The Daily Planet

Class #14, 11/28/11

2011-11-27T20:59:00.001-06:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due tonight: Projects.

**Time for discussion/overview of project discoveries and learning.

**Brief exam prep.

Class #13, 11/21/11

2011-11-21T09:11:00.001-06:00

**Roster, etc. Recheck course/exam calendar.

**Q & A about the semester project. Link to the rubric/description is on last week's post.

**Discussion of this week's readings: Environmental radicalism.
------>------>Louis Pojman, "The Challenge of the Future...," pp 735ff
------>------>Dave Foreman, "Strategic Monkeywrenching," pp 747ff
------>------>Michael Martin, "Ecosabotage and Civil Disobedience," pp 751ff
------>------>The Invisible Committee, "The Coming Insurrection...," pp766ff.
------> Be prepared to discuss whether you sympathize with any of the radicals. How about the "Occupy" movements now trying to continue their protests in our major cities?

**Further evidence for discussion:
------>------>The Ecoanarchist Manifesto.
------>------>A short video segment on one meaning of "anarchism" as implemented in Bougainville/Papua-New Guinea.
------>------>Activist Murray Bookchin on the development of an ecoanarchist movement.

**For next class, 11/28:
------>Hand in and discuss semester projects.
------>Preparation for the final. Hand back remaining assignments.

Class #12, 11/14/11

2011-11-13T19:36:00.000-06:00

**Roster, etc.

**Looking at the course calendar one more time.

**Handout the final specs for the semester project, due 11/28--in two weeks.

**Tonight's discussion: "Environmental Justice"
------>------>Vandana Silva, "Earth Democracy," pp 584ff
------>------>Karen Warren, "Ecological Feminism," pp 589ff
------>------>"The Earth Charter," pp 606ff.

**For next week: Chapter 11, What do 'the radicals' propose?
------>------>Louis Pojman, "The Challenge of the Future...," pp 735ff
------>------>Dave Foreman, "Strategic Monkeywrenching," pp 747ff
------>------>Michael Martin, "Ecosabotage and Civil Disobedience," pp 751ff
------>------>The Invisible Committee, "The Coming Insurrection...," pp766ff.
------>Reflection--not a written assignment: Be prepared to discuss whether you sympathize with any of the radicals. How about the "Occupy" movements now trying to continue their protests in our major cities?

Dr. Hansen's comments on the hot summer.

2011-11-13T18:57:00.000-06:00

Not that we wouldn't have had a hot spell, says Dr. Hansen, but climate change has likely made it worse.

More on "Overpopulation"

2011-11-08T15:59:00.000-06:00

From the Washington Post, a column discussing some population myths.

Class #11, 11/7/11

2011-11-07T18:30:00.000-06:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due tonight: Feedback on Carbon Footprint exercise.

** Chapter 8, "Climate Change"--
------>------>Pew Center, "Understanding the Causes of Global Climate Change," pp 413ff.
------>------>Stephen Gardiner, "Ethics and Global Climate Change," pp 437ff.

**Browsing the IPCC reports: http://www.ipcc.ch/

**For discussion: Chapter 9, "Environmental Justice"--
------>Read:
------>------>Vandana Silva, "Earth Democracy," pp 584ff
------>------>Karen Warren, "Ecological Feminism," pp 589ff
------>------>"The Earth Charter," pp 606ff.
------>Be prepared to work in groups to sort out the practicability of the Earth Charter.

New climate change report leaked

2011-11-03T13:37:00.000-05:00

The IPCC preliminary report is set to forecast more incidents of extreme weather, according to published reports.

Class #10, 10/31/11

2011-10-30T21:43:00.001-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Mid-term essay due tonight. Please e-mail your essay if you can't make it to class.

**Reading Due:
------>Read: Chapter 7, "Food Ethics"--
------>------>Tristram Coffin, "The World Food Supply...Cattle Raising," pp 360ff
------>------>Michael Allen Fox, "Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly..." pp 364ff
------>------>Jonathan Rauch, "Can Frankenfood Save the Planet," pp 371ff
------>------>Mae-Wan Ho, "The Unholy Alliance," pp 378ff

**Discussion on food, the food supply, vegetarianism and GM foods.
------>Video testimony from Norman Borlaug, "Man of the Millennium."

**For next class, 11/8: Chapter 8, "Climate Change"
------>Read:
------>------>Pew Center, "Understanding the Causes of Global Climate Change," pp 413ff.
------>------>Stephen Gardiner, "Ethics and Global Climate Change," pp 437ff.
------>Reflection writing:
------>------>Here are a couple of pretty good "carbon footprint calculators:"
------>------>------>http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
------>------>------>http://www.carbonfootprint360.com/c/footprint-calculator-Calculate-carbon-dioxide.html
------>------>There are many others. The first one above is generic and can give you an idea about your general emissions profile. The second one is from one of the companies that sells "carbon offsets" that compensate for your excess carbon emissions--and trust me, you have some. In your writing for this week, briefly describe your emissions profile and your reaction to your offset cost. What do you think of this process (which is only going to become more intrusive as time passes)?

Class #9, 10/24/11

2011-10-23T20:20:00.000-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Q & A about the midterm essay?

**Read about the reefs. (See story below.)

**Due tonight--readings for discussion: Chapter 6, "Soil, Air and Water:"
----->----->Hilary French, You Are What You Breathe, pp 314ff
----->----->George Bradford, We All Live in Bhopal, pp 322ff
----->----->William Baxter, People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution, pp 327ff

**Exercise on efficiency and pollution:

----->Working in groups: Here are some nosy lifestyle questions to consider. On the first time through them, answer each question about how you and your family have dealt with these issues in the past few years or months.

1--What wakes you up in the morning?

2--How do you find out what the weather will be today?

3--Who fixed breakfast; what did you eat?

4--What type of work do you do?

5--How do you get to work?

6--What do you bring for lunch? (--or do you bring a lunch?)

7--What time did you leave work to get home?

8--Who fixed dinner? How long did it take?

9--How did you obtain the meat items you had for dinner?

10--What about vegetables, and fruit?

11--Where do you keep your milk and butter?

12--When's the last time you ate something that had been frozen?

13--What did you do with the dinner waste and leftovers?

14--What do you do with your household trash?

15--I know this is nosy, but what happens to the human waste from your household?

16--What happened the last time someone got sick from the flu? What did happen (or would have happened) when someone broke a bone or had another serious injury?

17--When is the last time you heard from your family in Massachusetts? Assuming you needed to get a message to them, how long would it take to reach someone? What if it were urgent?

18--What is the anticipated level of education of the majority of your family (of your generation or younger)?

