This course comes around every other Fall, it seems like a small eternity since the last time in 2018. We're doing it remotely this time, thanks to the pandemic, but remote doesn't mean impersonal. So I invite you to introduce yourself in the comments section below, with responses to some very basic questions (construed any way you like):
- Who are you?
- Why are you here?
- What does "environment" mean to you?
- Why does it matter how we interact with the environment?
I'll send and post the Zoom link soon, prior to our first gathering on that platform on August 24. Also look for your invitation to become a fellow author on this site. You'll need to open that, in order to participate. (Once most of you are on board we'll close this site to external view.)
Talk to you soon!
jpo
(Dr. Oliver)
==Postscript. Know who else, besides Greta Thunberg, said we need to believe and act like there is a tomorrow? HINT: his nickname was "The Great Bird of the Galaxy"...
“It speaks to some basic human needs that there is a tomorrow — it’s not all going to be over in a big flash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans.” https://t.co/vRKdjaxsBx— Phil Oliver (@OSOPHER) August 19, 2020
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ReplyDeleteEd Craig - A Very Short Introduction
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZD4NcAJJIc&t=5s
Ed, you're a mature student if every sense of the term. I love the point you make about the mystical connection we all share with the planet and its various transformations. You (should) inspire us all to aspire to "lifelong learning," and you're right about what higher education should be. There's no reason it can't succeed remotely and virtually, though of course I'll miss the immediacy of traditional Opening Day.
DeleteIf y'all enjoyed Ed's video introduction--and who wouldn't?--you should check out his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8nEuZrHunc2krNa7BbHljg
...in every sense of the term...
DeleteHey Mr. Ed. I really loved the video introduction. I remember my first semester here when I transferred I had a conversation with you and a couple other students. I do not remember what the conversation was about, but I remember you talking with reverence towards the topic and fellow discoursers that I greatly appreciated. I am excited to be experiencing this course with you as well as everyone else. I have always been drawn to the Richard Powers quote you shared. I even played with the idea of getting a tattoo to echo that quote. Thank you for sharing!
DeleteI appreciate your kind words Tanner.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMy name is Heather. I am a senior here at MTSU, majoring in Psychology and minoring in both Criminal Justice and Philosophy. To me, the environment means, well, everything. We are all the product of and contributors to the environment. That is why our interaction with the environment matters. We all have an impact, and that impact affects not only us but everything else that lives here. It is our home and it is important that we take care of it!
If COVID's taught us anything, it surely has taught us that the environment includes other people as well as the physical space we share with them... and not just other people here now. "Future generations deserve good ancestors..." https://psyche.co/ideas/future-generations-deserve-good-ancestors-will-you-be-one
DeleteDo you have any on-ground classes in the shiny new Psych Building, Heather? If so, be careful!
For sure! COVID is a huge reminder of our collective impact. Yes, I have 3 in-person classes in the new building this semester... wish me luck! I will be wearing my mask and keeping a distance from others.
DeleteGood luck!
DeleteHi! My name is Kathryn McCanless, and I'm a recently transferred junior majoring in Environmental Science. Science operating without the lens of ethics can be very dangerous, so it is important to gain a broader perspective of my field beyond the nuts and bolts of how our environment operates. Environment, from a biological perspective, refers to both living and nonliving components, and both are intricately connected together. We depend on the environment, and the environment depends on us (granted, there is much more weight on one side of the relationship than the other). Therefore, we must be proper stewards of our environment. I'm excited to take this course! I'll see y'all on the internet!
ReplyDeleteRight, it's an asymmetrical relationship between ourselves and the rest of nature. As I was saying yesterday, "the world without us" would quickly assert itself in finding a new equilibrium. We without the intricately interwoven systems of nature on which we depend would quickly decline and fall. I've been surprised, how many people studying environmental science do NOT possess that "broader perspective" you endorse. I think they need to broaden their frame.
DeleteWho are you?
ReplyDeleteWhy are you here?
What does "environment" mean to you?
Why does it matter how we interact with the environment?
Hey, I am Carolin Engelhard and I am a senior here at MTSU! I am here because I am minoring in Environmental Science, as I am very interested in our planet and especially topics like Climate Change. Environment means to me everything that has to do with systems that keep our planet running and everything that it gives us humans.
I think it matters a lot how we interact with the environment as we are the most responsible when we disrupt the systems and are also the ones that can help the environment the most.
The second part of that statement is so crucial. We broke it, only we can fix it.
DeleteLike Dr. Oliver mentioned, your view on us fixing the issues in our environment is significant in so many ways. Not only are we responsible because of our carelessness, but with the many advancements we make in the world everyday, I feel that there is room for many environmental benefits to be made. We should feel obligated to prioritize environmental advancements to help the every Earth we inhabit.
