>>good questions, Paul. What do YOU think?>>
I plan to stay quiet this time because I don't have any answers (Ok, so
when did I?) and would be genuinely interested to hear what some of the
quieter members on the list think.
best wishes
PK
>>"Should teaching environmental ethics entail the promotion of
>>a position of commitment to an environmental ethic?"
>
>I'll go out on a limb here and say (provisionally), no. At least not
>necessarily
>
>Part of the problem is defining what exactly is an "environmental
>ethic." The most extreme form of a high exploitation ethic as
>regards nature is itself a type of "environmental ethic." There are
>moderate and extreme forms of anthropocentric environmental ethics;
>moderate and extreme forms of biocentric environmental ethics;
>radical environmental ethics, pragmatic environmental ethics, and
>everything else in between.
>
>Another concern is the pedagogical issue as Paul suggests of teaching
>values. There are better and worse ways of doing this. If your
>"teaching" is simply indoctrination, *especially* at the college
>level, then I'd say it might be best to avoid teaching environmental
>ethics altogether. Stick to teaching human ethics. At lower
>educational levels indoctrination may have more of a (generally
>accepted) place, but indoctrination at early ages sure makes it more
>difficult to "re-educate" when people get older. :-) It's a real
>puzzle.
>
>These are good questions, Paul. What do YOU think?
>
>:-)
>
>An analogy that came to mind was teaching about abortion
>ethics/ethics of abortion. I'm not sure that teaching abortion
>ethics would entail the promotion of a commitment to a particular
>abortion ethic. Once could remain essentially agnostic on the
>question of abortion and still do an absolutely fine job of teaching
>what various philosophers have argued on the question of abortion.
>And that would similarly be the case in other areas of applied ethics
>. . . .
>
>Good questions, good questions.
>
>Jim T.
>
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>>
>>What do we think?
>>
>>Should values be taught?'
>>Since we are human is it possible to teach without our personal values
>>colouring what we do?
>>What would a society become if it did not teach values?
>>But How do we decide who's values should be perpetuated?
>>Should education be about how to think rather than what to believe?
>>
>>Any takers?
>>
>>Yours PK
>>
>>
>>
>>
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