19--What do you do for entertainment? What pastimes does your family enjoy together?

Now your instructor will give you another processing assignment to go over, using the same questions. You'll need to use your imagination.... General discussion will follow, and you'll be asked to make a decision.

**For next week:
------>Your midterm essay is due. You may submit it by e-mail. Be sure I acknowledge! The deadline is the end of class time, Monday evening, 10/31.
------>Read: Chapter 7, "Food Ethics"--
------>------>Tristram Coffin, "The World Food Supply...Cattle Raising," pp 360ff
------>------>Michael Allen Fox, "Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly..." pp 364ff
------>------>Jonathan Rauch, "Can Frankenfood Save the Planet," pp 371ff
------>------>Mae-Wan Ho, "The Unholy Alliance," pp 378ff

NB: If the class decides, that a Halloween meeting is an undue hardship (hmm...), I'll post some additional material due for November 7th--probably some video links and something to write for that date.

Creativity and environmental consciousness

2011-10-21T15:28:00.000-05:00

We've all heard of efforts around the world to create artificial reefs and to build awareness of the fragility of many of the world's great coral reefs. Here's a man-made reef (still in progress) that is probably unlike any of the others.

Class #8, 10/17/11

2011-10-17T17:56:00.001-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due tonight:
------>Write: In the movie, "The Matrix," Agent Smith tells Morpheus that from the point of view of the machine overlords, human beings have been an all consuming, all-destroying "virus" invading planet Earth. Hence, the need for artificial intelligence to take over and construct the Matrix, using human bodies as "batteries" to power the system. Do you agree with this point of view--or even with Hardin's outlook about the role of humanity and the need to limit that role?

**Discussion of readings:
------>------>Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," pp 272ff

------>------> " " "Lifeboat Ethics," pp 296ff
------>------>Jacqueline Kasun, "The Unjust War Against Population," pp 282ff
------>------>Murdoch and Oaten, "Population and Food: A Critique of Lifeboat Ethics," pp 306ff

**Some visuals and links: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tJqq4UDv3oB7oTG92CYwf4lWPL8sAnzjOTV4hTCNqfA/edit?hl=en_US

**For next class, 10/24/11:
----->Read, from Chapter 6, "Soil, Air and Water:"
----->----->Hilary French, You Are What You Breathe, pp 314ff
----->----->George Bradford, We All Live in Bhopal, pp 322ff
----->----->William Baxter, People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution, pp 327ff

**Discussion of mid-term essay.
----->The article can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RVWtrRF5-DQ2P-mZI2ZvU_w2JCpYd71rUpaGuMItjkU/edit?hl=en_US
----->The description of the assignment is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DpQkZA0WG84jIL24rguPPP5uFOUxtMmDpvsYLQiwxxE/edit?hl=en_US
----->----->Essay is due Monday, 10/31/11. Happy Halloween!

Class #7, 10/10/11

2011-10-10T18:13:00.000-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due Tonight:
------>------>Write: What would be so difficult (or not) in granting a basic list of "natural objects" genuine legal standing? To what sorts of objects should these extend? Are we already doing this?

**Readings for discussion:
------>------>Albert Schweitzer, Reverence for Life, pp 198ff.
------>------>Aldo Leopold, Ecocentric Ethics: The Land Ethic, pp 222ff.
------>------>J. Baird Callicott, The Conceptual Foundations of the Land Ethic, pp 232ff.
------>------>Christopher Stone, Should Trees have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects, pp 246ff.

**For next Class, 10/17/11: Chapter 5--"Population and Consumption"
Read:
------>------>Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," pp 272ff
------>------> " " "Lifeboat Ethics," pp 296ff
------>------>Jacqueline Kasun, "The Unjust War Against Population," pp 282ff
------>------>Murdoch and Oaten, "Population and Food: A Critique of Lifeboat Ethics," pp 306ff
Write: In the movie, "The Matrix," Agent Smith tells Morpheus that from the point of view of the machine overlords, human beings have been an all consuming, all-destroying "virus" invading planet Earth. Hence, the need for artificial intelligence to take over and construct the Matrix, using human bodies as "batteries" to power the system. Do you agree with this point of view--or even with Hardin's outlook about the role of humanity and the need to limit that role?

Class #6, 10/3/11

2011-10-03T14:05:00.000-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due this week: What is your critique of Arne Naess? Is he right? What are the problems with his approach, if any?

**Readings for discussion:
------>------>J.S. Mill, Nature, pp 122 ff;
------>------>Arne Naess, The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecological Movement, pp 129ff;
------>------>Arne Naess, Ecosophy-T: Deep versus Shallow Ecology, pp 133ff;
------>------>Ramachandra Guha, Radical Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique, pp 176ff.

** Some visual assistance.

**For next week, 10/10/11: Chapter 4, "Ecological Ethics."
Read:
------>------>Albert Schweitzer, Reverence for Life, pp 198ff.
------>------>Aldo Leopold, Ecocentric Ethics: The Land Ethic, pp 222ff.
------>------>J. Baird Callicott, The Conceptual Foundations of the Land Ethic, pp 232ff.
------>------>Christopher Stone, Should Trees have Standing? Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects, pp 246ff.
Write: What would be so difficult (or not) in granting a basic list of "natural objects" genuine legal standing? To what sorts of objects should these extend? Are we already doing this?

Class #5, 9/26/11

2011-09-25T21:13:00.001-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due tonight:
[1] Preliminary report on Environment Project.
[2] Reflection/response to Jamieson's "Against Zoos."

**Discussions over the readings on animal rights:
----->------>Immanuel Kant, Rational Beings Alone have Moral Worth, pp 60ff
------>------>Peter Singer, A Utilitarian Defense of Animal Liberation, pp 71ff
------>------>Tom Regan, The Radical Egalitarian Case for Animal Rights, pp 81ff
------>------>Dale Jamieson, Against Zoos, pp 96ff

**Some visual aids for this week's lesson: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I9ewvcROGEyPAJPfwKDTM6eif96KmDL6O-ZeWNM1u94/edit?hl=en_US

**For next week, 10/3/11: Value in Nature Itself--Chapter 3--
------>Read:
------>------>J.S. Mill, Nature, pp 122 ff;
------>------>Arne Naess, The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecological Movement, pp 129ff;
------>------>Arne Naess, Ecosophy-T: Deep versus Shallow Ecology, pp 133ff;
------>------>Ramachandra Guha, Radical Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique, pp 176ff.
------>Write: What is your critiques of Naess? Is he right? What are the problems with his approach, if any?

