Class #5, 9/27/10

**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, ...

...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

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

**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

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.