Rethinking Environment: The Ethics of a Constructionist View of Our Relation to Nature

In this thesis I argue that the constructionist theory of the relation between organism and environment has several important implications for ethics. Chapter 1 lays the groundwork for later chapters by elucidating the concepts and terms used in later discussions and providing the motivation for the project. In Chapter 2 I introduce the constructionist theory of the relation between organism and environment. In Chapter 3 I argue that the constructionist theory can be used to criticize exemplars of individualism and holism in ethics and to criticize the idea that individualism and holism are incompatible. In Chapter 4 I turn to climate change and geoengineering, arguing that a class of objection to geoengineering cannot be sustained in light of the theory of the constructed niche. In Chapter 5 I argue that the constructionist theory provides reason to recognize moral obligations to environments, providing a convincing answer to a central theoretical problem in environmental ethics.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Philosophy

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Jankunis, Frank

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Habib, Allen

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• McShane, Katie
• Ereshefsky, Marc
• Gerlach, S. Craig
• Framarin, Chris

• Philosophy

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/27658

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2878