Class #4, 9/19/11

2011-09-18T20:09:00.001-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Questions/feedback on environment study project.

**For discussion: It's not easy being an environmental activist.

**Writing due this week:
------>Based on the readings, what do the world's religious traditions appear to contribute to environmental ethics? How, if at all, does this contribution add to the positions we discussed this week? (Substantiate your claims, one way or the other.)

**Discussion of readings due:
------>#60, "Jewish Tradition...," pp 618ff;
------>#62, "Islamic Environmental Ethics," pp 633ff;
------>#63, "Satyagraha for Conservation," pp 640ff;
------>#64, "The Buddhist Attitude...," pp 650ff;
------>#65, "Pagan Environmentalism," pp 655

**A few visual aids relating to these authors.

**For next week:
------>Read: Chapter 2, on Animal Rights--
------>------>Immanuel Kant, Rational Beings Alone have Moral Worth, pp 60ff

------>------>Peter Singer, A Utilitarian Defense of Animal Liberation, pp 71ff
------>------>Tom Regan, The Radical Egalitarian Case for Animal Rights, pp 81ff
------>------>Dale Jamieson, Against Zoos, pp 96ff

**Writing due:
------>------>Here's your two-part question: [1] Should we shut the zoos? [2] Does Jamieson's logic also apply to pet ownership?

Class #3, 9/12/11

2011-09-11T21:59:00.003-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due tonight:
------>Write a page:
------>------>Which of the four "approaches" to environmental ethics identified by Dr. Palmer do you think you agree with at this point in your thinking about the controversies over the environment? They are:
------>------>------>Anthropocentric;
------>------>------>Individuals Consequentialist;
------>------>------>Individualist Deontological;
------>------>------>Holistic/Radical.

**Tonight's discussion:

------>The overview of these schools of thought, and others. Here are a few visuals.

**Description and discussion of the semester ecology project: handout.

**For next week: "Green Spiritualities," Chapter 10--
Read:
------>#60, "Jewish Tradition...," pp 618ff;
------>#62, "Islamic Environmental Ethics," pp 633ff;
------>#63, "Satyagraha for Conservation," pp 640ff;
------>#64, "The Buddhist Attitude...," pp 650ff;
------>#65, "Pagan Environmentalism," pp 655.
Write:
------>Based on the readings, what do the world's religious traditions appear to contribute to environmental ethics? How, if at all, does this contribution add to the positions we discussed this week? (Substantiate your claims, one way or the other.)

Eco-profits: Jute fiber holds promise for Bangladesh

2011-09-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

See the story and video here.

Class #2, 8/29/11

2011-08-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Discussion of definitions.

**Discussion of reading assignment:
------>"Nature" Poetry--Finding the Divine, truth, nature.
------>Nature Writing today--Symbiotic relationships.
------>The role of humans & technological progress--good or bad? Do we agree with Kirkpatrick Sale?

**Assignment for next class, 9/12:
------>Read Text, Chapter 1: Introduction to Environmental Ethics--
------>------>All 3 articles: Palmer, Hill, Shue.
------>Write a page:
------>------>Which of the four "approaches" to environmental ethics identified by Dr. Palmer do you think you agree with at this point in your thinking about the controversies over the environment? They are:
------>------>------>Anthropocentric;
------>------>------>Individuals Consequentialist;
------>------>------>Individualist Deontological;
------>------>------>Holistic.

Class #1, 8/22/11 Welcome!

2011-08-21T21:51:00.003-05:00

Agenda for tonight:

Welcome/General Orientation/Roster Check.
Textbook and materials.
Course overview, syllabus and calendar.
Finding Things.
Philosophy, Philosophical Method, and Applied Fields of Philosophy.
Environmental Ethics.
Something for discussion.
Handouts and assignment for 8/29.
Complete info sheet and survey.

Resources:

The text for this class is an anthology. Here are the specs:

Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Application
Louis P. Pojman and Paul Pojman
Wadsworth Publishing, 6th Edition, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0538452847.

Assignment:

Do: Reflection #1--Basic Definitions.
Read Handouts:

Collection of poetry--Is the truth found in nature? How?
Two short excerpts describing symbiotic relationships between plants and animals--What sort of "mind" does nature exhibit, if any?
Kirkpatric Sale's essay, "Five Facets of a Myth"--Do you agree or disagree with his premise about human progress?

The Even Greater Tornado Outbreak

2011-04-28T15:01:00.000-05:00

Eric Berger chronicles and analyses some of the facts about this week's horror in the South.

Earth protection....

2011-04-12T14:56:00.000-05:00

"Bolivia will this month table a draft United Nations treaty giving "Mother Earth" the same rights as humans — having just passed a domestic law that does the same for bugs, trees and all other natural things in the South American country."

Several questions can be raised; among them are whether this type of 'statement' has merit or value, even inspirational or educative value, and whether a body of nations with unimaginable diversity can have sufficient "pull" with other nations to make such a thing "work" in practice. What will be the everyday effect of the resolution, and to what extent can we be said be able to obey it?

More later....

Vegetarian Dreams

2011-03-15T10:41:00.000-05:00

A "conversion" essay from the NY Times is at the link.

Earthquake and disaster links...

2011-03-13T13:38:00.001-05:00

...following upon the Japan quake/Tsunami event. This information seems solid. This link is to All Things Nuclear, and is under the shell of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The next link I find valuable is from the blog Disaster Wise, "Comments about technological history, system fractures, and human resilience from James R. Chiles." He seems to take this seriously and responsibly.

The best ongoing coverage seems to be at CNN. On this incident, Fox News seems to be shouting a little too much, and they have at least one producer who is off the reservation. Repeatedly yesterday they led into or ended segments on the nuclear-plant crisis by showing film footage from the burning refinery. Not kosher at all.

I'll say that insomnia sometimes pays: I woke up around 3:00 on Friday morning, unable to sleep. My custom is to turn on the Coast-to-Coast program on local news radio. Already people were calling George Noury with seismic reports about an incident off Japan, and the network news coverage began right after.

Global warming and the media

2010-12-28T11:03:00.000-06:00

From Forbes Magazine:

http://www.forbes.com/2010/12/23/media-climate-change-warming-opinions-contributors-larry-bell.html

Blizzard time!

2010-12-27T20:51:00.000-06:00

The New England blizzard of December 26-27, 2010, in time lapse, from the streets of Boston:

http://bcove.me/czwdlbll

Class #14, 11/29/10

2010-11-28T09:23:00.000-06:00

**Roster, etc.

**Projects due this evening.

**Return previous work.

**Discussion of readings:

----->Kirkpatrick Sale: "Progress".

