Away MAVE

The Distance Mode of MA in Values and the Environment at Lancaster University

Bibliography

NB These materials do not represent the current (05/06) version of this module, and are offered here as only as an additional resource for students of environmental ethics.

Core text

Core text
Zimmermann, M. et al. (1998) Environmental Philosophy: from animal rights to radical ecology (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall) . 3rd Edition. It is very important to get the right edition as the two previous editions differ in many ways from the 3rd. I have ordered copies for the Waterstones book store on campus and will put one on short loan in the library.
The other 5 readings are in the course reader.

Another key text which it is worth looking at, and buying if you can afford it(!)

Light and Rolston (eds.) (2002) Environmental Ethics: An Anthology (Oxford: Blackwells). This is quite a challenging collection, but has a number of important articles and is an ideal companion to the Zimmerman book.

Readings

You will be sent a reader with the following papers:
White, Lynn (1967) "The Historic Roots of our Ecologic Crisis".
William Cronon 'The Trouble with Wilderness, or Getting Back to the Wrong Nature'.
In Callicott and Nelson (eds.) (1998) The Great New Wilderness Debate (Athens: University of Georgia Press) p.471-499.
Guha, Ramachandra "Radical American Environmentalism and Wilderness Preservation: A Third World Critique in Environmental Ethics 11/ 1 1989 71-83. (Reading 3 in the course reader)
Fox, Warwick (2000) Towards an Ethic (or at least a value theory) of the Built Environment' Fox, W. ed. Ethics of the Built Environment.
Meaton, Julie and Morrice, David (1996) "The Ethics and Politics of Private Automobile Use" Environmental Ethics 18/1 1996 p. 39-55

Annotated Bibliography

In general:

Schmidtz and Willott (2002) Environmental Ethics: What Really Matters, What Really Works (New York: OUP) Despite its rather ikky title, has a number of classic articles and some commentary.

Older textbooks include:

Armstrong, S. and Botzler, R. eds. (1993). Environmental Ethics: Divergence and Convergence. (New York: McGraw-Hill). This textbook contains a number of extracts from a variety of key works in environmental ethics. The book is divided into sections on different perspectives on environmental ethics (such as individualism, ecocentrism, Judeo-Christian, ecofeminism) within which a number of short extracts are gathered, introduced by the editors. The main problem with this book is that it's overpriced.

Benson, John (2000) Environmental Ethics: An Introduction with Readings (London: Routledge) a useful, relatively recent - and relatively cheap text!

Callicott, J.Baird. (1994) Earth's Insights: A Multicultural Survey of Ecological Ethics from the Mediterranean Basin to the Australian Outback. (Berkeley: University of California Press). A useful work for those interested in exploring different international approaches to environmental ethics.Callicott surveys a wide variety of understandings of environmental ethics, from Western European to Asian, South American, African and Australasian. He also examines 'postmodern' environmental ethics and some examples of environmental ethics in practice.

Cooper, David and Palmer, Joy eds.(1992) The Environment in Question: Ethics and Global Issues. (New York: Routledge). A useful collection of essays on a wide variety of issues in environmental ethics, as well as papers reflecting on the nature of environmental ethics itself. Cooper's paper 'The Idea of Environment' is helpful for clarification of terms, and Stephenson's paper 'Thinking, believing, persuading: some issues for environmental activists' is useful in thinking about what people believe about environmental issues and why.

Des Jardins, J.R.(1993) - Environmental Ethics. A really useful introductory single-authored text, but somewhat overpriced
Elliot, R. & Gare, A.(1983) - Environmental Philosophy (Milton Keynes: Open UP) An early, but still useful collection.
Johnson, Lawrence. (1991) A Morally Deep World: An essay on moral significance and environmental ethics. (New York: Cambridge University Press). A systematic work in environmental ethics arguing that individual living organisms and ecological collectives such as ecosystems and species are entities in their own right and should be taken into account when making moral decisions.
Mannison, D.S., McRobbie, M.A. & Routley, R.(1981) - Environmental Philosophy (Canberra: Australian National University) Very early collection, and now hard to obtain. But contains a couple of useful essays.

