PL 545: Concept of Natural Value
Syllabus, Fall 2001
Aug. 23. First class. Orientation and Introduction.
Aug. 30 - Unit I - Intrinsic Value in Nature
Rolston, Value in Nature and the Nature of Value
Lee, Source and Locus of Intrinsic Value
John O'Neill, The Varieties of Intrinsic Value
Rolston, Naturalizing Values: Organisms and Species
Hettinger, Comments on Rolston's `Naturalizing Values'
Sept. 6 - Unit II -- Intrinsic Value: Epistemological Troubles
Callicott, Rolston on Intrinsic Value: A Deconstruction
Norton, Epistemology and Environmental Values
Preston, Epistemology and Intrinsic Values: Norton and Callicott on Rolston
Rolston, F/Actual Knowing: Putting Facts and Values in Place
Sept. 13 - Unit III -- Subjective and Objective Troubles
Eugene C. Hargrove, Weak Anthropocentric Intrinsic Value
Partridge, Values in Nature: Is Anybody There?
Rolston, Values at Stake: Does Anything Matter? (reply)
Partridge, Discovering a World of Values (reply)
Sept. 20 - Unit IV - Living Organisms, Trees
Goodpaster, On Being Morally Considerable
Attfield, The Good of Trees
Agar, Biocentrism and the Concept of Life
Sept. 27 - Unit V -- Animal Values
Johnson, Do Animals Have an Interest in Life?
Weir, Are Animals Virtuous?
Fuller, The Messes Animals Make in Metaphysics
Carruthers, Brute Experience
Jamieson and Bekoff, Carruthers on Nonconscious Experience
Oct. 4 - Unit VI -- Endangered Species versus Hungry People
Rolston, Feeding People versus Saving Nature
Attfield, Saving Nature, Feeding People and Ethics
Brennan, Poverty, Puritanism and Environmental Conflict
Rolston, Saving Nature, Feeding People, and the Foundations of Ethics
Take-home midterm exam given out
Oct. 11 - Mid-term due, and discussed, defended in class
Oct. 18 - Unit VII -- Wilderness Troubles (Dr. Rolston in Portugal)
Callicott, The Wilderness Idea Revisited
Rolston, The Wilderness Idea Reaffirmed
Cronon, The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature
Callicott, A Critique of and an Alternative to the Wilderness Idea
Noss, Wilderness--Now More than Ever (response)
Foreman, Wilderness Areas Are Vital (response)
Callicott, Deep Grammar (response to responses)
Oct. 25 - Unit VIII -- Ecology Troubles
Sagoff, Ethics, Ecology and the Environment:
Integrating Science and Law.
Warning: long article!
Partridge, Reconstructing Ecology
Nov. 1 - Unit IX -- Nature and Culture
Rolston, Nature and Culture in Environmental Ethics
Michael, How to Interfere With Nature
Sprugel, Disturbance, Equilibrium ... What is "Natural" Vegetation?
Rolston, Natural and Unnatural; Wild and Cultural
Nov. 8 - Unit X - Pristine and Inhabited Nature
Lee, Beauty Forever?
Kimmerer, Native Knowledge for Native Ecosystems
Anderson, Tending the Wilderness
Rolston, A Managed Earth and the End of Nature?
Nov. 15 - Unit XI - Social Construction of Nature
Rolston, Nature for Real: Is Nature a Social Construct?
Harlow, The Human Face of Nature
Callicott, La Nature est morte, vive la nature!
Evernden, from The Social Creation of Nature, "The Fragile Division" and
"Nature and the Ultrahuman"
Take-Home Final exam given out
Nov. 22. Thanksgiving break
Nov. 29 - Unit XII -- Nature's troubles
Williams, Mother Nature Is a Wicked Old Witch!
Williams, Huxley's `Evolution and Ethics' in Sociobiological Perspective
Hrdy, Comments
Ruse, Comments
Burhoe, Comments
Cobb, Comments, Befriending an Amoral Nature
Williams, Reply to Comments
Rolston, Disvalues in Nature
Dec. 6 - Class discussion of Final Exam
Grading:
Weekly reading tests 25%
Class participation 25%
Take home mid-term, discussed 25%
Take home final, discussed 25%
100%
Bibliography, Text Materials, continued in next file.