----->Erazim Kohak: "Agathocentric Ecology".

**More on this issue: Where are we going from here?

**Concluding discussion and points.

**Proposal for next week (December 6). Reading Day or Exam?

Pope: bullish on agriculture

2010-11-22T10:34:00.001-06:00

Pope: bullish on agriculture

And, just for fun, here's what he really said.

Class #13, 11/22/10

2010-11-22T08:54:00.002-06:00

**Roster, etc.

**Reminder: Your Project is due next Monday, 11/29.

**Due tonight: Chapter 13, "Environmental Justice"-- specifically read pp. 659ff, "The Earth Charter."

**From today's NY Times: An article about China's huge hunger for coal, and the willingness of nations who publicly are environment-friendly to sell it to the Chinese. Is there a double-standard here? Or, are strict environmental standard between nations inherently hypocritical?

**While we're on the subject, let's look at the Three Gorges Dam project. It reached full operational capacity in October, 2008. Videos here.

**Also for next week: Two short philosophical articles on handouts. We'll talk about these next week, and then I'll ask you to do a little in-class writing before we break.

Class #12, 11/15/10

2010-11-14T20:30:00.002-06:00

**Roster, etc.

**Due tonight: The validity of climate change--

----->Pew Center, "Understanding the causes of Global Climate Change," pp 569ff;

----->Gardiner, "Ethics and Global Climate Change," pp 573ff.

----->IPCC's web site.

----->Activity: Prioritizing our environmental decisions.

**Further discussion:

----->Trailer for "Cool It"

**For 11/22: "Environmental Justice," Chapter 13--

----->Read: "The Earth Charter," pp 659ff.

----->Your projects are due on the 29th (in two weeks).

Books for next semester's courses

2010-11-14T20:15:00.000-06:00

You can pass the word on this for anyone who seems interested, also.

**Monday nights:

PHIL 3323 Philosophy of Religion

Peterson, et al., editors, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 4th edition, 2009.
ISBN# 978-0-19-539359-0

**Wednesday nights:

PHIL 3301 Moral Issues: Personal and Professional

2 texts:

Pojman, Louis P., How Should We Live? An Introduction to Ethics, 2004, Wadsworth Pub.
ISBN# 978-0534556570

Glover, Jonathan, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century, 2001, Yale U. Press.
ISBN# 978-0300087154

Class #11, 11/8/10

2010-11-08T18:31:00.001-06:00

**Rosters, etc.

**Distribute/discuss final requirements for ecology project.

**"Then and Now" Exercise on use of resources, and discussion.

----->Working in groups: Here are a group of lifestyle questions to consider. On the first time through them, answer each question about how you and your family have dealt with these issues in the past few years or months.

1--What wakes you up in the morning?

2--How do you find out what the weather will be today?

3--Who fixed breakfast; what did you eat?

4--What type of work do you do?

5--How do you get to work?

6--What do you bring for lunch? (--or do you bring a lunch?)

7--What time did you leave work to get home?

8--Who fixed dinner? How long did it take?

9--How did you obtain the meat items you had for dinner?

10--What about vegetables, and fruit?

11--Where do you keep your milk and butter?

12--When's the last time you ate something that had been frozen?

13--What did you do with the dinner waste and leftovers?

14--What do you do with your household trash?

15--I know this is nosy, but what happens to the human waste from your household?

16--What happened the last time someone got sick from the flu? What did happen (or would have happened) when someone broke a bone or had another serious injury?

17--When is the last time you heard from your family in Massachusetts? Assuming you needed to get a message to them, how long would it take to reach someone? What if it were urgent?

18--What is the anticipated level of education of the majority of your family (of your generation or younger)?

19--What do you do for entertainment? What pastimes does your family enjoy together?

Now your instructor will give you another processing assignment to go over, using the same questions. You'll need to use your imagination.... General discussion will follow, and you'll be asked to make a decision.

**This week's readings and information: The validity of climate change--

----->Pew Center, "Understanding the causes of Global Climate Change," pp 569ff;

----->Gardiner, "Ethics and Global Climate Change," pp 573ff.

----->IPCC's web site.

**For next week, 11/15: Readings on Economics and Ecology--

----->Herman Daly, "Consumption: The Economics of Value Added and the Ethics of Value Distributed," pp 611ff.
----->Mark Sagoff, "At the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, or Why Political Questions are not all Economic," pp 619ff.

Class #10, 11/1/10

2010-10-31T20:42:00.001-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**News items to review (see below).

**Review of readings:

----->M.A. Fox, "Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly on the Earth," pp 496ff

----->Hilary French, "You are what you breathe," pp 507ff

----->Rachel Carson, "Silent Spring," pp 526ff

----->Anne Platt McGinn, "Combating Malaria," pp 536ff

----->Ray and Guzzo, "The Blessings of Pesticides," pp 562ff.

**"Then and Now" Exercise on use of resources, and discussion.

**For next week, 11/8/10: Climate Change. Read:

----->Pew Center, "Understanding the causes of Global Climate Change," pp 569ff;

----->Gardiner, "Ethics and Global Climate Change," pp 573ff.

Write: At this point, what level of efforts on the part of yourself, the nation and the world to mitigate climate change?

A report on malaria control controversy.

2010-10-31T18:13:00.000-05:00

Also from the BBC.

The Looming Rare Earths Train Wreck

2010-10-31T17:59:00.000-05:00

The Looming Rare Earths Train Wreck

Here we have all kinds of information about energy security, trends in U.S. petroleum usage, and electric cars.

Partial agreement in Japan leaves biodiversity status uncertain

2010-10-29T13:33:00.000-05:00

But, at the very least, the question is raised, and is worth discussing. Article is here.

Class #9, 10/25/10

2010-10-25T13:00:00.002-05:00

**Rosters, etc.

**Due today: Readings from Chapter 8, "Food Ethics"--

----->Garrett Hardin, "Lifeboat Ethics," pp 443ff

----->Murdoch and Oaten, "Critique of Lifeboat Ethics," pp 452ff

----->Jonathan Rauch, "Can Frankenfood save the Planet?" pp 476ff
----->----->Video--meet Norman Borlaug, Times Man of the Millenium.
First, setting the situation with a short biography:

And, the late Dr. Borlaug:

----->M.A. Fox, "Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly on the Earth," pp 496ff

-----> What do the following groups of nations have in common:

----->----->Group I: Somalia, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Sudan, Iraq, Chad, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Haiti.

----->----->Group II: New Zealand, Denmark, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Iceland.

----->One more view on the causes of poverty: See the Transparency International web site.