Passmore, John (1974) Man's Responsibility for Nature, (Duckworth). Very early exploration of questions about environmental philosophy raised by a "mainstream" philosopher.
Singer, Peter ed. (1993). A Companion to Ethics. (Oxford: Blackwell) (corrected version). A useful reference work, covering a range of topics in ethics. It has helpful entries on animals by Lori Gruen (p.343 - 353) and on environmental ethics by Robert Elliott (p.284 - 293)

For block 1: Introduction and Questions about Value
Norton, Bryan G. "Environmental Ethics and Weak Anthropocentrism." Environmental Ethics 6(1984):131-48
Mackie, J.L. - Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong (Harmondsworth: Penguin)
O'Neill, John (1993) Ecology, Policy and Politics: Human Well-Being and the Natural World. (New York: Routledge) One of the useful Routledge Environmental Philosophy series of books, O'Neill adopts a 'virtues' approach to environmental ethics, and applies it to environmental policy-making. The book is particularly useful for its clear exposition, in Chapter 2, of the different ways in which the term 'intrinsic value' may be used in environmental ethics.
White, Lynn (1967) "The Historic Roots of our Ecologic Crisis" Science 155 #3767, 10th March. This article, reprinted in a number of essay collections, is widely regarded as having triggered a still running debate within Christianity about appropriate ethical attitudes to the environment, and has been significant in the intellectual history of environmental ethics

For block 2: Individualist environmental ethics
Attfield, Robin (1983) The Ethics of Environmental Concern (Oxford: Blackwell; revised edition Athens: University of Georgia Press). Attfield's book explores Judeo-Christian ideas of stewardship and domination, as well as considering human obligations future generations of humans, and to the nonhuman natural world. The revised edition also contains a bibliographic essay and a new introduction
Midgley, Mary (1983) Animals and Why they Matter (London: Penguin).
This book provides a clear introduction to the history and philosophies behind Western attitudes to and relationships with animals. Midgley explores a number of influential philosophical approaches to animals and considers new ways in which humans might relate to animals.
Regan, Tom (1984) The Case for Animal Rights. (London : Routledge) This is a classic work in the animal liberation tradition. Regan argues systematically that like human beings adult mammals have rights to life and that such rights should be protected. In relation to this he also discusses including hunting, vegetarianism and the relationship between animal rights and environmental ethics.
Singer, Peter (1975, 1990) Animal Liberation. (New York: Thorsons, Harper Collins).
This is a classic work which is often credited with founding the modern animal liberation tradition. Singer argues because of their capacities to feel pleasures and pains, animals have interests which should be taken into account when we make ethical decisions. First published in 1975, the reprinted edition has a new introduction .
Stone, Christopher. (1988) ed. Should Trees Have Standing: Towards Natural Rights for Legal Objects (California: Tioga Publishing Company). This is an updated version, with a new preface and introduction, of an article published in the Southern Californian Law Review in 1972. The article was written with reference to a particular case about wilderness development then in the courts, to argue that natural objects should have legal standing in their own right, in the same way as (for instance) corporations. This article has subsequently been influential in environmental ethics as well as in the development of environmental law.
Taylor, Paul (1986) Respect for Nature (Princeton: Princeton UP) Very important, well written, broadly Kantian approach to individualistic environmental ethics.
VanDe Veer, Donald (1979) "Interspecific Justice" Inquiry 22, 1979. In this paper, Donald VanDe Veer explores ways in which interspecies conflicts might be resolved. He proposes what he calls 'Two Factor Egalitarianism' as a way in which to address such situations of conflict.
Varner, Gary (1998) In Nature's Interests? (New York: Oxford University Press) A recent, well-crafted individualist account of moral obligations towards individual organisms.

For block 3: Holistic environmental ethics
Brennan, Andrew (1988) Thinking about Nature (London: Routledge) Some powerful criticisms of many "holistic" arguments, and defence of a kind of ethical pluralism
Callicott, J. Baird (1989) In Defense of the Land Ethic (Albany: State University of New York Press)
Hargrove, Eugene ed. (1992). The Animal Rights/Environmental Ethics Debate: The Environmental Perspective. (New York: State University of New York Press). This anthology contains many of the key articles in the animal rights/ environmental ethics debate, including J.Baird Callicott's important paper 'Animal Liberation: A Triangular Affair' It is therefore a convenient way of accessing papers spread through a range of journals, and also has a helpful historical introduction.
Leopold, Aldo. (1947, 1968) A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There. (New York: Oxford University Press). Classic essays by the writer and forester Aldo Leopold, first published after his death in 1947. Interpretation of Leopold's work is now disputed, so read it for yourself, especially his influential essay The Land Ethic.
Ouderkirk, Wayne and Jim Hill (eds.) (2002) Land, Value, Community : Callicott and Environmental Philosophy (Suny Series in Environmental Philosophy and Ethics) Collection on Callicott's work (another one with an essay by yours truly in it!)
Russow, Lilly-Marlene "Why do Species Matter?" Environmental Ethics 3 no. 2 1981
In this article, Russow challenges the widely accepted belief that the preservation of species is important. She questions common understandings of the term 'species' and argues that it is individual members of species to whom we havee moral obligations rather than species as a whole.
Rolston, Holmes. (1988). Environmental Ethics: Duties To and Values In the Natural World. (Philadelphia: Temple University Press). This is Holmes Rolston's major systematic work in environmental ethics. He examines a range of questions in environmental ethics, developing his own view on the nature of environmental value throughout.
Varner , Gary (1991) 'No Holism Without Pluralism' Environmental Ethics 13 no.2

