Environmental philosophy
Subtitle: an introduction
By: Simon P. James
Publisher: Polity Press
Published: 2015
Place of publication: Cambridge, UK; Malden, MA
Language: eng
Number of pages: 182
ISBN-13: 9780745645469; 9780745645476
Subjects: PHILOSOPHY; Environmental ethics; Environmental sciences; 43.02 philosophy of environmental science; Philosophy; History & Surveys; General
Description: "Climate change, habitat loss, rising extinction rates - such problems call for more than just new policies and practices. They raise fundamental questions about the world and our place in it. What, for instance, is the natural world? Do we humans belong to it? Which parts of it are we morally obliged to protect? Drawing on an exceptionally wide range of sources, from virtue ethics to Buddhism, leading environmental philosopher Simon P. James sets out to answer these vitally important questions. The book begins with a discussion of animal minds, before moving on to explore our moral relations with non-human organisms, ecosystems and the earth as a whole. James then considers environmental aesthetics, humanity's place in the natural world and the question of what it means to be wild. In the concluding chapter, he applies his findings to the topic of global climate change, building a strong moral case for urgent action. This accessible, entertainingly written book will be essential reading for students of the environment across the humanities and social sciences. It will, moreover, be an ideal guide for anyone keen to deepen their understanding of environmental issues"--
Notes: Machine generated contents note: Acknowledgements Introduction: What is Environmental Philosophy? 1: Animal Suffering, and Why it Matters 2: Beyond Animal Liberation, 3: Biocentrism and Ecocentrism 4: Questions of Value 5: How Should one Live? 6: The Aesthetics of Nature 7: Nature, Wild and Restored 8: Climate Change Summary.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: What is environmental philosophy?; title: Nature; title: Theory and practice; title: Outlines of chapters; title: 1. Animal suffering, and why it matters; title: Eating without pleasure, crying without pain; title: Singer's utilitarian case for animal liberation; title: Vegetarianism; title: Summary; title: 2. Beyond animal liberation; title: Racism, sexism ... speciesism?; title: The moral significance of killing; title: Regan's case for animal rights; title: Flourishing; title: Duties to wild animals; title: Summary; title: 3. Biocentrism and ecocentrism; title: Life; title: Ecosystems; title: Biological species; title: Summary; title: 4. Questions of value; title: Ecosystem services and the value of places; title: Objectivity and subjectivity; title: Summary; title: 5. How should one live?; title: Environmental virtue ethics; title: Buddhism and compassion; title: Humility; title: Attention; title: Summary; title: 6. The aesthetics of nature; title: Disinterestedness and engagement; title: Form, knowledge and the beauty of clouds; title: Aesthetics and morality; title: Summary; title: 7. Nature, wild and restored; title: Nature, revisited; title: A very short history of the received wilderness idea; title: Sceptical responses; title: Wildness; title: Environmental restoration; title: Summary; title: 8. Climate change; title: Climate change as a moral issue; title: Responses; title: 'My emissions make no difference'; title: Population; title: Obligations to future generations; title: Climate change and the natural world; title: Summary.