**Exercise on "progress"--1900 vs. 2010.

**For 11/1: "Pollution and Pesticides," Chapters 9 and 10--Read:
----->Hilary French, "You are what you breathe," pp 507ff
----->Rachel Carson, "Silent Spring," pp 526ff
----->Anne Platt McGinn, "Combating Malaria," pp 536ff
----->Ray and Guzzo, "The Blessings of Pesticides," pp 562ff.

Primitive man--carnivore or vegetarian?

2010-10-19T13:21:00.000-05:00

What did your grandpa eat 30,000 years ago? It turns out that he may have had a relatively healthy diet.

See the story on the latest research here.

Class #8, 10/18/10

2010-10-18T15:11:00.004-05:00

**Rosters, etc.

**Due:
----->Write: What explanation/solution to the reality of populations on earth seems most reasonable to you: Hardin's, McKibben's or Kasun's?

**An update on diversity of life: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/10/18/destroying-earth-conference-claims/

**Tonight's Discussion: "Population and Consumption"--selections from chapter 7--

----->Bill McKibben, "A special moment in history," pp 378ff;

----->Jacqueline Kasun, "The unjust war against population," pp 399-412.

----->Visuals for McKibben & Kasun: https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1tJqq4UDv3oB7oTG92CYwf4lWPL8sAnzjOTV4hTCNqfA&pli=1

----->----->See the video with Kasun here: http://www.mefeedia.com/news/22136041

**For 10/25/10: Readings from Chapter 8, "Food Ethics"--
----->Garrett Hardin, "Lifeboat Ethics," pp 443ff
----->Murdoch and Oaten, "Critique of Lifeboat Ethics," pp 452ff
----->Jonathan Rauch, "Can Frankenfood save the Planet?" pp 476ff
----->M.A. Fox, "Vegetarianism and Treading Lightly on the Earth," pp 496ff

----->Please write--Would you consider giving up meat entirely? Explain your answer.

Class #7, 10/11/10

2010-10-11T13:20:00.000-05:00

**Rosters, etc.

**Due tonight:----->Begin discussions of population with Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," pp 389 ff. No writing assignment for this week.

Discussion and analysis of the text.

Some explanations and interpretations:

**For 10/18: "Population and Consumption"--selections from chapter 7--
----->Bill McKibben, "A special moment in history," pp 378ff;
----->Jacqueline Kasun, "The unjust war against population," pp 399-412.

----->Write: What explanation/solution to the reality of populations on earth seems most reasonable to you: Hardin's, McKibben's or Kasun's?

Class #6, 10/4/10

2010-10-03T22:32:00.002-05:00

**Rosters, etc.

**Due tonight: Defining whether obligations to posterity should play a role in my environmental position.

Read--

Robert Heilbroner, "What has Posterity Ever Done for Me?" pp 347ff
Garrett Hardin, "Who cares for Posterity?" pp 350ff.

----->Write: What good reasons, if any, are there for you and me to care about the quality of the environment to be experienced by our children and their children?

**Discussion of "carbon savings 10:10" advertising.

**Group activity/discussion of duties toward posterity.

**Discussion of Heilbroner and Hardin.

----->Supplements for this issue are here.

**For 10/11:

----->Begin discussions of population with Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons," pp 389 ff. No writing assignment for this week.

We may make time to discuss this...

2010-10-01T15:13:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx4yr0FFhMQ&has_verified=1

Class #5, 9/27/10

2010-09-26T22:22:00.006-05:00

**Roster, Etc.

**Interesting--AND we'll read more about resources and politics later in the year: Politics and the nations of the Nile River.

----->----->From the BBC, a map of global water distribution. What do you notice about the areas of water supply stress?

----->----->Also from the Middle East: Can you build "green" in a land with no green?

**Due tonight:

Preliminary report on your ecology project.
Based on the assigned readings, a summary/evaluation of the one reading whose position best matches your own.

**Short revisiting of Arne Naess' point of view. What sort of change of mind does he advocate--reform or something deeper? And, what do you think that would mean for your life?

**Review and discussion of this week's points of view:

O.P. Dwivedi, "Satyagraha for Conservation," pp 310ff
Lily de Silva, "The Buddhist Attitude Towards Nature," pp 319ff
M. Y. Izzi Deen, "Islamic Environmental Ethics," pp 323ff
S. Ogungbemi, "An African Perspective," pp 330ff.
Visuals and background for tonight's readings.

**For 10/4: Defining whether obligations to posterity should play a role in my environmental position.

Read--

Robert Heilbroner, "What has Posterity Ever Done for Me?" pp 347ff
Garrett Hardin, "Who cares for Posterity?" pp 350ff.

----->Write: What good reasons, if any, are there for you and me to care about the quality of the environment to be experienced by our children and their children?

And speaking of conservation, ...

2010-09-21T19:24:00.000-05:00

...did you read about the enormous alligator hunted and killed by a woman in the Carolinas, during the gator hunting season?

Class #4, 9/20/10

2010-09-19T20:33:00.003-05:00

Roster, etc.
----->Questions about project, etc. Remember that the preliminary report is due next week, 9/27.
----->Due tonight: Writing: Briefly summarize Arne Naess' position (hint: he's radical). Then, what is your case for agreeing or disagreeing with what he's saying. [About a Page].

**Here's an article about genetically-modified salmon. Would you buy it? Would you feed it to your family? "Frankenfish!"

**Tonight's discussion/presentation:

Visuals.
John Stuart Mill, "Nature," pp 123ff.
Albert Schweitzer, "Reverence for Life," pp 131ff.

A very short feature.

Aldo Leopold, "Ecocentrism: The Land Ethic," pp 163ff

A short bio, "Green Fire."

J. Baird Callicott, "The Conceptual Foundations of the Land Ethic," pp 173ff
Arne Naess, "The Shallow and the Deep," pp 215ff
Arne Naess, "Ecosophy T," pp 219ff.

A video testimony from Arne Naess.

**For 9/27: A survey of the world's nature-values--Chapter 5.

Read:

O.P. Dwivedi, "Satyagraha for Conservation," pp 310ff
Lily de Silva, "The Buddhist Attitude Towards Nature," pp 319ff
M. Y. Izzi Deen, "Islamic Environmental Ethics," pp 323ff
S. Ogungbemi, "An African Perspective," pp 330ff.

Write: Which of our writers do you find expresses a position closest to your own? Summarize that position and state what there is about it that you agree with.

Class #3, 9/13/10

2010-09-12T21:11:00.002-05:00

**Roster, etc.

**Handout and discussion: The Project.

**Due tonight: A page on your evaluation of Jamieson's "Against Zoos".

**A question for discussion: What is the most important factor in the way that humans have adapted to and learned to manipulate their environment? Is it genetic (innate factors) or is it cultural (a learned/shared response)?
----->See here for one view.

