Zimdahl Agriculture's Ethical Horizon

1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-0-08-046112-0
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 272 Seiten

What are the goals of agricultural science? What should the goals of agricultural science be? How do and how should the practitioners of agriculture address complex ethical questions? These questions are explored in this monumental book so that those in agriculture will begin an open dialoge on the ethics of agriculture.
Discussion of foundational values, of why we practice agriculture as we do, should become a central, rather than peripheral, part of agricultural practice and education. If agricultural scientists do not venture forth to understand and shape the ethical base of the future, it will be imposed by others. Largely autobiographical, this book covers topics such as scientific truth and myth, what agricultural research should be done, an introduction to ethics, moral confidence in agriculture, the relevance of ethics to agriculture, sustainability, and biotechnology.
* Written by an expert who has been engaged in agricultural education and research for over 35 years
* Content is easily understandable by non-philosophers
* The concepts of scientific truth and myth are contrasted and compared
* Chapter sidebars highlight important concepts and can be used to engage students in further discussion
* Companion website will accompany the book with further teaching aids and a discussion board

Robert L. Zimdahl is a Professor of Weed Science at Colorado State University. He received his Ph.D. in Agronomy from Oregon State University. Among his many honors and awards, Dr. Zimdahl was elected a Fellow of the Weed Science Society of America in 1986 and currently serves as editor of that society's journal, Weed Science. He has been a member of several international task forces and has authored a number of books and articles on the subject of weed science.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Zimdahl, Robert L

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front cover;1
2;Title page;4
3;Copyright page;5
4;Table of contents;8
5;Foreword;12
6;Preface;20
7;Acknowledgments;30
8;1: The Horizon of Agricultural Ethics;32
8.1;SCIENTIFIC TRUTH AND MYTH;35
8.2;LITERATURE CITED;43
9;2: The Conduct of Agricultural Science;46
9.1;WHAT RESEARCH OUGHT TO BE DONE?;53
9.2;LITERATURE CITED;57
10;3: When Things Go Wrong—Balancing Technology’s Safety and Risk;58
10.1;THE DEVELOPMENT OF HERBICIDES;59
10.2;PROGRESS OF WEED SCIENCE;62
10.3;CHALLENGES;66
10.4;THE CONTINUING DEBATE;71
10.5;LITERATURE CITED;75
11;4: An Introduction to Ethics;78
11.1;SCIENCE AND EMOTION;80
11.2;UNIVERSAL VALUES;81
11.3;ETHICS IN AGRICULTURE;84
11.4;CONTEMPORARY NORMATIVE ETHICS;85
11.5;ETHICAL THEORIES RELEVANT TO AGRICULTURE;88
11.5.1;Ethical Egoism;88
11.5.2;Social Contract Theory;90
11.5.3;Virtue Ethics;91
11.5.4;Deontological or Kantian Ethics;93
11.5.5;Utilitarianism;94
11.6;APPLYING ETHICS IN AGRICULTURE AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE;97
11.7;LITERATURE CITED;100
12;5: Moral Confidence in Agriculture;104
12.1;THE BENEFITS AND COSTS OF MODERN AGRICULTURE;105
12.2;GOALS FOR AGRICULTURE;112
12.2.1;Social Goals for Agriculture;112
12.2.2;Environmental Goals for Agriculture;114
12.3;EXPANDING AGRICULTURE’S MORAL SCOPE;117
12.3.1;The Utilitarian Standard;117
12.3.2;The Relevance of the Western Agricultural Model;118
12.3.3;Bottom Line Thinking;119
12.3.4;Sustainability;120
12.4;CONCLUSION;121
12.5;LITERATURE CITED;124
13;6: The Relevance of Ethics to Agriculture and Weed Science;128
13.1;LITERATURE CITED;137
14;7: Agricultural Sustainability;140
14.1;THE PRESENT AGRICULTURAL SITUATION: THE EXAMPLE OF WEED MANAGEMENT;142
14.2;THE MORAL CASE FOR SUSTAINABILITY;150
14.3;WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?;154
14.4;WHY MUST SUSTAINABILITY BE ACHIEVED?;157
14.5;A CONCLUDING COMMENT ON SUSTAINABLE WEED SCIENCE;162
14.6;LITERATURE CITED;164
15;8: Biotechnology;168
15.1;THE DEBATE;169
15.2;TECHNOLOGICAL PROBLEMS;171
15.3;REGULATION;172
15.4;ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY;175
15.5;ARGUMENTS OPPOSED TO AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY;181
15.5.1;Feeding the World;182
15.5.2;Harm to Human Health;185
15.5.3;Harm to the Environment;188
15.5.4;Transgenic Technology and Sustainable Agricultural Systems;191
15.6;THE MORAL ARGUMENTS;194
15.6.1;Labeling and Biotechnology in the U.S. and the EU;195
15.6.2;Affects on Family Farms;197
15.6.3;Academic-Industry Relationships;199
15.6.4;Transgenic Pharming;201
15.6.5;The Precautionary Principle;201
15.7;LITERATURE CITED;202
16;9: How to Proceed;210
16.1;WATER LOGGING AND SALINIZATION;214
16.2;DESERTIFICATION;217
16.3;DEPLETION OF WATER RESOURCES;217
16.4;SOIL EROSION;217
16.5;POLLUTION;218
16.6;LOSS OF FARMERS;218
16.7;POPULATION GROWTH;221
16.8;DOMINANT SCIENTIFIC MYTHS;224
16.9;PRODUCTION AND ETHICS;227
16.10;THE IMPERATIVE OF RESPONSIBILITY;228
16.11;FINDING PARTNERS;232
16.12;MISSION STATEMENTS;233
16.13;THE ROLE OF THE UNIVERSITY;238
16.14;SUSTAINABILITY AS A GOAL;241
16.15;CONCLUSION;248
16.16;LITERATURE CITED;257
17;Index;262