How Much Is Enough? The Limits of Interdisciplinary Openness in Environmental Ethics
Description
One of the most interdisciplinary and integrative branches of philosophy is environmental
ethics. It is closely associated with the movement that has arguably been the most transformative
public phenomenon in the past three decades, and during its brief history, it has experienced
dramatic transformations of its own. Originally an interdisciplinary effort at the unlikely
juncture of forestry and philosophy, it has grown into an applied branch of moral philosophy
that is situated in the context of ecology, environmental economics, and public policy. I
argue that environmental ethics is in need of another transformation: its long-term viability
requires the consolidation of its basis-- that is, the justification of its core claims. The current
conception of environmental ethics as an applied approach suffers from the absence of a coherent
foundation. In the short run, the attention to this foundational, disciplinary labor would limit
the interdisciplinary openness of environmental ethics; in the long run, however, these very
limitations will ensure the worth of environmental ethics as an integrative approach that can
fruitfully interact with other disciplines.
Citation
Schonfeld, Martin. "How much is enough? The limits of interdisciplinary openness in environmental ethics." Issues in Integrative Studies 16 (1998): 9-29.
Date
1998