A BSU Environmental Humanities Research Centre Public Lecture. Free to attend. Drinks, nibbles and chats after
Wednesday December 13th, 6.30-8.00 pm, Newton Park, Commons 225/226
Abstract
Supported by large conservation NGOs, the US government has recently reaffirmed its support for the counter-intuitive practice of raising funds for conservation by selling rights to shoot individuals of the very species being conserved. This talk explores discourse generated by the controversial trophy hunting of an endangered black rhinoceros in Namibia by a wealthy US hunting enthusiast. Consideration of the conflicting ethical arguments, illustrated by hypothetical analogous cases, suggests that what initially appears as a triumph of utilitarianism over other ethical approaches may be better understood as a triumph of economics over ethics.
Mike Hannis is Senior Lecturer in Environmental Humanities at Bath Spa University. His academic background is in environmental ethics and political theory, and recent publications include a Routledge research monograph entitled Freedom and Environment: Autonomy, human flourishing and the political philosophy of sustainability. This talk is based on work undertaken as part of the AHRC-funded research project Future Pasts (www.futurepasts.net), led from BSU by Prof. Sian Sullivan.
PDF of poster Mike Hannis Talk Poster
One thought on “Free public lecture. Killing Nature to Save It? Ethics, Economics and the Trophy Hunting of Black Rhinoceros. Dr Mike Hannis; Senior Lecturer in Environmental Humanities, Bath Spa University.”