course material

1. What is non-anthropocentrism?
Basic structure: For this paper, you will address one of the topics we have discussed so far.
You should develop a clear thesis regarding the topic you chose and discuss the thesis in the
context of at least 2 of the class readings and at least 1 of additional resource you found
based on your own research. Note that a) your thesis can also consist in showing limits in
the understanding of an issue so far and that b) you can engage with the authors you draw
on critically (i.e. you don’t have to agree with everything they say). Possible
questions/topics to address: 1. How do environmental issues intersect with socio-political
issues? 2. How do we best resolve conflicts between different interests (e.g. between human
and nonhuman interests)? 3. Find and evaluate and example of environmental justice in
Utah. 4. What does it mean to treat land as a community or a community member? 5. Should
we rethink our (i.e. human’s) place in nature? Why? Why not? And, if so, how? 6. How
should we think about the relation between human and non-human interests? To which
extent are the two in opposition and to which extent do they overlap? 7. What is
anthropocentrism? What is non-anthropocentrism? How should we think about these two
concepts and their relation? 8. What is the role of care and emotional attachments (vs.
detachment and logical reasoning) in environmental ethics? 9. Should be accept death and
dying to an extent insofar as it comes to us from non-human beings? 10. What does it mean
to love the land? Can we love the land to death? Should you indeed set something free when
you love it?#nonanthropocentrism