**Discussion of Chapter 2, "Animal Rights:"
----->----->Immanuel Kant, Rational Beings Alone Have Moral Worth, pp 62ff.
----->----->Peter Singer, A Utilitarian Defense of Animal Liberation, pp 73ff.
----->Read Dale Jamieson's "Against Zoos," pp 97ff.

**For 9/20:

----->From Chapter 3, "Philosophical positions on Nature"
----->----->John Stuart Mill, "Nature," pp 123ff.
----->----->Albert Schweitzer, "Reverence for Life," pp 131ff.
----->----->Aldo Leopold, "Ecocentrism: The Land Ethic," pp 163ff
----->----->J. Baird Callicott, "The Conceptual Foundations of the Land Ethic," pp 173ff
----->----->Arne Naess, "The Shallow and the Deep," pp 215ff
----->----->Arne Naess, "Ecosophy T," pp 219ff.

----->Writing: Briefly summarize Arne Naess' position (hint: he's radical). Then, what is your case for agreeing or disagreeing with what he's saying. [About a Page].

A new couple on the dance floor: Hermine and Gaston

2010-09-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

And remember, we don't meet until the 13th. See previous entry for the assignment.

Meanwhile, it will be wet in Houston for a couple of days, with Gulf-grown TS Hermine now scheduled to pass just west of here. She's predicted to drag some serious showers along with her. Here's the Sunday morning update. And old Gaston continues to shuffle on to the Caribbean, due westward. This track has nothing good on it for us.

Class #2, 8/30/10

2010-08-29T17:48:00.000-05:00

**Roster, etc.
----->Note: No class next week, 9/6. It's Labor Day.

**Due: Assignment on definitions: environment, ecology, nature.

**Discussion over definitions--
----->environment
----->ecology
----->nature

**Discussion over Exhibit A--influential examples of Western nature poetry:
----->The Bible: Genesis 1--the first creation story;
----->----->other key passages: Psalms 8 & 29, Romans 10 (handout);
----->----->three poems from G.M. Hopkins (handout);
----->----->by contrast: Millay, Shelley (handout).

**Exhibit B: Nature in the roots of Western philosophy:
----->"Nature" in Platonist and Stoic thought (handout).

**The debate--Is civilization or religion to blame for the destruction of the natural environment?
----->Lynn White;
----->Patrick Dobel.

**For 9/13:
----->Begin reading Chapter 2, "Animal Rights:"
----->----->Immanuel Kant, Rational Beings Alone Have Moral Worth, pp 62ff.
----->----->Peter Singer, A Utilitarian Defense of Animal Liberation, pp 73ff.
----->Read Dale Jamieson's "Against Zoos," pp 97ff.
----->----->Write a page: Do you agree with Jamieson's argument? What is your experience with zoos? Should they be closed?

Welcome! Class #1, 8/23/10

2010-08-22T20:46:00.001-05:00

Agenda for tonight:

Welcome/General Orientation/Roster Check.
Textbook and materials.
Course overview, syllabus and calendar.
Finding Things.
Philosophy, Philosophical Method, and Applied Fields of Philosophy.
Environmental Ethics.
Handouts and assignment for 8/30.
Complete info sheet and survey.

Resources:

The text for this class is an anthology. Here are the specs:
Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Application
Louis P. Pojman and Paul Pojman
Wadsworth Publishing, 5th Edition, 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0495095033
Syllabus/Course Description.
Course Calendar.

Next Class: 8/30/10.

Do: Reflection #1--Basic Definitions.
Read:

Introduction, pp. 1-3.
What is Ethics, pp. 4-7; be prepared to discuss the questions.
Reading #1, from Genesis.
Reading #2, Lynn White, "The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis;" please decide whether you agree or disagree with Prof. White. On what grounds?
Reading #3, Patrick Dobel, "The Judaeo-Christian Stewardship Attitude to Nature."

For Next Semester, Spring '10.

2009-12-04T10:38:00.002-06:00

For those of you who want a head start on buying your texts for either or both of the classes for next semester, here's the book information:

For the Philosophy of Religion class, PHIL 3323:

Peterson, Hasker, Reichenbach and Bassinger, editors, Philosophy of Religion: Selected Readings, 2007, Fourth Edition, Oxford University Press, ISBN-13: 978-0195393590. Please note: this is a new edition. For the coming semester, if you are buying someone's used Third edition, that will also be adequate. If you order online, however, get the new one.

For the Moral Issues class, PHIL 3301:

DiLeo, Jeffrey R., Morality Matters: Race, Class and Gender in Applied Ethics, McGraw-Hill, 2002, ISBN: 978-0-7674-1236-0.

India won't sign...

2009-12-03T18:19:00.002-06:00

We've discussed this issue more than once during the semester--people do want their fair opportunity at what the West has.

India will not sign binding emission cuts-minister.

Climate change data scandal.

2009-11-30T11:17:00.001-06:00

The scandal over the hacked climate-change e-mails is now in active ferment. Here's some reading material. Make up your own minds. The President will hear about this as he prepares for a visit to the Copenhagen summit.

This story has a brief rundown of what happened--

Climate change data dumped - Times Online

Some analysis and follow-up from Dr. Masters at Weather Underground--

--here, first--see the ending comment;

--then, here, a more extensive analysis.

A reflection on the larger implications for the work of science, from the Financial Times.

And a defense from the chair of IPCC.

And, lastly for now, the contrarian point of view from the Telegraph.

A statement on rivers and on nature.

2009-10-23T08:37:00.004-05:00

The italics are mine. It's interesting that we've read about and discussed some of these same points.

From the Zenit news service:

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Here is the letter, dated Oct. 12, that Benedict XVI sent to Orthodox patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, on the occasion of the Eighth International Symposium on Religion, Science and the Environment titled "Restoring Balance: The Great Mississippi River. "The symposium, organized under the patronage of Bartholomew I, is under way through Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee.

* * *To His Holiness Bartholomew I, Archbishop of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch, On the occasion of the Eight International Symposium on the theme Religion, Science and the Environment, devoted this year to the Mississippi River, I have asked the Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans, to offer Your Holiness my cordial greetings and my prayerful good wishes for the occasion. I likewise renew my appreciation for your continued efforts to promote respect for God’s gift of creation and a sense of global solidarity for its wise and responsible stewardship.

