Listed in: Environmental Studies, as ENST-474 | Philosophy, as PHIL-374
Joseph G. Moore (Section 01.)
(Offered as ENST 474 and PHIL 374) Is our planet overpopulated? And if so, how many of us should live on it? Population raises tricky questions that are both empirical and broadly philosophical: How should we weigh the well-being of future individuals against the lives of those currently living? Should we aim for a future population whose average or whose total level of well-being is maximized—or should we apply some other standard? Even more fundamentally: are we right to think of human life as, on balance, a positive thing? And how might a policy based on answers to such questions be weighed against rights to reproductive choice, and against considerations of justice? In this seminar, we will explore recent work in the emerging and fascinating field of population ethics. We will chart new areas for research, as well as for practical policy-making.
Requisite: At least one course in either ENST or PHIL. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Moore.
How to handle overenrollment: Priority to Philosophy or Environmental Studies majors, then seniors, juniors, etc.
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: the course is reading and writing intensive, with weekly writing responses, two mid-term projects, and a final seminar paper drafted in stages.
Section 01.
Tu 2:30 PM - 5:00 PM COOP 201