Ethics and the Environment: An Introduction

Cambridge Applied Ethics

by Dale Jamieson

What is the environment, and how does it figure in an ethical life? This book is an introduction to the philosophical issues involved in this important question, focussing primarily on ethics but also encompassing questions in aesthetics and political philosophy. Topics discussed include the environment as an ethical question, human morality, meta-ethics, normative ethics, humans and other animals, the value of nature, and nature's future. The discussion is accessible and richly illustrated with examples. The book will be valuable for students taking courses in environmental philosophy, and also for a wider audience in courses in ethics, practical ethics, and environmental studies. It will also appeal to general readers who want a reliable and sophisticated introduction to the field.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Environment

234 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2008

About the author

Dale Jamieson has held visiting appointments at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. He is currently Professor of Environmental Studies and Philosophy, Affiliated Professor of Law, Affiliated Professor of Medical Ethics, and Director of the Animal Studies Initiative at New York University. He has published widely in environmental philosophy, animal studies, and ethics: most recently Reason in a Dark Time: Why the Struggle to Stop Climate Change Failed—and What It Means For Our Future (Oxford, 2014). Love in the Anthropocene is his first work of fiction.

Reviews

[Atika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blend of knowledge and thoughts that flows naturally without overburdening. Some of it did feel complex and confusing but most of it felt interesting and read worthy. This is so much better than the other textbooks we get to read.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is about the second edition. Excellent and even better than the first. A great introduction that can serve as a great textbook.

[Mark Gowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good environmental ethics book seems hard to find. I picked this one because it did not include a large section on feminism and its relation to environmental ethics as many seem to do.
Jamieson does a good job of offering a short, concise, and fairly accessible book to anyone interested in environmental ethics. The book begins with a synopsis of our use of language, in particular the definition and meanings of words such as "environment".
The book is fairly philosophical in the beginning, and towards the end considers case studies including animal rights. I would have like to have seen more on population and its adverse effects on any environment.
I think this is a good book because of its concise nature, its philosophical bent (especially in the beginning) and its use of case studies.

[Dayton Martindale · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this for a class I'm taking this fall, and thought it was super interesting! Jamieson introduces you to the academic field of ethics, a few environmental issues (far from thorough), and where they intersect. If that isn't already your thing, this book won't change your mind, but--as my perhaps overenthusiastic 5-star rating suggests--it's kind of becoming my thing.

[Aleksandra Singer · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has a good overview of basic philosophical principles, and I especially appreciated the discussion of moral relativism as educational dogma on p. 44 However, the chapters on environmental issues are overly simplistic and lack nuance.