Events From Fall, 2006
TWO-PART SUSTAINABILITY SERIES
Part I: Just Hot Air or Real Cause for Concern: Human Activities and Climate Change
Wednesday, October 18, 7:30, PAC 134
Earth's climate is changing. How much of the change is attributed to human activity? What steps should be taken? And at what cost? Businesses and governments who adopt measures to "green" their operations incur an economic burden that others do not bear. What obligations do we have to act, even when others will not? What steps would be most effective, environmentally and economically, in lessening the impact of human activity on our climate? This forum will look at the challenges we face, the moral obligations we have, and the potential solutions to the problem of climate change.
- Jim Houpis, Dean, College of Natural Sciences
- Jim Pushnik, Department of Biological Sciences
- Randy Larsen, Environmental Ethicist and host of EcoTalk.
- Jeff Price, Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences
Part II: California Agriculture: Sustainable or Doomed?
Wednesday, November 8, 7:30, PAC 134
California is one of the most productive and diverse farming areas in the world. Yet, California is losing farmland at a dramatic rate. In Northern California, we are beginning to see the congestion and sprawl familiar in other parts of the state. Will this trend continue? Is it part of the price we must pay for economic health? Much of Chico's quality of life is connected with the fresh produce, open spaces, biodiversity, and ground water recharge associated with farming and ranching. From farmer's markets and pumpkin patches to Christmas tree farms and hunting and fishing areas, Chico's unique character depends substantially on agriculture. What is the relationship between sustainable growth and sustainable agriculture? What cost/benefit trade-offs do we face? What does Chico's future hold?
- Lee Altier, College of Agriculture (moderator)
- Tom Imhoff, Environmental Ethicist
- Holly King, Great Valley Center
- Tod Kimmelshue, Butte County Farm Bureau
- Jim Saake, Northern California Regional Land Trust
- Jane Dolan, Butte County Supervisor
TWO-PART BOOK-IN-COMMON SERIES
This series features two topics related to themes in CSUC's Book-in-Common, Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. The talks will not assume familiarity with the book and will be suitable for all. They are co-sponsored by the office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and the First Year Experience Program.
Part I: Justified Deception and Ethical Coercion: When is Paternalism Morally Permissible?
Tuesday, October 24, 7:30, PAC 144 (Harlan Adams Theatre)
Gerald Dworkin, Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Davis
Doctors do not tell their patients the truth about their medical condition. A physician may tell the wife of a man whose car went off a bridge that he died instantly, when in fact he died a rather ghastly death. A husband may hide sleeping pills from his depressed wife. A teacher may be less than honest about telling a student that he has little philosophical ability.
The government requires people to contribute to a pension system (Social Security). It requires motorcyclists to wear helmets. It forbids people from swimming at a public beach when lifeguards are not present. It forbids the sale of various drugs deemed to be ineffective and/or harmful.
The civil law does not allow the enforcement of certain kinds of contracts, e.g. for gambling debts. It requires minors to have blood transfusions even if their religious beliefs forbid it. Persons may be civilly committed if they are a danger to themselves.
Are any of these justified policies?
Gerald Dworkin is Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Davis. He received his PhD in Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley and has published articles on a variety of ethical issues including autonomy, paternalism, and the philosophy of law. His books include The Theory and Practice of Autonomy and Moral Paternalism. His articles can be found in a host of journals, including Ethics, Monist, American Psychologist, Hastings Center Report, and Journal of Social Philosophy. Book reviews appear in, among others, the Harvard Law Review, American Scientist, Nous, and The Philosophical Review.
Part II: Social and Ethical Consequences of the Genetic and Cellular Revolution
Wednesday, November 15, 7:30, PAC 144 (Harlan Adams Theatre)
David Magnus, Director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics
Technological innovation in genetics, genomics, stem cell research, cloning and other technological advances have the potential to transform the human landscape from extending lives to changing the nature of the food we eat. These transformations will also create social and ethical challenges that are best addressed prospectively rather reactively. Major challenges to be discussed include issues of privacy, ownership, eugenics, justice, and the meaning of family.
David Magnus, PhD is Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine at Stanford University, where he is Director of the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics and co-Chair of the Ethics Committee for the Stanford Hospital. He received his PhD in philosophy from Stanford University and has published articles on a range of topics in bioethics, particularly on issues concerning genetic technology, cloning, and stem cell research. He served on the National Research Council Ad Hoc Committee on the Bioconfinement of Genetically Engineered Organisms, and served as an "expert consultant" for the World Bank on food security and biotechnology and a consultant for the National Conference of State Legislators on cloning. In 2003-2004, he was a member of the Secretary of Agriculture's Advisory Committee on Biotechnology in the 21st Century. He currently serves on the California Human Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee. He is the principle editor of a collection of essays entitled Who Owns Life? (2002) and his publications have appeared in Science, Nature Biotechnology, and the British Medical Journal. He serves as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Bioethics. He has appeared on many television shows including Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, FOX news Sunday, and ABC World News, several nationally syndicated radio shows and has been quoted in Time magazine, Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, NY Times and USA Today among other publications. In addition to his scholarly work, he has published a number of editorial pieces in prominent newspapers.