Abstract
A number of factors inhibit ethics literacy, the integration of ethics and values into environmental education. The first is belief that science can be value-free. On the contrary, science contains both epistemic values or values of knowledge and non-epistemic values (including social values). Practitioners of science, students, and citizen-participants should be able to recognize these values, articulate them, and evaluate them critically. A second factor is the so-called Culture War, during which, since the early 1800s, ethics and value education has been systematically eliminated from schools in the United States. Efforts to introduce ethics and values into schools are typically met with charges of indoctrination and relativism. This problem can be overcome, in part, by teaching the social values that are explicitly stated in our environmental laws. A third factor is the influence of modern economics, which considers that it has become a science by focusing on what is and ignoring what ought to be. Economics undermines ethics and values by translating our non-economic or social values into economic values in terms of willingness to pay and sell (for example, translating aesthetic value of a landscape into what visitors are willing to pay to experience it). Because ethics and values are learned tacitly, not formally taught, most people lack the vocabulary to articulate their ethical views except in terms of how they feel. The absence of ethical learning is particularly problematic regarding environmental issues as management decisions must integrate ecological, social, and cultural dimensions, and a comprehension of the values underlying those decisions. This paper concludes with a short overview of six programs that illustrate a variety of ways to include ethics literacy in environmental education.
Keywords
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
William James. Pragmatism: A New Name for Old Ways of Thinking (Harvard University Press, 1975). Eds. Fredson Bowers, Ignas K. Skrupskelis. p. 33.
- 2.
Heather Douglas, Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009), p. 46. There are notable exceptions, however; see Merton’s (1942) highly influential essay, “The Normative Structure of Science” where he points out that while science should mostly cling to its internal norms for guidance it ultimately has to comport with the greater social context which necessitates the inclusions of “values and norms” within science (263, 268–269). Douglas also points to the work of John Dewey, Rudolf Carnap, Otto Neurath, and Philip Frank.
- 3.
For a discussion of the issues involved in the relationship of intrinsic value and pragmatism, see Ben A. Minteer, “Intrinsic Value for Pragmatists?” Environmental Ethics 23 (2001): 57–75.
- 4.
Public Law 88–577, in U.S., Statutes at Large 78 (3 September 1964), pp. 890–91; Public Law 91–190, in U.S., Statutes at Large 83 (1 January 1970), p. 852.; Public Law 93–205, in U.S., Statutes at Large 87 (28 December 1973), p. 884.
- 5.
See Eugene C. Hargrove, Foundations of Environmental Ethics (1996) Chap. 3; see also Eugene C. Hargrove, “Why We Think Nature is Beautiful,” http://www.cep.unt.edu/show.
- 6.
Emotivism is an ethical view according to which only factual statements that are empirically verifiable have meaning. While there may be some factual content in ethical statements, they are basically nonsense. It is the value or emotional content that is fundamental and it is considered to be arbitrary based on accidental child upbringing. The ethical or value content is neither true nor false except at the level that it accurately reflects the emotions the speaker is feeling and expressing. Such emotion is therefore merely personal preference and cannot be the basis for rational debate and discussion. The view is most clearly and succinctly explained in chapter six, “Critique of Ethics and Theology,” of Alfred Jules Ayer’s Language, Truth, and Logic (New York: Dover Publications, 1952), pp. 102–120. The most elaborate version of the theory can be found in Charles Leslie Stevenson’s Ethics and Language (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1944). Ethical statements are meaningless and contain no objectivity. They are subjective (personal expressions of emotion) and contain no intersubjective (social) objectivity since agreement between individuals is totally arbitrary and cannot be justified on factually verifiable grounds.
- 7.
German philosopher and historian Wilhelm Dilthey provided a theoretical foundation for the split of sciences by arguing that the recognition of the different methodologies used by the two distinct types of sciences would improve the outcomes of each of them. Dilthey’s argument gained popularity due to its influence on German sociologist Max Weber. Consequently, in the early twentieth century the independence of the social sciences followed Dilthey – as did sociological positivism. For a critical assessment of the historical developments of the distinction between natural and social sciences see Hans-Georg Gadamer, who criticized basing the distinction on methodology rather than on the goals of the sciences (Truth and Method, London: Continuum, 1996).
- 8.
Social values, which are initially picked up tacitly, are the starting point. They form the basis for basic agreement within a society. These values, however, are subject to change and can evolve through discussion and education and in more extreme cases political disagreement. Education is not itself advocacy since its primary role is to strengthen our understanding of our existing social values. Our personal values are variations on these socially evolved values. It is these variations that sometime become the beginning of changes in our social values. If in education by talking about values, you make actually strengthen them or present problems could eventually lead to the values being changed. The teacher who is guiding in such a discussion is not necessary trying to change the values, but instead, aiding the individual in learning how to make their values clear.
