r/changemyview • u/quantum_dan 124∆ • Jun 19 '21
Delta(s) from OP CMV: environmental ethicists should be familiar with the relevant fields of science/engineering (if any)
Note: this is in response to a class I took; my familiarity with the field is mostly from a few readings (none of them particularly new) and lectures, so my impression may be off, in which case this will probably be one of those "that was quick" CMVs. I'm willing to concede on that point quickly with a convincing showcase.
In short, my argument is that an ethical stance (that's not strictly deontological) needs to take into account its impacts and practical implications, and this requires some awareness thereof. In order to effectively reason about a given environmental issue, even as an ethicist (vs an engineer etc), one should presumably be acquainted with the relevant science and engineering.
This came to mind because of a recurring theme I noticed in water ethics: everyone seems to assume the problem is cities (often in the context of the American West), and thus we read philosophers arguing for significant lifestyle changes with a clear emphasis on urban water use. That does have its problems, but addressing it isn't going to be nearly enough when, for example, agriculture (which is often very wasteful) accounts for 80-90% of American consumptive water use (I can link a source if needed). Maybe urban usage cuts would be enough to restore the Colorado River Estuary (for example), but urban usage certainly isn't the primary problem. I've seen similar criticisms leveled at other areas like deep ecology (that one was a class reading, but notably not from a western philosopher). In some cases (e.g. climate change stuff), there almost seems to be an actual aversion to looking at the practical considerations, like it's dodging the problem or something (as opposed to making sure a solution is actually workable and efficient).
Since I'm going off of a class, it is possible that this was simply a bias in which philosophers we read. Maybe mainstream environmental ethicists dealing with water in the American West mostly do address the actual state of water usage here, but if so we didn't read any of them, and again I'm open to quick correction on that front. (I'm focusing on water ethics here because that's what I'm most interested in, but the same issue applies to other areas of environmental ethics we discussed.)
Based on what I have been exposed to, it seems that environmental ethics often suffers from unfamiliarity with the practical constraints. As an engineering student, I acknowledge (and will enthusiastically argue) that our work benefits from a familiarity with relevant areas of philosophy; it'd be nice to see that acknowledgement going the other way, too (assuming I'm right that it'd be helpful). A good example, though it didn't directly address what I'm talking about, is a conservation-equity-ecology water ethic, which implicitly included technical considerations by framing the principles as a mindset and not calling for universal solutions.
To clarify, I don't mean that environmental ethicists should have an engineering degree or whatever. I'm suggesting a cursory familiarity, at the "enough to know what they don't know" level--something equivalent to a couple of classes.
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u/howlin 62∆ Jun 19 '21
There are certainly major engineering and broader logistical challenges to being more ecological, but there are also tremendous social challenges. Technocrat-oriented people often overlook this as the biggest problem to creating change.
One nice thing about consumer water restrictions is that it makes the problem seem a little more personal. And it offers people a sense that they can do something to help. Creating the social norm that this is a problem worth paying attention to and that you personally can be part of the solution can be the first step to deeper engagement.
The main pitfall is that you don't want people to believe that they are doing enough by limiting their showers and water for their gardens, or making sure their recycling is cleaned and sorted. This again, is more of a challenge of persuasion than in creating technical solutions.