Students participating in this class session will prepare their homework assignments and post their responses in Drop box 8 on the course lesson board by 5:00 p.m. on the Sunday evening immediately following each on-campus class meeting. However, all class readings must be completed prior to class convening to insure students can participate in class discussion.  Remember you are required to know the answers to each and every one of these questions for the Comprehensive Exam.

Reading Assignments: 

Ecological Ethics, Chapters 6-8; David Hume on the Principles of Government. Sole Value Assumption; Greater Value Assumption

John Passmore on David Hume: (Watch all 5 parts on YouTube) and Ray

 Anderson (CEO of Interface Carpets) on the business logic of sustainability

Pick seven questions to answer between questions 1-17.  Students participating in this class session will prepare their homework assignments and post their responses in Drop box 8 on the course lesson board by 5:00 p.m. on the Sunday evening immediately following each on-campus class meeting. However, all class readings must be completed prior to class convening to insure students can participate in class discussion.  Remember you are required to know the answers to each and every one of these questions for the Comprehensive Exam.

1.    What is a “light green” ecological ethic and how does it differ from a “dark green ethic”? Please explain.

2.    How would you characterize the ecological ethic proposed by Terry Wimberley in Nested Ecology? Explain your rationale.

3.    According to Curry what must a light green ethic absolutely include (3 things)?

4.    Explain the precautionary principle. When used in the text what does “ethos” mean?

5.    Does Curry believe light green ecological ethics are “adequate”? Explain.

6.    What does Bookchin refer to when he speaks of “mute nature”? Please explain.

7.    Light green ethics appear to assume that human beings are essentially different from all other animals. Would you agree or disagree with this insight? Please explain.

8.    Briefly describe Gerald Hardin’s “lifeboat ethics” and explain why Curry believes this is an example of “shallow,” “light green ethics.”

9.    Explain what “the tragedy of the commons” means.

10. How does “mid-green” ethics differ from “light” and “dark” green ecological ethics?

11. What is “moral extensionism” and how does the philosopher John Passmore (he’s the person in this session’s video assignment) approach this concept. Please explain, even if it means researching this a bit beyond the text.

12. Another ecological philosopher, Peter Singer, (who will be in the session 9 video) is famous for his efforts on behalf of animal liberation. Explain his philosophy in this regard.

13. How does Singer define “speciesism”?

14. Critics say that Singer has “traded human chauvinism for sentient chauvinism.” What do critics mean  by this assertion.

15. Tom Regan is associated with an animal rights approach to ecological ethics. Who is left out of this approach and how does it differ from Passmore and Singer’s approach. Tom Regan is associated with an animal rights approach to ecological ethics. Who is left out of this approach and how does it differ from Passmore and Singer’s approaches.

16. Identify the four related aspects of Paul Taylor’s biocentric perspective.

17. Identify some problems with biocentrism.

Pick seven questions between questions 1-11. Students participating in this class session will prepare their homework assignments and post their responses in Drop box 8 on the course lesson board by 5:00 p.m. on the Sunday evening immediately following each on-campus class meeting. However, all class readings must be completed prior to class convening to insure students can participate in class discussion.  Remember you are required to know the answers to each and every one of these questions for the Comprehensive Exam.

1.    How, in the bouncing ball illustration, did Hume contribute to understanding causal connections?

2.    How does association differ from causation?

3.    How did Hume conceptualize the idea of “the self?”

4.    What does Hume’s concept of cause and self have in common?

5.    What did Hume include under the rubric of moral subjects?

6.    How did Hume go about deriving the meaning of any given word?

7.    How does distinguish between “talking” and “thinking?”

8.    How does Hume define “meaning?”

9.    Hume’s fork: what is this? Please explain.

10. What did Hume mean by “mitigated” skepticism?

11. How did Hume conceptualize human knowledge and science?