The environment : philosophy, science, and ethics / edited by William P. Kabasenche, Michael O'Rourke, and Matthew H. Slater.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Print version record.

Philosophical reflections on the environment began with early philosophers' invocation of a cosmology that mixed natural and supernatural phenomena. Today, the central philosophical problem posed by the environment involves not what it can teach us about ourselves and our place in the cosmic order but rather how we can understand its workings in order to make better decisions about our own conduct regarding it. The resulting inquiry spans different areas of contemporary philosophy, many of which are represented by the fifteen original essays in this volume. The contributors first consider conceptual problems generated by rapid advances in biology and ecology, examining such topics as ecological communities, adaptation, and scientific consensus. The contributors then turn to epistemic and axiological issues, first considering philosophical aspects of environmental decision making and then assessing particular environmental policies (largely relating to climate change), including reparations, remediation, and nuclear power, from a normative perspective.

1. The environment : how to understand it and what to do about it -- 2. The concept of the environment in evolutionary theory -- 3. What if ecological communities are not wholes? -- 4. The environment, from a behavioral perspective -- 5. Systems theory and the new ecophilosophy -- 6. Situated adaptationism -- 7. Thinking ecologically : the legacy of Rachel Carson -- 8. Climate, consensus, and contrarians -- 9. Nature as the school of the moral world : Kant on taking an interest in natural beauty -- 10. Precaution has its reasons -- 11. Add to cart? environmental "amenities" and cost-benefit analysis -- 12. Can we, and should we, make reparation to "nature"? -- 13. Getting the bad out : remediation technologies and respect for others -- 14. Emissions, economics, and equity : problems with nuclear solutions to climate change -- 15. On the need for front-line climate ethi.

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