MHC Seminar III: Science and Technology in New York...

MHC Seminar III:Science and Technology

in New York CityDr. Justin Garson

MHC 200, Fall [email protected]

Office: HW 1418AOffice Hours: T, F 11:30-12:30 and 3:30-4:30, and by

appt.Phone: 212-772-4975

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

MHC Seminar III:Science and Technology in New York

City

• Familiarizing yourself with a scientific discipline: established theories and accepted methods

• Philosophical reflection on the nature of science as a social enterprise



City

Familiarizing yourselfwith a

scientificdiscipline

DefiningBasic

Concepts

ConsideringEthical

Problems

UnderstandingSociopoliticalChallenges

Identifying and EvaluatingMethods


Four questions

1. What to conserve?

• Endangered species?


Four questions



• Biodiversity?


Four questions



• Biodiversity?

• Wilderness?


Four questions



• Biodiversity?

• Wilderness?

• Sustainable development?


What to conserve/protect?

• The banner of ‘nature conservation’ or ‘environmentalism’ can mask a diversity of goals, values, and agendas.

• One way philosophy can contribute to understanding and resolving differences between conservationists is through conceptual analysis.



City



DefiningBasic

Concepts

ConsideringEthical

Problems




Four questions

2. Why should we conserve it?

• Because it is valuable to us (humans)?

• Because it is valuable in and of itself?


Why conserve it?

• There are many different values that lead people to want to protect the natural world - economic, aesthetic, spiritual, moral.

• Philosophy can help to describe these diverse values and even prescribe the values that we should adopt.



City



DefiningBasic

Concepts

ConsideringEthical

Problems




Four questions3. How to balance needs of

conservation with rights of other people

• Biodiversity protection and indigenous land use rights

• Local participation

• Future generations


Conservation and global justice

• Ethical issues regarding the relation between wealthy and poor individuals and countries, are referred to as ‘social justice’ and ‘global justice’

• Philosophy is interested in social and global justice because of its interest in ethics and values


Conservation and global justice

• Global justice concerns not only our moral obligations to current generations (e.g., the world’s poor) but obligations to future generations (e.g., people who will be severely affected by climate change)

• We will use the issue of climate change to explore some of these problems



City



DefiningBasic

Concepts

ConsideringEthical

Problems




Four questions4. How to conserve?

• Individual species or biodiversity as a whole?

• Prevention or Restoration?

• Rational decisions under risk and uncertainty


How to conserve it?

• There are many different methods that have historically divided conservationists

• Moreover, people can differ in the way that they make decisions in risky situations

• Since philosophy is concerned about the nature of rationality and reason, it can contribute to some of these debates


Group Projects• Five working groups of 4-5 students each

• In week 3, I will provide more detailed descriptions, and you will rank them in order of preference

• One of the crucial goals is to understand the relationship between values, methods, and goals of conservation

• Different values, such as care for biodiversity, wilderness, socioeconomic improvement, or global justice, give rise to different conservation goals and measures


Working Group A: GAP Analysis

• The purpose of GAP analysis is to evaluate how well current conservation areas (national parks, public lands, managed private lands) are protecting biodiversity and/or endangered species.

Karner Blue Butterfly


Working Group B: Climate Change and Global Frameworks for Mitigation

• The purpose of this project is to examine international proposals for mitigating climate change. Are they effective? Are they fair? Are they politically feasible?


Working Group C: History and Values of Central Park

• The purpose of this project is to consult with representatives from different organizations to learn about conservation projects in the park. What kinds of conservation projects take place? What values are they based on? Are they successful?


Working Group D: Creating Green Spaces in Governor’s Island

• The purpose of this project is to consult with reps at Governor’s Island and learn about some of the obstacles and challenges in creating green spaces on the island. What values do they promote and how successful are they?


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