Virtue Ethics and the Environment

Whatever its origins, EVE (Environmental Virtue Ethics) now appears to be a vital part of the environmental philosophy landscape. Whether you look to it for an alternative to other theoretical approaches to environmental ethics, or as a complement to them, there are a number of ways EVE clarifies our environmental choices and responsibilities. This is an exciting collection that addresses compelling issues, not only in EVE, but in environmental philosophy more broadly. In addition to their individual merits, these articles collectively demonstrate the value of EVE to environmental philosophy and the value of environmental philosophy in helping create sustainable societies and preserve nature. Recent movement on negotiating a strong successor to the Kyoto Treaty gives some hope that the world is waking up to the moral imperative to protect the Earth. But whether people will be willing to ratchet down our economic demands and reshape our economies to reflect this hoped-for moral progress remains to be seen. Previously published in the Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Volume 23 (1-2), 2010