- 9.
“More About TNT.” http://teachnorthtexas.unt.edu/about-us/more-about-tnt. Accessed March 28, 2013. Dr. Robert Figueroa is the founding professor and program coordinator for TNT’s replication of “Perspectives in Mathematics and Science” at UNT. Both he and philosophy PhD students regularly teach the course. For more information please email: figueroa.unt@edu.
- 10.
“Replicating UTeach.” http://uteach-institute.org/replicating-uteach. Accessed March 28, 2013.
- 11.
For example textbooks see: Pojman and Pojman, eds., 2011; Keller, ed. 2010; Armstrong and Botzler, eds., 2003; Light and Rolston, eds., 2002; Benson, ed. 2001; Gruen and Jamieson, eds., 1994.
- 12.
Rolston, 2011; Derr and McNamara, 2003; Attfield, 2003.
- 13.
Various syllabi for introductory courses, as well as advanced courses on the philosophy of ecology, are available on the International Society for Environmental Ethics website (http://enviroethics.org/syllabi/).
- 14.
see Armstrong and Botzler 2003.
References
AACU (2013) What is a 21st century liberal arts education? Available via http://www.aacu.org/leap/what_is_liberal_education.cfm. Accessed 14 Mar 2013
Arango N, Chaves ME, Feinsinger P (2009) Principios y práctica de la enseñanza de ecología en el patio de la escuela. Instituto de Ecología y Bioversidad, Santiago de Chile, p 136
Arango N, Chaves ME, Feinsinger P (2013) Princípios e prática do ensino de ecología no patio da escola. Brazil: Instituto de Biocencias (in press)
Aristotle (1956) The Nichomachean ethics (trans: Rackham H). William Heinemann, London
Ayer AJ (1952) Critique of ethics and theology. Language, truth, and logic. Dover Publications, New York, pp 102–120
Berkowitz AR, Hogan K, Corey CA (1995) SYEFEST (schoolyard ecology for elementary school teachers): identifying teacher needs for outdoor inquiry-based ecology. Bull Ecol Soc Am 76(20)
Berkowitz A, Nilon C, Hollweg K (2003) Understanding urban ecosystems: a new frontier for science and education. Springer, New York
Comstock AB (1939) Handbook of nature study. Comstock, Ithaca
Contador T, Kennedy JH, Rozzi R (2012) The conservation status of Southern South American aquatic insects in the literature. Biodivers Conserv 21(8):2095–2107
Dobson A, Bell D (2003) Citizenship and the environment. MIT Press, Boston
Douglas H (2009) Science, policy, and the value-free ideal. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh
Feinsinger P (1987) Professional ecologists and the education of young children. Trends Ecol Evol 2:51–52
Feinsinger P (2004) El diseño de estudios de campo para la conservación de la biodiversidad. Editorial FAN, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, p 242
Feinsinger P (2012) Lo que es, lo que podría ser y el análisis e interpretación de los datos de un estudio de campo. Ecología en Bolivia 47:1–6
Feinsinger P, Minno M (1990) Handbook to schoolyard plants and animals of north central Florida. Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, Non-Game Wildlife Section, Tallahassee, p 125
Feinsinger P, Margutti L, Oviedo RD (1997) School yards and nature trails: ecology education outside the university. Trends Ecol Evol 12:115–120
Feinsinger P, Álvarez S, Carreño G, Rivera E, Cuellar RL, Noss A, Daza F, Figuera M, García L, Cañizares M, Alegre A, Roldán A (2010a) Local people, scientific inquiry, and the ecology and conservation of place in Latin America. In: Billick I, Price MV (eds) The ecology of place: contributions of place-based research to ecological and evolutionary understanding. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 403–428
Feinsinger P, Pozzi C, Trucco C, Cuéllar RL, Laina A, Cañizares M, Noss A (2010b) Investigación, conservación y los espacios protegidos de América latina: una historia incompleta. Ecosistemas 19(2), http://www.revistaecosistemas.net/articulo.asp?Id=645
Friedman M (1953) Essays in positive economics. University of Chicago Press, Chicago/London
Gadamer H-G (1996) Truth and method. Continuum, London
Haberl H, Graube V, Díaz-Delgado R, Krauze K, Neuner A, Peterseil J, Plutzar C, Singh SJ, Vadineanu A (2009) Towards an integrated model of socioeconomic biodiversity drivers, pressures and impacts: a feasibility study based on three European long-term socio-ecological research platforms. Ecol Econ 68:1797–1812
Hargrove EC (1996) Foundations of environmental ethics. Environmental Ethics Books, Denton
Hargrove EC (2008) A traditional and multicultural approach to environmental ethics and primary and secondary school levels. Environ Ethics 30(3):325–336
