Two lecturers in philosophy at the University of Tasmania, Australia, explain what philosophy can contribute to the climate change debate. They scrutinize components of the climate change debate and the relationships between them, and address epistemic and ethical issues raised by the climate change debate. The book begins by identifying some of the main positions taken by participants in the climate change debate and some controversial philosophical views. The book also identifies common reasoning errors which crop up frequently in arguments about climate change. Discussion encompasses climate change skepticism, the role of experts in the climate change debate, climate change as a social institution, climate change and international justice, and climate change and personal responsibility. Annotation ©2014 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Two kinds of philosophical questions are raised by the current public debate about climate change; epistemic questions (Whom should I believe? Is climate science a genuine science?), and ethical questions (Who should bear the burden? Must I sacrifice if others do not?). Although the former have been central to this debate, professional philosophers have dealt almost exclusively with the latter. This book is the first to address both the epistemic and ethical questions raised by the climate change debate and examine the relationship between them.
List of Figures Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Scepticism and Climate Change Scepticism
3. Experts in the Climate Change Debate
4. Climate Science as a Social Institution
5. Is Climate Science Really Science?
6. Climate Change and International Justice
7. Climate Change and Intergenerational Justice
8. Climate Change and Personal Responsibility
9. Conclusion References
David Coady is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He has published on many topics in applied epistemology, including expertise, conspiracy theory, rumor, and the blogosphere. He is the editor of Conspiracy Theories: The Philosophical Debate (2006), and the author of What To Believe Now: Applying Epistemology to Contemporary Issues (2012). He has also published on metaphysics, philosophy of law, police ethics, the ethics of horror films, and the ethics of cricket.
Richard Corry is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He has published in the metaphysics of science and is editor, with Huw Price, of Causation, Physics, and the Constitution of Reality (2007).