From earliest times, water has always been acknowledged as a primary human good and an indispensable natural resource. Around the great rivers of the world, like the Mississippi, great cultures have developed, while over the course of the centuries the prosperity of countless societies has been linked to these waterways. Today, however, the great fluvial systems of every continent are exposed to serious threats, often as a result of man’s activity and decisions.

Concern for the fate of the great rivers of the earth must lead us to reflect soberly on the model of development which our society is pursuing. A purely economic and technological understanding of progress, to the extent that it fails to acknowledge its intrinsic limitations and to take into consideration the integral good of humanity, will inevitably provoke negative consequences for individuals, peoples and creation itself (cf. Common Declaration, 30 November, 2006). Authentic human development likewise calls for intergenerational justice and practical solidarity with the men and women of the future, who are also entitled to enjoy the goods which creation, as willed by God, is meant to bestow in abundance upon all.

I fully agree with Your Holiness that the urgent issues surrounding the care and protection of the environment, while touching important political, economic, technical and scientific questions, nonetheless are essentially of an ethical nature, and the solution to the ecological crisis of our time necessarily calls for a change of heart on the part of our contemporaries. Nature, in fact, is prior to us, and, as the setting of our life, it must be used responsibly, with respect for its inbuilt equilibrium. As the expression of the Creator’s plan of love and truth, nature must be acknowledged as containing “a ‘grammar’ which sets forth ends and criteria for its wise use, not its reckless exploitation” (Caritas in Veritate, 48).

Precisely for this reason, by virtue of their faith, Christians are called to join in offering the world a credible witness of responsibility for the safeguarding of creation, and to cooperate in every way possible to ensure that our earth can preserve intact its God-given grandeur, beauty and bounty.

The present Symposium, which calls attention to the majestic Mississippi River, also reminds us of the tragic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the flooding which caused such great devastation to New Orleans and surrounding areas on 29 August 2005. My thoughts and prayers are with all those, especially the poor, who experienced suffering, loss and displacement, and all those engaged in the patient work of rebuilding and renewal.

With these sentiments, Your Holiness, I embrace you with fraternal affection in the Lord. At the same time I ask you kindly to convey my greetings and heartfelt good wishes to all those taking part in the Symposium, together with the assurance of my prayers that this important gathering will lead to the renewed awareness of our responsibility for the gift of creation, which God has entrusted to us “to till it and keep it” (Gen 2:15) as common inheritance and home.

From the Vatican, 12 October 2009

Class #8, 10/22/09

2009-10-22T18:14:00.003-05:00

**Rosters, etc.

**Last minute issues--paper due next week (10/29) on Kohak's "Agathocentric Ecology."

**Working in groups: Here are a group of lifestyle questions to consider. On the first time through them, answer each question about how you and your family have dealt with these issues in the past few years or months.

1--What wakes you up in the morning?

2--How do you find out what the weather will be today?

3--Who fixed breakfast; what did you eat?

4--What type of work do you do?

5--How do you get to work?

6--What do you bring for lunch? (--or do you bring a lunch?)

7--What time did you leave work to get home?

8--Who fixed dinner? How long did it take?

9--How did you obtain the meat items you had for dinner?

10--What about vegetables, and fruit?

11--Where do you keep your milk and butter?

12--When's the last time you ate something that had been frozen?

13--What did you do with the dinner waste and leftovers?

14--What do you do with your household trash?

15--I know this is nosy, but what happens to the human waste from your household?

16--What happened the last time someone got sick from the flu? What did happen (or would have happened) when someone broke a bone or had another serious injury?

17--When is the last time you heard from your family in Massachusetts? Assuming you needed to get a message to them, how long would it take to reach someone? What if it were urgent?

18--What is the anticipated level of education of the majority of your family (of your generation or younger)?

19--What do you do for entertainment? What pastimes does your family enjoy together?

Now your instructor will give you another processing assignment to go over, using the same questions. You'll need to use your imagination.... General discussion will follow, and you'll be asked to make a decision.

**Discussion of Hardin, Kasun and (maybe) Gardner, the readings due today.

**For next week, 10/29: Chapter 8, Food Ethics. Read--
----->Garrett Hardin, "Lifeboat Ethics," pp 443ff.
----->Murdoch/Oaten, "Population and Food," pp 452ff.
----->Rauch, "Can Frankenfood save the Planet," pp 476ff.
----->And...remember that your paper is due.

Does this replace mom's chicken soup?

2009-09-23T15:18:00.000-05:00

Just eat a burger--or maybe not. See this story in yesterday's food section.

Water scarcity is another thing...

2009-09-22T18:36:00.002-05:00

...to face India, along with the increasing pressure toward modernization and capitalization of industry. People do want a "standard of living" that is above subsistence, and for the first time this may be available--at a cost.

Read the story.

See the slide show.

A world without pandas...

2009-09-22T18:28:00.001-05:00

... if this fellow would have his way. Read the article. What are your feelings?

The most important person of the 20th century...

2009-09-15T14:12:00.002-05:00

... according to many, was Norman Borlaug.

Who? TAMU professor and Nobel prize winner Norman Borlaug pioneered the strains of staple crops that now feed literally billions of persons in the poorest regions of the world. He may have saved more lives than were lost in the world wars.

Here is Eric Berger's tribute. He includes some additional links.

Biocentrism

2009-08-29T15:59:00.000-05:00

Mr. Berger had this past week an interesting wrap up and interview about the concept of "biocentrism," a theory about the unified perception of reality put forward by physicist Dr. Robert Lanza. The theory, in an oversimplified nutshell,

"is an out-and-out challenge to modern physics, and its inability to reconcile the fundamental forces of nature and make sense of our universe. Lanza believes that is because physicists fail to take consciousness into account as part of their theories. As a result he proposes a new theory, biocentrism, that says the universe cannot exist without life and consciousness."

I posted the following comment to the blog:

Interesting.... Of course, all "explanations" are indeed rational. The possibilities are that there is an objectively real rational structure "out there," that there isn't such a thing and that what science observes is purely the observer's composition, or that there is a single field that includes the observer as well as what is observed. Now this doesn't have to be purely subjective--consciousness itself may well have that necessary and universal "structure" that ties it to the "structure" of what we experience as observed reality. There is a metaphysical question about "the mind of God," or something like that, lurking behind all of this. Science, at its limits, often seems to point in this direction.

An longer abridgment of Dr. Lanza's book is also found here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31393080/.

Syllabus and Course Calendar, Fall 2009

2009-08-23T15:06:00.003-05:00

Here's the Syllabus/Course Description:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8n9qbt_507f48p7hch

Here's the Assignment Calendar:

http://docs.google.com/View?id=df8n9qbt_245dr8dtmgs

Textbook.

