Endings

Now that my Philosophy and the Environment course is over, it may be time to shut this blog down. Few people visited here regularly, and even fewer are likely to do so from now on. That's the reason I didn't post on the Bali conference, which in any case was probably more too little, too late to save the planet -- or, at least, to save human civilization. There will of course be a huge upside to the coming catastrophe. Certainly pigs and bees will be better off once we're gone. Worst-case scenario: a few bands of savages will survive in the ruins, to start the whole mess over again. Best-case scenario: Gerda kisses the reindeer.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

What do I think?

I've been asked where I stand on the issue(s) of animal rights and environmental ethics. Those interested can consult my essay "Animal Rights and Human Needs", Environmental Ethics 18 (1996): 249-264 -- or can request a pdf version by e-mailing me at amt [at] uvic.ca .

Final exam

The final exam in Philosophy and the Environment is scheduled for Monday, December 17 at 9 a.m. in the university Gymnasium. The exam is worth 40% of the course grade. Students will have to answer, without notes, any two of the following three questions:

(1) Is animal liberation, whether in its utilitarian or rights form, compatible with an ethical concern for ecological wholes (such as species or ecosystems)?

(2) Is a feminist perspective required for an adequate environmental ethic?

(3) Is capitalism ecologically sustainable?

In each case the topic is to be discussed with reference to some of the arguments covered in the course; you are to support your position with cogent reasons, and consider, and reply to, one or more significant objections to your position.

William Morris

William Morris (1834-1896) was a poet, novelist, designer, and a founder of the Arts and Crafts Movement, to which the Maltwood Gallery at the University of Victoria has a historical tie. In his later years Morris became a committed political activist. Although influenced by Karl Marx, whose daughter Eleanor was a colleague of his in the Socialist League, Morris's unique vision of a post-industrial future reflected his concern for preserving a flourishing natural environment. He articulated his view of the intimate connections among art, work, and nature in essays and lectures, and in his utopian novel, News from Nowhere.

Eat your words

A friend pointed me to this website where you can have fun improving your vocabulary and feed the hungry at the same time.

Intelligence quotient

In my opinion Intelligence is the best series on television. It's a complex, gripping, and ongoing story with multiple plot lines and believable characters of varying shades of grey -- and it's set in Vancouver. The last two episodes of the season will air back-to-back on Monday, December 10 beginning at 8 p.m. It's like the electric car: people who know about it love it, but higher powers may be trying to kill it. Spread the word.

Chimps outperform university students

Given their superior memory skills, I wonder whether chimpanzees would do better at recalling the details of the land ethic. And anyone familiar with John Locke's theory of personal identity must wonder whether this means that individual chimpanzees actually exist over time more consistently than humans do.

Philosophy for kids

The multi-talented Tiffany Poirier, who not so long ago was a philosophy student at the University of Victoria, has a piece in The Tyee on the benefits of teaching philosophy to children. Her book, Q Is for Question: A Philosophy ABC, is due out in 2008.

You bet your life!

What's the worst that could happen?

Burj Dubai

This monster is already taller than the CN Tower and it's still growing. With the planet reeling from human excess, the rich are competing to put the peak into Peak Oil. When the crash comes, they may be piqued.

Australia votes for change

The government of John Howard, a close ally of U.S. president Bush, has been swept from office in the Australian general election. The new prime minister will be Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd, who has pledged to sign the Kyoto Treaty and withdraw Australian combat troops from Iraq.

Meanwhile, at a Commonwealth summit in Uganda, Canada has blocked a call for binding targets for greenhouse-gas emissions by developed nations. Canada objected to the fact that other nations, particularly India, would have been exempt.

Sick

They're just animals.