An Unsettling Question

Abstract

In the latest iteration of my undergraduate Philosophy of the Environment course, I began by teaching What We Leave Behind by Derrick Jensen and Aric McBay To my relief, no one dropped the class in response to our in-depth discussion of shit on our first day with the book. Yes, you read that correctly. Jensen and McBay spend an entire chapter on human excrement, the act of its expulsion, and our peculiar cultural hang-ups about both. They pull no punches either with respect to the detail of their descriptions or their willingness to speak openly and honestly about this strangely taboo subject. It was a rude introduction to the course, but my students fared admirably, I must give credit where credit is due.