Wednesday, June 15, 2011

What is Stephen Gardiner reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Stephen Gardiner, author of A Perfect Moral Storm: The Ethical Tragedy of Climate Change.

His entry begins:
I've recently been reading Anthony Appiah's book: The Honor Code: Why Moral Revolutions Happen. The subtitle indicates that this is an important topic, and Appiah treats it through examining central cases such as the end of dueling, footbinding, and the transatlantic slave trade. His thesis that it is the role played by honor that made the difference is an interesting and engaging one, partly because it brings attention to a largely dismissed topic in contemporary life and philosophy. I'm particularly intrigued by the claim that...[read on]
Among the early praise for A Perfect Moral Storm:
"Stephen Gardiner takes to a new level our understanding of the moral dimensions of climate change. A Perfect Moral Storm argues convincingly that climate change is the greatest moral challenge our species has ever faced - and that the problem goes even deeper than we think."
--Peter Singer, Princeton University

"Everyone who is interested in ethics, the future of her children, or the welfare of the planet, should read this book. Clear, analytically precise, and superbly written, Gardiner does practical philosophy at its very best. In analyzing the ethics of climate change, no moral philosopher anywhere does a better job than Gardiner. He sets the standard for work in this area."
--Kristin Shrader-Frechette, Philosophy and Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame

"Gardiner's A Perfect Moral Storm sets a new standard in erudition, philosophical rigor, and interdisciplinary breadth in discussions of climate ethics. This book should be read by any philosopher, scientist, or policy-maker who is serious about addressing the moral challenge with which climate change confronts us."
--Dale Jamieson, Environmental Studies and Philosophy, New York University
Learn more about A Perfect Moral Storm at the Oxford University Press website.

Stephen Gardiner is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and the Program on Values in Society, University of Washington, Seattle.

The Page 99 Test: A Perfect Moral Storm.

Writers Read: Stephen Gardiner.

--Marshal Zeringue