Thesis: Embodied Mind, Metaphysics, and Environmental Ethics <\/span><\/div>\n
Intro: <\/span> Part One: <\/span> Part Two:<\/span> Part Three:<\/span> Buddhist<\/a> principles of interconnectedness vs. selfishness. The notion of self-development as essential to realizing interconnectedness (which is a tenant shared with Deep Ecology) directly rather than merely intellectually; i.e. practical metaphysics. This looks like it could be the bulk of the paper, given I can find someone on campus who knows Buddhism<\/a> well enough to oversee it.<\/span><\/p>\n Part Five:<\/span> \u201cWho we are\u201d as a metaphysical game versus as a way of being in the world. The realizations and limitations of deep ecology. Preston\u2019s prescription of eco-cognitive travel. Buddhism\u2019s prescription of meditation, self development. Affinities with Rolston, et al.<\/p>\n Conclusion: <\/span>A final theory of Environmental Ethics and prescription for bringing it into practice (cf. Anna Peterson). Note: This part would be brief, exploratory, speculative. Combine Part Five and the Conclusion, focus on the move from metaphysics to real world application \u2013 the application is what is going to interest people.<\/span><\/p>\n There are three applications to be discussed. First is the experiences of \u2018deep ecologists\u2019, people who advocate the innate interconnectedness and equal value of all life. These people advocate for this mostly based on months or years spent in wilderness. These experiences have humbled them from the dualistic \u2018man-over-nature\u2019 view that predominates today. The second experience comes from Buddhist meditation<\/a> and personal development. Buddhism begins with the individual (individuated by ignorance of interconnectedness) and ends, after much practice, in directly experienced interconnectedness \u2013 a valuing of and care for all beings. The third experience is outlined by Christopher Preston (now my advisor) in his book, \u201cGrounding Knowledge: Environmental Philosophy, Epistemology, and Place<\/a>.\u201d He calls it \u2018dislocating experience<\/span>\u2018 and describes it as a move to another environment that puts a person \u201cboth literally and metaphorically out of place\u201d (p.89). Such experiences both shock us into the forceful realization of our interconnectedness with our surroundings and open us to new perspectives by which to understand ourselves, our values, our habits.<\/p>\n Yes, I know, I know\u2026 I had just decided to relax for the summer, but I had a pre-scheduled meeting with a would-be advisor and today we discussed a thesis idea and the red tape to be overcome. Now it looks like I\u2019ll be attempting a thesis \/ completed MA after all. Below is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFollowing in the work of Deep Ecology and the \u201cOrganic View\u201d of man and nature<\/s> we find that the story of \u201cwho we are\u201d is central to environmental ethics. This view, which aligns itself most readily to Virtue and Deontological ethics is opposed to so-called shallow ecology, which works primarily in the framework of Utilitarian ethics.<\/s> Just argue that metaphysics is important to environmental ethics, how and why; work out the details as we go. Don\u2019t throw out too much at once, it will confuse the readers and\/or give them lots to pick at.<\/span><\/p>\nA history of the development of our current situation, through the Greeks,<\/s> Descartes, Leibniz et al. Creation of the principles of scientific materialism (monism, reductionism, universalism,<\/s> objectivism, physicalism, closure principle).<\/s> Focus on Descartes and the resulting objectivism\/objectification of nature. The rest can be mentioned, but again, can be confusing and opens you up to objections.<\/span><\/p>\nChallenges to the principles of scientific materialism: Humean Skepticism, <\/s>Kant, Sartre, Quine, quantum mechanics and contemporary cognitive science. Also deep ecology and the \u2018organic view\u2019 of nature, to be described further in part five.<\/s>sf Maybe just use Sartre\u2019s critique of Cartesian dualism, show where it falls short. Kant may be difficult because his \u201cCopernican Revolution\u201d works more in terms of Epistemology and I don\u2019t want to go down that path (again confusing readers \u2013 stay <\/span>focused<\/span> on metaphysics).<\/span><\/p>\nPart Four:<\/s><\/span> Dualism refined and reaffirmed, essays of Holmes Rolston III et al.<\/s> Probably unnecessary, as Rolston at least doesn\u2019t address metaphysical issues directly.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogger.googleusercontent.com\/tracker\/7907151-1806950911648748495?l=americanbuddhist.blogspot.com\")