PHIL 51—Scientific Reasoning Week 2 Be able to explain the general debate about climate emotions that Tolentino, Huber, and Kovaka and Santana discuss in their papers Hope and despair. The mainstream account of hope Huber discusses and what he thinks is wrong with it Huber’s own definitions of hope and despair Episodic vs. fundamental vs. resignative despair […]

Week 3 Be able to explain why there is a debate about whether we should be telling people to try to lower their carbon footprints The main reasons given in Dialogues on Climate Justice for and against telling people to lower their carbon footprints The idea of carbon elitism. What it means and what it has to do […]

PHIL 51—Scientific Reasoning Week 4 The inefficacy challenge. Be able to explain what it is and why it’s a difficult philosophicalproblem Be able to explain Nefsky’s dilemma for the expected utility solution to the inefficacy challenge Be able to discuss each of the possible responses to the dilemma that Nefsky considers, and what she has to […]

PHIL 51—Scientific Reasoning Week 5 Common but differentiated responsibility. What it is, in brief What a way of distributing the burden of decarbonization that did not follow the principle of common but differentiated responsibility would look like Be able to explain what each of the following mitigation principles is, any objections to it we’ve discussed, and any […]

Fixed, high evidential standards vs. variable standards. What are they and how are they different from one another? The five considerations that Elabbar offers as relevant deciding whether fixed, high evidential standards or variable standard are better. What each one means, which type of evidential standard Elabbar thinks it supports, and why. Beneficence Institutional responsiveness […]

PHIL 51—Scientific Reasoning Week 8 Cost-benefit analysis, again. Some of the assumptions behind the method, what distinguishes it from simply making a pro and con list Social discounting. What it is Why it’s important in climate economics Why isn’t not the same as adjusting for inflation Be able to explain each of the following justifications […]