These first few days of class have been quite insightful. Determined to catch every piece of information that left anyone’s mouth, I took way too many notes! It was only after I sat down after class and really thought about the different theories we had discussed that I truly began to understand the information. Disclaimer: I am nowhere near an environmental expert; however, I am no longer an environmental ethics novice. I do not know the answers to the environmental issues we have briefly discussed, as I doubt many do otherwise we would not have such issues, but I could hold my own in an educated conversation about the issues from many different perspectives.
Being able to discuss issues from a variety of stances is a skill I have developed from attending these liberal arts institutions. The readings and presentations on the different perspectives have reiterated the importance of that mindset specific to environmental studies. Consistent with much of our nation, I am coming into this class from a very utilitarian perspective but by the end of class I hope to have a more eclectic approach to environmental issues. My analytical mindset makes it very easy for me to default to cost-benefit analyses when searching for answers. Utilitarianism allows us to justify decisions with facts. That is, the morality and principles behind a choice may be trumped by cost-effective solution. The anthropocentrism in this perspective blinds us from seeing the repercussions of our decisions on animal species and entire ecosystems which has led us to this scramble to protect and preserve the planet we are currently in.
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