Location
Western Kentucky University, Gary Ransdell Hall
Event Website
http://www.wku.edu/icsr
Start Date
7-21-2011 3:10 PM
End Date
7-21-2011 4:05 PM
Description
At the heart of the sustainability movement are two questions central to its viability: Are human beings capable of treating the Earth ethically? Are human beings capable of acting morally responsibly for the benefit of distant future generations? Answers to both questions are unclear. This paper draws upon the work of 20th century critical theorists to identify the ethical core of these questions. In the process, the paper will show what would be necessary for us to answer these questions affirmatively. The paper concludes with reflections about how higher education, and interdisciplinary inquiry in particular, can be critical to answering these questions affirmatively. The work of Western Kentucky University’s Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility is presented as a positive example of educational leadership in the area of moral or values education—the kind of education necessary for addressing the questions of sustainability.
Included in
Public Policy Commons, Social Policy Commons, Sustainability Commons
On the Ethical Possibility of Sustainability: A Challenge for Higher Education
Western Kentucky University, Gary Ransdell Hall
At the heart of the sustainability movement are two questions central to its viability: Are human beings capable of treating the Earth ethically? Are human beings capable of acting morally responsibly for the benefit of distant future generations? Answers to both questions are unclear. This paper draws upon the work of 20th century critical theorists to identify the ethical core of these questions. In the process, the paper will show what would be necessary for us to answer these questions affirmatively. The paper concludes with reflections about how higher education, and interdisciplinary inquiry in particular, can be critical to answering these questions affirmatively. The work of Western Kentucky University’s Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility is presented as a positive example of educational leadership in the area of moral or values education—the kind of education necessary for addressing the questions of sustainability.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/efssi/2011/efssi_sessions/6