DeleteHello! My name is Tanner Provencher. I was born and raised in Murfreesboro, TN. As a freshman I attended Pepperdine University, but transferred to MTSU my sophomore year. Currently, I am a junior dual majoring in Religious Studies and Philosophy with a minor in French. Environment refers to the world around us. I would agree with Carl Sagan in reference to The Pale Blue Dot for our reasoning to interact positively to our environment. He said, "it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known." (Carl Sagan, 1994) In my opinion, our actions towards the only environment our generation will know (Earth) is of the utmost importance.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that the famous skeptic Michael Shermer went to Pepperdine, before his de-conversion and embrace of skepticism?
DeleteGlad you mention the PBD, I think you've probably heard me say before what a big early impression Carl Sagan made on me. I think he had as much to do with drawing me to philosophy as anyone. (I took astronomy in college but it was too hard!)
My name is Patrick Shaut and I am a philosophy major minoring in psychology and political science. I am taking this class because I have always been passionate about the environment and the devastating impact humans have had on it. The environment should mean a lot to everybody, it is our home and everyone should care about their home. To think that our environments health is not directly connected to our own health as a species is dangerous. Everything on our planet is connected and even the smallest changes can have a big impact. My ultimate goal is to get into politics someday so that I may make positive changes for our planet and country just as many of our progressive representatives are trying to do right now. We must act sustainably and thoughtfully to preserve what is left of our planet if we hope to survive as a species.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated your remarks on Zoom today, Patrick, and like Ed I envied your headset/mic... but may be too cheap to acquire one for myself. (I'll see if I can wrangle one from IT.)
DeleteI am majoring in philosophy and minoring in psychology too! I think both disciplines have a lot of knowledge and critical thinking to offer those that study them. You made a great point that everything on our planet is connected somehow and I believe this course is allowing us to see that!
DeleteHi! My name is Betty Mae Miller. I'm a sophomore at MTSU, majoring in philosophy and english, while minoring in history and women's studies. I'm taking this class partially to fill the void in my heart for not majoring in bioethics. I am mainly taking this course, though, because I believe that the climate crisis is the issue that needs to be addressed on a much larger scale than it currently is, and I am interested in learning more about ethics as well. "Environment", in a traditional sense, is the space and things filling the settings around you. I would argue that when addressing the environment around us, we must keep in mind the general environment and the effects that anything would have on the entire world. Thus, I would define environment as the entire world, but focusing on the natural world or course. Because humans are the only species to industrialize and colonize the world, we affect the environment in a much different way than animals or plants would. We shape the current and future environment with everything we do, which is catching up to us at a terrifying rate. We must consider the environment with all of our actions, as we are the only species that can change and improve the conditions that we alone have created.
ReplyDeleteI also teach a course in Bioethics, maybe I'll see you there--somewhere over the pandemic rainbow!
DeleteHey, Betty!
DeleteI can sympathize with your plight of filling the void in your heart with different courses. At times I wish I chose a route like women's studies instead of Environmental Science. However, I'd like to think having varied interests and skillsets as an asset.
Hi Betty! I really enjoyed reading about your view on the environment and thought what you said about how humans shape the environment was a really great point in all of this. I would also like to say that I think you made some very good points in our discussion on Wednesday and am looking forward to hearing what your thoughts are on other topics as well this semester :)
DeleteWhat's up everyone! Levi here. I'm a junior here at MTSU studying poly sci with minors in history and philosophy. Outside of school, I am an avid hiker and climber, as well as a fantasy and tabletop gaming nerd. My connection to the environment comes from the former hobby, not the latter. I have been involved in outdoor activities for years. I have dabbled in gardening, bushcraft, spelunking, and kayaking since I was young. Back in 2017, I thruhiked the Appalachian Trail from GA to ME. I'm currently prepping to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022.
ReplyDeleteAll of that to say: I am a huge fan of the environment. Spending time with Mother Nature is one of the most cathartic experiences I can think of. It pains me to see this lovely world getting fouled up. I'm looking forward to this semester and looking at the abstract side of the environmentalism rather than the policy side.
Hey, Levi!
DeleteI really enjoyed your poli sci perspective you brought to the conversation the other day. It's necessary to have a realistic framework to apply ideologies within.
I, too, enjoy hiking and climbing, although I'm not sure 'avid' is a proper descriptor for my level of interaction. I hiked the Fiery Gizzard trail over the summer, and it was easily the most beautiful terrain I've hiked in Tennessee. I'd love to hear your top trails in the area.
Hi, I'm Jazmin Almaguer. I'm a junior majoring in Video and Film Production and double minoring in Photography and Philosophy. I am taking this class because it was the one that seemed the most interesting out of all my other options for philosophy classes. Environment to me means all living and non-living things cooperating with one another to keep everything running naturally as it should. How we as humans interact with the environment is very important because if we continue to damage ecosystems than the effects of that will continue to snowball eventually until it becomes a major problem that in turn disrupts other things that might depend on the ecosystem until everything becomes ruined and starts falling apart.
ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Kate! I am a junior transfer student from Belmont and I am majoring in Communication Studies. I chose this class over the other philosophy classes because I felt that in todays world it is kind of hard to ignore what we have done to our planet and would help me have a more educated outlook on this topic. As for why I am on this tiny blue dot, I could not give you an answer. But for the most part I like our love our tiny blue dot and want future generations to love it as well.
ReplyDeleteTo me, environment means life and everything within it. Without the environment none of us would be here. But we kind of ruined the only environment we had and are now having to try and find others. I think it is very important how we interact with the environment because it is our home and if we don't start treating it with love then there won't be a home for future generations.
Hi! My name is Kimani Churn. I am a senior with a double major in both Philosophy and Psychology. I honestly just choose this class because it sounded very interesting and it sounded like something that I would be interested in learning more about.
ReplyDeleteThe environment, in my opinion, is everything that lives around us, that we also coexist with. It's important that we take care of our environment because I believe in order for our environment to serve us, we have to serve it. In other words, it's our responsibility to take care of what we have if we want it be here and thriving for years to come. It’s kind of similar to if you were given a machine that produces money. The only way for that machine to continue to produce money for you (which has a high value) then you would have to take care of it. In relation, the enivronment and what the environment produces is of high value so how we take care of only reveals the lack of understanding we have of that value.
Hi Kimani! I really liked how you talked about caring for our environment, "for it to serve us, we have to serve it". In a way it reminded me of "treat people the way you'd want to be treated". Overall I think you made a very good point about our lack of care for something so valuable and I completely agree with you.
DeleteHello everyone! My name is Stuart McLean and I exclusively study Philosophy here at MTSU. In the desperate (one may say dystopian) times that are afoot a myriad of convoluted opinions and political ideologies clash heads in the long winded dispute regarding the environment and the ethical codes of conduct that mankind must abide by being at the top of the food chain. I am most excited to read and understand disputes that may arise during the run time of this course.
ReplyDeleteI dare not consider myself an environmentalist because I believe that is a term that many use too loosely. I care deeply for the environment but act in a similar fashion to most Americans that degrade and deteriorate the environment on a daily basis by means of pollution, eating habits and recreational activity. I hope this course will enlighten myself and my classmates to become more wholesome humans that are open to taking better care of the environment.
Hi! My name is Aleena Hii, and I am a senior majoring in Plant and Soil Science with a minor in Environmental Science and Technology. I was born and raised in Murfreesboro but I have somewhat of an inherent calling to Greenville, South Carolina. As a Plant and Soil Science major, I have been pulled to the hopes of soil conservation. While most people don't consider the importance of soil in their everyday lives, to me, it is the stuff of life. I am here because I am generally unfamiliar with philosophy and have never taken a class, so I thought it would be a good way to end my time in college. To me, the environment is everything around us, forming and shaping us while we form and shape it. Our interactions with the environment are important precisely because of that mutual forming and shaping and some intricacies we may not even be aware of.
ReplyDeleteHi everybody, My name is Chris Troup and I'm a senior majoring in Environmental Science. I previously studied Architecture for several years at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, but decided to switch majors and schools. I'm here taking this course because Environmental Science involves not just the technical but also the deeper "why" behind the study of the environment. As far as the environment goes it's everything on, around, and of Earth, including us. As humans, we like to think of the environment as a remote and separate entity from ourselves or that we're above it. But I feel that we are also a part of the environment, and to not respect and save the environment, is to not respect and save ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI wanted my blog post to be posted in the correct place so I'm re-posting it here!
ReplyDeleteHi there! My name is Savana Mezquiriz. I am a senior at MTSU majoring in philosophy and minoring in psychology and sociology. I am also apart of the Honors College and am currently finishing up my thesis. For this project, I decided to research child custody laws in Tennessee, deontological theories philosophers presented hundreds of years ago, and how they are intertwined with each other. I am 21 years old, grew up in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, and live a pretty easy going life for the most part. I got married in August of 2019 and we just bought a house in Shelbyville, Tennessee. It is about 35-40 minutes south of Murfreesboro. I plan to use my degree to go to law school. I work for a small law firm in Shelbyville, Rambo and Trott. I have been there for going on 3 years so I am learning the ropes and what to expect once I graduate with my JD. I would like to be an in-house attorney for a company somewhere close to where I live. As far as why I took this course, my main focus within philosophy is ethics. It is what I find most interesting and applicable to my future career. I have no idea what in-house company I will be offered to work for and would like to apply ethics to as many areas as possible. I not only want to focus on ethics but think about environmental rights and wrongs we as humans are taking part in. I am excited about all we will learn and the critical thinking it will provide us in our daily choices that affect Earth.
Intro post - 3
DeleteReply to Patrick S. - 1
Reply to Carolin E. - 1
Total - 5