Description
Book SynopsisIf the natural environment is in the precarious state to which many attest, what would this demand of us? What duties are suggested by the observation that our collective behavior threatens the planet, even if no particular individual intends harm? Can we legitimately ask those who sincerely hold little or no interest in the long-term viability of the earth's ecosphere to value it in the same way as committed environmentalists do and to act accordingly? In The Moral Weight of Ecology: Public Goods, Cooperative Duties, and Environmental Politics, Edward Tverdek engages these questions and ultimately argues that the demands of ecology upon all of us are in fact quite substantial. The book is not, however, another study in environmental ethics, examining what it if anything we owe the natural world. Rather, The Moral Weight of Ecology addresses the matter from the perspective of political economy and social choice theory. Tverdek seeks to disarm both the intuitive libertarian notion
Trade ReviewLibertarianism stands upon a moral foundation of individual rights that is, if not mean, lean. Saving the planet from environmental disaster faces problems of collective action that push us toward moral obligations transcending individual rights. Tverdek pursues these issues through a dense thicket of philosophy and economic theory. He concludes that libertarian attempts to evade obligations beyond rights fail. The Moral Weight of Ecology deserves close attention from anyone tempted by the austere foundations of libertarian moral theory. -- Richard Hudelson, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Wisconsin Superior
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Ecology at the Margins Part One: Who Should Bear the Costs and Burdens of Environmentalism? Chapter 1: What is "Tragic" About the Tragedy of the Commons? Chapter 2: Are Environmental Problems "Prisoners' Dilemmas"? Chapter 3: The Non-Excludability Problem Chapter 4: Fairness and Non-Excludability Chapter 5: Non-Excludability and Non-Excusability Chapter 6: Intentions, Free Riders, and Honest Holdouts Concluding Remarks to Part One Part Two: What are We Asking when We Ask "What Is the Natural Environment Worth?" Chapter 7: Markets versus Politics – a Brief Overview Chapter 8: How Not to Frame the Question Chapter 9: The Embedding Effect and the Moral Content of Economic Valuation Chapter 10: The Rationality of Environmental “Charity” Chapter 11: Values, Preferences, and Category Mistakes Chapter 12: Strategic Bidding and the Burdens We Wish Upon Others Concluding Remarks to Part Two Afterword: The Poverty of Ecology
