Philosophy
110A
Study Guide for Test One,
Environmental Ethics
The most important thing to identify for each reading
is the main point of each reading. What is the main point
that the author is trying to get across? This will lead
to other questions: How is the author trying to get the
point across? What is the evidence the author gives?
We can also ask ourselves the following questions
about each author’s points:
- What points are particularly novel? (E.g., you
many never have considered the idea of a loving eye
vs. an arrogant eye.)
- What points are particularly contentious? (E.g.,
there may be a lot of debate over whether or not
domination of the environment is actually a Christian
position.)
- What are definitions does the author use to get
his or her point across? (E.g., the definition of
conceptual framework is important for Karen J.
Warren.)
If we want to get particularly philosophical, we
should look to the concepts used by the author. For
example:
- Is the author trying to get us (or someone else)
to think in a new way? What is the new way? What is
the old way? (E.g., Lynn White Jr. advocates cores
change in belief surrounding the nature of animals in
nature based on St. Francis of Assisi.)
- Does the author identify a special way of
thinking? (E.g., Gita Sen identifies new household
economics as a way of thinking about the population
problem.)
- Does the author link two (or more) ways of
thinking together? (E.g., Warren links the
subordination of women in patriarchy to other forms of
domination.)
If we want to get particularly environmental, we
should look to the ideas about the environment that the
author presents. For example:
- Does the author make claims about certain
ecological systems? (E.g., Aldo Leopold claims that
the presence of wolves keeps deer in check and thus
preserves a mountain ecosystem.)
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