Alva -- Environmental Ethics

  Today for class, we read three pieces by Regan, Singer and Engel that each made compelling cases against eating meat, arguing that a non-meat diet is the most ethical choice. The approaches to this argues from an ethics-standpoint varied. Regan made a case utilizing egalitarianism and framed the debate in relation to speciesism and the fundamental wrong of viewing animals purely as resources. Singer’s argument is based on a principle of equal consideration of interests, arguing that animals’ interests should be considered equally to that of humans. Engel, whose case stand out to me the most, compellingly presents his arguments through a sequence of virtues and personal values that he believes most people have, and proceeds to demonstrate how eliminating meat is the way to live out these virtues.  What was particularly compelling to me was that Engel emphasized his belief that many people possess the morals that underpin eliminating meat, but do not put them into practice. As...

  With warmer weather and the bittersweet chaos of the last block of the year, much of my time spent outside this week has been on my porch. I live on a busy intersection right off campus, but somehow my college house porch has been a source of peace for me all year, especially in busy times where calm is not the easiest to achieve. This week, I spent one particular evening out on the porch observing my surroundings and reflecting deeply about what it is about my porch that grounds me so meaningfully.  It was around 8pm that I was sitting outside, and the sky was painted that perfect shade of deep blue that often happens at dusk this time of year.  My porch faces west, giving me a great view of the sun setting and all its effects . Since reading Joan Didion ’s  Blue Nights  last year, I always react to this shade of blue, thinking of Joan’s introspective words when seeing the springtime blue night that she describes. I realize that my porch is a perfect place to...

  For class today, we read materials that focuses on Kantian ethics. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher and a central Enlightenment thinker, importantly sees rationality as a core element of humanity. He argues that being rational beings is what makes humans unique, and that this rationality marks out both the class of moral agents (those who are capable of acting morally) and moral patients (those who we have moral obligations towards) (Hourdequin 48). Following the textbook chapter introducing Kantian ethics, we also read some of Kant’s work directly, as well as an exploration of why Kant excludes animals from direct moral consideration by Dr. Holly Wilson. The theme of non-human animals and morality greatly stood out to me from today’s pieces. I saw paralells between a Kantian approach to anthropocentrism and arguments from other EV classes I have been in, and thought deeply about how Kant’s views of animals as means rather than beings with rights apply to some of my own person...

  Growing up in urban areas, with my time outdoors being spent more in urban parks than in vaste, mountainous areas, I often thought of nature and the environment as a distant concept that I did not feel very connected to. It was not until I began my journey of studying environmental science and studies that I rethought my relationship with and definition of the environment to one that I believe is more holistic and inclusive. Now, I see the environment as a space where people live, play, work and learn, and I value an approach to environmental care and protection that prioritizes collaborative commitment to allowing all inhabitants to thrive. Recognizing that my approach to environmental care is largely oriented around humans   Because of my own exposure to the environment as a child and how important broadening my definition of the outdoors has been to me in terms of developing a sense of place, I am particularly interested in urban green space as a means of community-buildi...