Monday, June 20, 2011
Thinking about "Sustainability" and the Environment: An Interview with Craig Mitchell
The ethics and economics of environmental “sustainability” is a challenging and pressing topic of discussion in U.S. and international politics. In this interview, Acton University lecturer Craig Mitchell offers an overview of some of the core concepts in this discussion and sketches how a “free market economics” approach can make a difference in light of a responsible anthropology, and the role of governmental power to regulate individual practices and industries.
Craig Mitchell is Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also a Research Fellow for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. His areas of expertise include issues in metaethics, ethical and political philosophy and epistemology.
Here is an excerpt from our interview:
"Sustainability” is a hot topic in academic, public policy, and political discussions on economics and the environment. One of your timely topics at Acton University addresses this issue. Can you give us a snapshot of what is meant by “sustainability”?
Here is an excerpt from our interview:
"Sustainability” is a hot topic in academic, public policy, and political discussions on economics and the environment. One of your timely topics at Acton University addresses this issue. Can you give us a snapshot of what is meant by “sustainability”?
Sustainability is a problematic term. Its meaning depends on who you are talking to. If you are talking to most economists, it simply means balancing economic and environmental issues. If you are talking to most environmentalists who hold to “deep ecology,” it means socialism to serve the needs of the environment.
Deep ecology is a philosophical view on the environment. It is largely concerned with environmental ethics. More specifically, it argues that only what is good for the environment is good. Mankind is generally viewed in a negative light. In fact, some view man as a disease on the earth that should be culled or eradicated.
Most will acknowledge that as an economy grows, that there will be some level of pollution associated with it. The question is, “how much should there be?” Some would say that there should be no pollution at any level, regardless of what this does to economic health and growth. Others will argue that pollution below some level is tolerable. This is where the debate is, how much concern for the environment and how much for the economy.
To read the full-text of the interview, please click here.
Labels: Acton Institute, Acton University, craig mitchell, environment, interview, sustainability
