Environmentalism – Stephen Hicks, Ph.D.

Toxic Waste at Love Canal—Who Really Cares About the Environment [Open College series]

Leave a Comment / Business Ethics, Politics / Stephen Hicks

The chemical leak at Love Canal informs our environmental thinking — but was it a government failure or a greedy-corporation failure? Audio link: iTunes Stitcher YouTube Topics: Good and bad news about Love Canal // Historical information // Consequences and the rise of environmental philosophy // Important facts // Who are the bad guys? // Bad-Corporations/Good-Government narrative […]

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Free markets versus pollution?

10 Comments / Business Ethics, Environment, Politics / Stephen Hicks

Here is a list of the 30 most polluted cities on Earth. Per country, here’s where those cities are located: India: 14 China: 6 Saudi Arabia: 3 Pakistan: 2 Iran: 2 Bangladesh: 1 Cameroon: 1 Uganda: 1 All of them are clustered in the bottom half of rankings for economic freedom. Which reminds me of

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Blamestorming and Environmental Problems (Part II) [Good Life series]

Leave a Comment / The Good Life / Stephen Hicks

I ran out of money in my final semester of graduate school. My first teaching job awaited me in the fall semester, but I had no income for the three summer months before then. So I gave up my apartment and moved into a shared house with seven other guys. It was a huge old

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Blamestorming and Environmental Problems (Part I) [Good Life series]

Leave a Comment / Business Ethics, Philosophy, Politics / Stephen Hicks

Some parts of the world really are environmental Hells. They are dirty and depleted, making them unhealthy and economically unsustainable. We can argue about the severity of various places’ problems, but I want to focus on another aspect of the debate: determining accurately the causes of the degradation so we can focus productively on finding

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Capitalism versus the good old days

3 Comments / Economics, Fruits of the Enlightenment, Literature / Stephen Hicks

Some wise words from Deirdre McCloskey, for those who fear that things were healthier in the good old days and that we are degrading our environment and living less authentic lives: “‘Ah, but the environment was better.’ Briefly for now, no. Consider that you may be mistaken. Air quality during the past fifty years has

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Heidegger and National Socialism

7 Comments / History, Philosophy, Politics / Stephen Hicks

Given Heidegger’s towering presence in the landscape of 20th-century philosophy and “deep ecology” environmentalism, How Green Were the Nazis? is an important book.

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Children’s fears and environmental education

2 Comments / Education, Religion / Stephen Hicks

Results from a recent survey: One in three schoolchildren fears that the Earth will no longer exist and over half believe it will be a nasty place by the time they grow up. (Thanks to Chris for the link.) Much of modern environmentalism strikes me as very Old Testament psychologically: use fear and guilt to

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