For block 4: Deep ecology and ecofeminism
Devall, Bill & Sessions, George (1985) Deep Ecology, (Gibbs M. Smith Inc)
Fox, Warwick (1991) Toward a Transpersonal Ecology (New York: Shambhala)
Katz, Light and Rothenberg (eds.) (2000) Beneath the Surface: Critical Essays in the Philosophy of Deep Ecology (Cambridge: MIT)
Merchant, Carolyn (1992) Radical Ecology: The Search for a Liveable World (New York: Routledge). An introductory book on different approaches to radical ecology. It includes sections on deep ecology, ecofeminism, social ecology and green politics. Naess, Arne (1973) "The Shallow and the Deep, Long-Range Ecology Movement: A Summary" Inquiry 16 1973 In this article, the expression deep ecology (opposed to shallow ecology) is used by Arne Naess for the first time. The article became the rallying point for the influential deep ecology movement and is therefore historically as well as philosophically important.

Naess, Arne (1989) - Ecology, Community and Lifestyle. (Cambridge, CUP) A more systematic attempt by Naess to develop his "ecosophy".
Plumwood, Val (1993) Feminism and the Mastery of Nature (London: Routledge) A powerful ecofeminist account. (this is the core text for 406)
Sylvan, Richard (1986?) 'A Critique of Deep Ecology' Radical Philosophy 40/41 An important article critical of early deep ecological writing.

Warren, Karen ed. (1994). Ecological Feminism (New York): Routledge. A collection of papers from a range of different approaches to ecofeminism . Many of the papers suggest ecofeminist approaches to and developments of environmental ethics.
Witoszek, N and Brennan, A (1999) Philosophical Dialogues: Arne Naess and the Development of Ecophilosophy (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield)

For block 5: Wilderness and Urban Environmental Ethics
Wilderness
Callicott and Nelson (eds.) (1998)The Great New Wilderness Debate (Athens: University of Georgia Press). A really useful collection of extracts from the classics, and key essays on wilderness.
Emerson (1836) Nature
Online: http://www.transcendentalists.com/emerson_essays.htm
Muir, John. A variety of texts, including Our National Parks and My First Summer in the Sierra.
In Muir (1992 ed.) John Muir: The 8 Wilderness Discovery Books (London: Diadem Books)
Online: http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/
Oelschlaeger, Max (1991). The Idea of Wilderness. New Haven: Yale University Press
Nash, Roderick. (1983). Wilderness and the American Mind. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Thoreau (1854; 1965 ed) Walden (New York: Harper and Row)
Online: http://eserver.org/thoreau/
The Urban
Gunn, Alistair (1998) "Rethinking Communities: Environmental Ethics in an Urbanised World" Environmental Ethics 20/4 p.341-360. A rather rambling essay interested in sustainability and urban communities
Fox, Warwick (ed.) (2000) The Ethics of the Built Environment (London: Routledge). A recent collection on the built environment (rather than specifically cities, though they are important to the collection).
Jamieson, Dale (1984) "The City Around Us" in Regan, Tom (ed.) Earthbound: New Introductory Essays in Environmental Ethics (New York: Random House) p.38-73. This was the first real paper published on urban environmental ethics. It has some useful sections, though (perhaps idiosyncratically) focuses on landmarks.
King, Roger (2000) "Environmental Ethics and the Built Environment" Environmental Ethics 22/2 p.115-132. As the title suggests, focuses on the built environment.
Lawson, Bill (1995) "Living for the City: Urban United States and Environmental Justice" in Westra and Wenz (eds.) Faces of Environmental Racism (Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield). Lawson has written quite widely on the ways in which environmental problems impact on poorer, racial minority communities.

Useful Journals:

Environmental Ethics
From the Center for Environmental Philosophy PO Box 13496 University of North Texas Denton TX 76203-6496United States. This quarterly publication is the oldest and most important journal in the field, publishing articles, discussion papers, book reviews and news relevant to environmental ethics.
Environmental Values
from your very own department! A quarterly publication, bringing together contributions from philosophy, law, economics and other disciplines to discussion concerning the foundations of environmental policy.
Ethics and the Environment
From Georgia State University. Recently taken over by a new publisher, this journal was founded in 1996. It is available to members of Lancaster University on-line and thus may be a particularly useful resource for distance-learning.

Useful Electronic Resource

http://www.cep.unt.edu
website of the Centre for Environmental Philosophy in Texas. Includes access to the bibliography of the ISEE (International Society for Environmental Ethics) with a good search facility. It's the gateway to a huge number of environmental ethics resources. Others are included as web tips in the distance learning package text itself.