Keywords
moral life
rational life
climate change
Thomas Nagel
enviromental ethics
How to Cite
Number of views: 992
Number of downloads: 572
Abstract
Climate change has become a popular topic with a strong presence in media, political, scientific and ethical debates. This raises a question as to why we are not acting in accordance with our knowledge and are unable to do enough to protect our future. The paper argues that the problem partly arises from a lack of philosophical reflection about relations between different aspects of our personalities. Those different aspects are presented based on the reflections of Thomas Nagel on good, moral, and rational ways of life. I claim that all three need to be taken into consideration in order to answer challenge raised by the environmental dangers we are facing.References
Baysinger, T. 2016. “These Are the Oscar Ads and Moments Viewers Paid Attention to the Most.” Adweek. URL: http://www.adweek.com/tv-video/these-are-oscar-ads-and-moments-viewers-paid-attention-most-169909/ (retrieved on 04.03.2016.)
The Economist. 2016a. “Charlemagne: Value Shoppers.” The Economist Jan 28th. URL: http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21689602-europe-promised-principled-foreign-policy-now-it-desperate-quick-deals-value-shoppers (retrieved on 04.03.2016.)
The Economist. 2016b. “Climate Change: Supreme Emissions.” The Economist Feb 11th. URL: http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21692907-nine-justices-press-pause-one-presidents-proudest-achievements-supreme (retrieved on: 04.03.2016.)
Giddens, A. 2009. The Politics of Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Griffits, K. 2016. “Transcript of Leonardo DiCaprio's Oscars Acceptance Speech Gets Political About Climate Change – VIDEO.” Bundle. URL: https://www.bustle.com/articles/144803-transcript-of-leonardo-dicaprios-oscars-acceptance-speech-gets-political-about-climate-change-video (retrieved on 04.03.2016.)
Haught, J. F. 2006. Is Nature Enough? Meaning and Truth in the Age of Science. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kissell, R. 2016. “Final Oscar Ratings: 34.4 Million Viewers, Down Only 2% Among Blacks.” Variety. URL: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/
oscars-ratings-snapshot-34-4-million-slight-decline-among-blacks-1201719378/ (retrieved on 04.03.2016.)
Klein, N. 2014. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. Toronto: Simon & Schuster.
Low, N. 2003. Global Ethics and Environment. New York: Routledge.
Nagel, T. 1989. The View from Nowhere. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nietzsche, F. 1993. Philosophy and Truth. Selections from Nietzsche's Notebooks of the early 1870's. New Jersey: Humanity Books.
Plumwood, V. 2005. Environmental Culture. The Ecological Crisis of Reason. London: Psychology Press.
Pope Francis. 2005. Laudato Si. URL: https://w2.vatican.va/content/dam/ francesco/pdf/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si_en.pdf (retrieved on 04.03.2016.)
Rees, M. 2003. Our Final Hour: A Scientist's Warning: How Terror, Error, and Environmental Disaster Threaten Humankind's Future In This Century – On Earth and Beyond. New York: Basic Books.
Rorty, R. 2007. “Kant vs. Dewey.” In R. Rorty (ed) Philosophy as Cultural Politics (pp. 183–202). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Singer, P. 2010. The Life You Can Save: How To Do Your Part To End World Poverty. New York: Random House Trade.
Tocqueville, de A. 2003. Democracy in America. New Jersey: The Lawbook Exchange.