The Case for the Green Kant: a Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics
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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School February 2019 The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics Zachary T. Vereb University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, and the Other Philosophy Commons Scholar Commons Citation Vereb, Zachary T., "The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics" (2019). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7980 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics by Zachary T. Vereb A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Martin Schönfeld, Ph.D. Toby Svoboda, Ph.D. Alexander Levine, Ph.D. Michael Morris, Ph.D. Joshua Rayman, Ph.D. Date of Approval: November 30, 2018 Keywords: Kantian Ethics, Environment, Climate Change, Sustainability Copyright © 2019, Zachary T. Vereb ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank Martin Schönfeld for his guidance and support throughout this entire project. This work would not be possible without him. I am incredibly thankful for the helpful comments, suggestions, and feedback from my advisors. I thank Toby Svoboda for inspiring me to pursue this project. His engagement with my project and his constructive criticism are deeply appreciated. I thank Alex Levine for his continued assistance and warm encouragement in the face of stumbling blocks. I thank Michael Morris for challenging my ideas and inspiring me to explore Kant’s philosophy of history. Finally, I thank Joshua Rayman for his meticulous comments and endless support throughout my graduate tenure. I am also indebted to Roger Ariew, Doug Jesseph, and Greg Herbert for their general support. I would like to thank my family and friends, Andrew Winters, Jon Hendricks, and Laith Abdel for the stimulating conversations and emotional support they have provided throughout. My colleagues at University of South Florida, including John Walsh, Wilson Underkuffler, Simon Dutton, Dwight Lewis, and Raman Sachdev have created a wonderfully supportive environment and this would not be possible without their friendship. I especially thank Laura for her support, understanding, and patience. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv Introduction: The Case for the Green Kant ......................................................................................1 Chapter One: Kant and the Environment: The Old .........................................................................9 The Traditional Interpretation of Kant apropos of Nature .................................................10 Environmental Ethics and Kant’s Invidious Humanism ....................................................19 Chapter Two: Kant and the Environment: The New .....................................................................44 The New, Environmental Interpretation of Kant ...............................................................45 Reframing of the Green Shift in Kant Literature: Climate Change ...................................63 Chapter Three: Kantian Ecology: The Early, Dynamic View of Nature .......................................68 Kant’s Early Ontology of Nature and Natural Science ......................................................71 Environmental Holism and Kant’s Early Ontology ...........................................................96 Moral Framing and Environmental Praxis: Pre-critical to Critical ..................................111 Chapter Four: Kantian Holism and Aesthetics ............................................................................122 Kantian Beauty and the Environment ..............................................................................125 Reconsidering the Critique of Teleological Judgment .....................................................128 Sublimity from an Environmental Perspective ................................................................135 Chapter Five: Kantian Anthropology: Blueprints for Sustainability ...........................................146 Overview and Context of Kant’s Idea and Conjectural Beginning .................................155 Climate Ethics, Kantian Anthropology, and the Heroic Incentive ..................................173 Kant’s Holistic View of Humanity: Antidote to Liberalism? ..........................................183 Conclusion: The Fate of the Green Kant .....................................................................................200 References ....................................................................................................................................204 i LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Kant’s writings will be cited according to volume:page number in the Gesammelte Schriften, Ausgabe der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Berlin: de Gruyter, 1902-). Unless otherwise noted, all translations are from The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Immanuel Kant, as these are generally the most accepted translations in Kant scholarship. For individual works, the following abbreviations will be used: LF Gedanken von der Wahren Schätzung der Lebendigen Kräfte 1:1-181 Und Beurtheilung der Beweise Derer Sich Herr von Leibnitz Und Andere Mechaniker in Dieser Streitsache Bedienet Haben, Nebst Einigen Vorhergehenden Betrachtungen Welche Die Kraft der Körper Überhaupt Betreffen (1746-1749), Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces FE Die Frage, ob die Erde veralte, physikalisch erwogen (1754), 1:193-213 “The question, whether the Earth is ageing, considered from a physical point of view” ND Principiorum primorum cognitionis metaphysicae nova 1:385-416 dilucidatio (1755), A New Elucidation of the First Principles of Metaphysical Cognition PM Metaphysicae cum geometria junctae usus in philosophia 1:473-488 naturali, cuius specimen I. continent monadologiam physicam (1756), Physical Monadology UNH Allgemeine Naturgeschichte und Theorie des Himmels (1755), 1:215-368 Universal Natural History and Theory of the Heavens. CPR Kritik der reinen Vernunft (1781, 1787). A/B pagination Critique of Pure Reason E Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufklärung? (1784), 8:33-42 An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment? Idea Idee zu einer allgemeinen Geschichte in weltbuergerlicher 8:15-31 Absicht (1784), Idea for a Universal History with Cosmopolitan Aim Groundwork Grundlegung zur Metaphysik der Sitten (1785), 4:385-464 ii Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals CB Mutmasslicher Anfang der Menschengeschichte (1786), 8:107-123 Conjectural Beginning of Human History. Sometimes I rely on Lewis White Beck’s translation in Kant: On History (2001) CPrR Kritik der praktischen Vernunft (1788), 5:1-164 Critique of Practical Reason CJ Kritik der Urteilskraft (1790), Critique of Judgment 5:165-486; “First Introduction” 20:195-251 Usually I rely on Werner S. Pluhar’s translation in Critique of Judgment (1987) LE Vorlesungen ueber Ethik, Lectures on Ethics 27:1-732 TP Ueber den Gemeinspruch: Das mag in der Theorie 8: 273-313 richtig sein, taugt aber nicht fuer die Praxis (1793), On the Common Saying: That may be correct in theory but it is of no use in practice Religion Religion innerhalb der Grenzen der blossen Vernunft 6:1-202 (1793-1794), Religion within the Boundaries of mere Reason PP Zum ewigen Frieden: Ein philosophischer Entwurf (1795), 8:341-386 Toward Perpetual Peace. Pedagogy Paedagogik (1803), Lectures on Pedagogy 9:437-499 MM Metaphysik der Sitten (1797-1798), Metaphysics of Morals 6:203-494 Anthropology Anthropologie in pragmatischer Hinsicht (1798), 7:117-334. Anthropology from a Pragmatic Standpoint. iii ABSTRACT Environmental philosophers have argued that Kant’s philosophy offers little for environmental issues. Furthermore, Kant scholars typically focus on humanity, ignoring the question of duties to the environment. In my dissertation, I turn to a number of underexploited texts in Kant’s work to show how both sides are misguided in neglecting the ecological potential of Kant, making the case for the green Kant at the intersection of Kant scholarship and environmental ethics. I build upon previous literature to argue that the green Kant matters for both sides. Rather than a liability, Kant is indeed a conceptual resource. Though many conceive of Kant’s philosophy as environmentally problematic, I argue that underappreciated evolutionary, aesthetic, and holistic sides of Kant’s philosophy can provide conceptual resources for issues in climate change and environmental ethics. Some aspects, such as the pre-critical view of nature, are quite green and merely require an application, while others, such as Kant’s philosophy of history, require a green appropriation