SMU – PHIL 3379 – ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS – FALL 2025 – JEAN KAZEZ

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Friday, January 24, 2025

MODULE 1: People

 Agenda

  1. Module 1: Moral status
  2. Baxter, "People or Penguins" (1974)
  3. Discuss Reading Responses


Module 1: Moral status

When we're making environmental decisions, which beings have moral status?

"X has moral status" means...
  1. We have obligations to X
  2. X matters for its own sake
  3. X has intrinsic or inherent value
  4. X has rights
  5. X has to be treated justly and fairly
"X doesn't have moral status" means...
  1. None of the above apply
  2. But perhaps X is valuable to us or a resource for us or we just enjoy X
Candidates for moral status (right)






William Baxter, "People or Penguins" (1974)

Position: when we're making environmental decisions, we should only take into account people (anthropocentrism)
  • Decisions about pollution
  • Decisions about the use of DDT
  • Today he might focus on: decisions about climate change, wildfires, land use, etc.
Background
  • 1940s: DDT is pesticide with agricultural and household uses; also used to kill mosquitos and prevent malaria
From Doomsday for Pests (1946), a Sherwin-Williams promotional video
  • 1962: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, DDT harmful to humans and wildlife
  • 1970: Richard Nixon signs bill creating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • 1972: EPA banned DDT, citing effects on humans as well as wildlife
  • 1974: William Baxter (law professor) wrote the book People or Penguins: The Case for Optimal Pollution
  • Why penguins? DDT residues found in Antarctic Adelie penguins (1966, 2008)

  • So Baxter is protesting, saying "only people really matter"



Baxter's arguments

What is an argument?
  • Not just a controversial claim
  • Argument = reasoning FROM premises TO aconclusion
Finding Baxter's argument that people matter, NOT penguins
The four criteria (all concerning people)

Why it's fine that the criteria are entirely people-centered--6 arguments

Which of the arguments are good (if any)?



Doing RRs