Howe I (1963) Orwell’s nineteen eighty-four: text, sources, criticism. Harcourt, Brace and World, New York/Burlingame, pp 23–24
Hunter JD (1991) Culture wars: the struggle to define America: making sense of the battles over the family, art, education, law, and politics. Basic Books, New York
Hunter JD (2000) The death of character: moral education in an age without good or evil. Basic Books, New York
Jorgenson LP (1987) The state and the non-public school, 1825–1925. University of Missouri Press, Columbia
MacIntyre A (2007) After virtue, 3rd edn. University of Notre Dame Press, Notre Dame
Merton RK (1942) The normative structure of science. In: Merton RK (ed) The sociology of science: theoretical and empirical investigations. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Minteer BA (2001) Intrinsic value for pragmatists? Environ Ethics 23:57–75
Nazario S (1990) Schoolteachers say it’s wrongheaded to try to teach students what’s right. Wall Street Journal, 6 April 1990, pp 1–6
Norton BG (1991) Toward unity among environmentalists. Oxford University Press, New York/Oxford
Ohl C, Krauze K, Grünbühl C (2007) Towards an understanding of long-term ecosystem dynamics by merging socio-economic and environmental research: criteria for long-term socio-ecological research sites selection. Ecol Econ 63:383–391
Orr D (1990) What is education for? Ann Earth 8(2). The Learning Revolution (IC#27), Winter 1991, p 52. http://www.context.org/iclib/ic27/orr/
Parr TW, Ferretti M, Simpson IC, Forsius M, Kovács-Láng E (2002) Towards a long-term integrated monitoring programme in Europe: network design in theory and practice. Environ Monit Assess 78:253–290
Polanyi M (1967a) The tacit dimension. Doubleday & Co./Anchor Books, New York/Garden City
Polanyi M (1967b) Personal knowledge: towards a post-critical philosophy. Harper & Row/Harper Torchbooks, New York/Evanston
Redman CL, Grove JM, Kuby LH (2004) Integrating social science into the long-term ecological research (LTER) network: social dimensions of ecological change and ecological dimensions of social change. Ecosystems 7:161–171
Rolston H III (1985) Valuing wildlands. Environ Ethics 7:23–58
Rozzi R (2012) Biocultural ethics: the vital links between the inhabitants, their habits and regional habitats. Environ Ethics 34:27–50
Rozzi R, Massardo F, Anderson C, Heidinger K, Silander Jr J (2006) Ten principles for biocultural conservation at the Southern tip of the Americas: the approach of the Omora Ethnobotanical Park. Ecol Soc 11(1): 43. [online] URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol11/iss1/art43/
Rozzi R, Arango X, Massardo F, Anderson C, Heidinger K, Moses K (2008) Field environmental philosophy and biocultural conservation: the Omora Ethnobotanical Park educational program. Environ Ethics 30(3):325–336
Rozzi R, Anderson CB, Pizarro JC, Massardo F, Medina Y, Mansilla A, Kennedy JH, Ojeda J, Contador T, Morales V, Moses K, Poole A, Armesto JJ, Kalin MT (2010) Field environmental philosophy and biocultural conservation at the Omora Ethnobotanical Park: methodological approaches to broaden the ways of integrating the social component (“S”) in Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) sites. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 83:27–68 [supplementary materials]
Rozzi R, Armesto JJ, Gutiérrez J, Massardo F, Likens G, Anderson CB, Poole A, Moses K, Hargrove G, Mansilla A, Kennedy JH, Willson M, Jax K, Jones C, Callicott JB, Kalin MT (2012) Integrating ecology and environmental ethics: earth stewardship in the southern end of the Americas. BioScience 62(3):226–236
Stevenson CL (1944) Ethics and language. Yale University Press, New Haven
White L Jr (1962) Medieval technology and social change. Oxford University Press, New York
White L Jr (1978) Medieval religion and technology. University of California Press, Los Angeles
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Poole, A.K. et al. (2013). A Call for Ethics Literacy in Environmental Education. In: Rozzi, R., Pickett, S., Palmer, C., Armesto, J., Callicott, J. (eds) Linking Ecology and Ethics for a Changing World. Ecology and Ethics, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7470-4_28
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7470-4_28
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-7469-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-7470-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)