Environmental Ethical Stance Essay
Description
Consider Leopold again, having read Budolfson’s criticism of Singer and other utilitarians. You might recall that Leopold lamented the presence of so many “middle men” between people and the origins of the food they find in the supermarket, although for slightly different reasons.
Is there an ethical implication for all of us as consumers or as citizens arising from Leopold’s concerns and Budolfson’s observations? Should we reshape our food production and economy? In what ways should that be done? Who should shoulder the costs of that project first or primarily? Does Budolfson’s criticism only mean that utilitarianism is wrong altogether, and if so, what view is correct instead? Or is the view only wrong in this application regarding food, and if so, what is the right ethics of food, particularly regarding animals?
Mark Bryant Budolfson, “Is It Wrong to Eat Meat from Factory Farms? If So, Why?
– Aldo Leopold, “The Land Ethic”
Text
Environmental ethics (Schmidtz and Shahar)