Values in Society Affinity Circle Meeting

"Ideology and Environmental Ignorance" by Quinn Thurley 

Abstract: The claim I want to make is that attending personally to one’s environmental impact is not merely supererogatory. We cannot just applaud Greta Thunberg, on the one hand, while casually ignoring our own carbon footprint. The frustration I have as a philosopher concerned with the environment corresponds with the frustrations philosophers of race have with epistemologies of ignorance. There is a general strategy in the US of ignoring the collective impact of our actions. The ‘response-ability’ we have toward the environment is not merely supererogatory but demanding of the same critical attention we give toward other peoples. In other words, the tools of critical race theory can help us become more environmentally conscious. I also aim to show the overlap between social and environmental justice issues.

Please e-mail the department if you need the zoom link.