. The speaker has a clear bias for strong animal rights. Some of the changes in attitudes towards animals go hand-in-hand with developments in the environmental movement during the same period. We will discuss this further in Unit 5.
Read this article for an introduction to the topic of animal rights. At the end of the short introduction, there is a series of important questions; attempt to answer these using your own views about animal rights. Then, read the "Notes" section, which outlines some of the major opinions surrounding this issue. At the end of this section, there are three questions. Write a short answer to these questions based on your reading thus far and your personal views.
Unit 1 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.