2009-08-23T13:01:00.002-05:00

The text for this class is an anthology. Here are the specs:

Environmental Ethics: Readings in Theory and Application
Louis P. Pojman and Paul Pojman
Wadsworth Publishing, 5th Edition, 2007
ISBN-13: 978-0495095033

Gotta start somewhere

2009-08-23T13:00:00.001-05:00

(Reposted from a year ago.)

This blog is mainly for getting information to students in the Environmental Ethics class. On occasion I'll post something I think is interesting or seek feedback about some topic.

Power Plant Accident in Russia

2009-08-17T11:28:00.002-05:00

Now viewing the headline of this story on Bloomberg today, "Russian Power Plant Accident Kills 8; 54 Missing," what was your first thought (after, of course, sorrow over the casualties)? That it was another nuclear generation plant that had gone bad? Nope. It was HYDRO. Just thought I'd point that out.

Current Events

2009-02-07T21:48:00.003-06:00

I've been meaning to post this sooner, but Dr. Masters had a nice summary and commentary about the current state of the climate change/anthropogenic global warming debate, here: http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=1187. The answer is that the numbers, cumulatively, do appear to show the medium-term trend of global warming. In the absence of good stats to the contrary, it's hard to say otherwise. At least the question is raised, although many more questions need to be asked.

Are you following Mount Redoubt? You can do it here: http://www.avo.alaska.edu/.

Remember our discussion ...

2008-12-02T08:10:00.000-06:00

... about corrupt governments and poverty? The same is true of terrorism and plain violence. Governments of thieves and nations whose governance has been destroyed by warring factions funded by groups with no good in mind are the prime source of most of today's international crises. This CNS report discusses "kleptocracy"--the rule of thieves. I'm reminded of St. Augustine's remark about human governments always tending to be collections of robbers.

Scary stuff.

2008-12-02T07:48:00.000-06:00

I was able to read Robert Preston's The Demon in the Freezer over the Thanksgiving holiday. It reads fast, but is very serious in its presentation of an analysis of the anthrax assaults of 2001 and the possibility of an even more dangerous attack using the smallpox virus. I recall it in the light of this article in today's Fox News. Bioweapons are far easier to build, according to the experts, than nuclear/radiation devices. The warning has been delivered to the new administration in very clear terms by an expert panel.

A more detailed examination can be found here, at the Washington Post.

UPDATE 12/3/08: More on the National Security Commission's report on CNS News today.

New President, new perceptions.

2008-11-25T14:09:00.000-06:00

A new column at "America in the World" suggests that the new regime in America will be more "environment-friendly" than the outgoing administration. This perception, in turn, may give the US a "world-friendly" outlook which stands to be reciprocated by the Europeans and others. But--given the economic conditions, there simply will not be a lot of attention paid to big enviro initiatives for the foreseeable future. We'll see, however.

Oh, and one more thing...

2008-11-05T22:03:00.000-06:00

Here's the reflection from last week, per request.

Article link: http://www.primitivism.com/facets-myth.htm

If that should happen not to work, just google the title and author: "The Myth of Progress" by Kirkpatrick Sale.

Here's the question: Comment on the article in the light of his quoting of Herbert Read, "Only a people serving an apprenticeship to nature can be trusted with machines; only such people will so contrive and control those machines that their products are an enhancement of biological needs, and not a denial of them."

Don't stare at the sun!

2008-10-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

The pictures on the boston.com website that SciGuy linked to yesterday are just amazing. You might ponder these for a little while, and the time would be well-spent. We don't spend enough time appreciating the aesthetic impact and value of nature--especially the parts of the cosmos, "macro" and "micro"--that we have access to in our time uniquely.

That Chesterton Quote

2008-10-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

From Orthodoxy: "Tradition means giving a vote to most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death. Democracy tells us not to neglect a good man's opinion, even if he is our groom; tradition asks us not to neglect a good man's opinion, even if he is our father."

Ike's damages--and the future

2008-09-25T14:59:00.000-05:00

Eric Berger has some interesting analysis of absolute and relative costs here:

http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2008/09/post_53.html

In addition, there is one regional issue that will demand to be addressed once a state of normalcy is restored, and that's the massive loss of power. It's true that Ike was a once-in-a-generation storm, but it seems to me that some measures can be taken to ameliorate the near-perfect annihilation of the electrical grid in southeast Texas. Continued hardening the major transmission lines and critical points and aggressive maintenance of electrical rights of way from overgrowth seem two obvious items that could be put on a prioritized year-to-year progress plan. I know it's ugly when the limbs well-shaped trees are lopped to allow clearance for power lines, but I think a memory of the current hardships endured by many should suffice to procure agreement on a reasonable compromise here.

If you were inland and west of downtown Houston,

2008-09-15T22:33:00.000-05:00

... it appears that the worst part of the storm was the last 4 to 6 hours, when north and then west gales howled over and through the greater part of residential Houston and its suburbs. My neighbors and the co-workers I contacted agreed, based on the sound of the wind. At our home it sounded like a locomotive parked outside the back windows. I'm sure that's when we lost some shingles and the majority of our fence. Just a trickle, thankfully, of windblown water seeped from the bathroom ceiling. I'm guessing that our steady winds here on the southwest side were in the neighborhood of 75 to 80 mph, with some higher gusts. Outside the storm surge zones, the storm was not especially a wet one. The major flooding that took place Sunday was due to the straight-down showers preceding the cold front that slid through.

The enemy below...

2008-09-12T23:18:00.000-05:00

not the enemy above. It appears that Ike will be a storm-surge event and a wind event, but not a rain even, at least not in the Houston region. Galveston continues to get punished horribly and the low-lying communities around Galveston Bay will flood, as will Texas and Louisiana coastal areas east of here. However, Dr. Siebert of channel 26 just confirmed what I've been noticing for about an hour: Ike has started to suck wind, dry wind, into the region surrounding his eye, and his structure seems to be loosening. Dr. Siebert mentioned something about the winds being ready to drop to 80 mph or less. This and the continued rapid motion of this storm will bring some somewhat sooner relief from the wind/rain conditions, although we're still facing a long night's vigil over this storm. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this in fact turns out to be the trend. The damage will still be staggering, but let's hope there's a light in this windy tunnel.

Don't like Ike...

2008-09-09T20:05:00.000-05:00

General Ike is preparing to launch an assault on the TTO (Texas Theatre of Operations) by the weekend. We'll keep our eyes and ears open, begin some basic prep, and hope his beachhead is not our backyard.

Meanwhile, unless we receive a rescinding order from University Command, we are planning to hold class Thursday evening. See you there.