PHI 109 - Topic: Ethics and Climate Change (FYS) (1)

The threat of climate change raises urgent questions about what we ought to do-i.e., questions about morality. We will spend some time considering climate science and questions raised by controversy about that science. What should we believe about the claim that human activity is threatening the climatic stability of our planet given apparent disagreement about the truth of that hypothesis? We will also spend time considering the moral challenges the risk of climate change generates: what is the nature of our obligations to prevent harm to people distant in space and in time; what responsibilities do nations of the industrialized world have to respond to threats generated by climate change; what does it make sense for such nations to do given the uncertainty of some outcomes of climate change; what should we, as individual citizens of such nations, be doing? We will read material of all sorts about these questions-we’ll look at scientific reports, economic analyses, and philosophical/ethical arguments, for example-and talk and write about what we make of the issues. Students will be expected to enroll in an online learning community and will receive ¼ additional adjunct course credit for their participation during the fall semester. WHITE
(FYS)