Articles via Databases
Articles via Journals
Online Catalog
E-books
Research & Information Literacy
Interlibrary loan
Theses & Dissertations
Collections
Policies
Services
About / Contact Us
Administration
Littman Architecture Library
This site will be removed in January 2019, please change your bookmarks.
This page will redirect to https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/692 in 5 seconds

The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Project

Title: Sustainable agriculture : pragmatism, distinctions on artifacts and the role of the land ethic
Author: Mulvaney, Dustin
View Online: njit-etd2002-066
([viii], 78 pages ~ 4.5 MB pdf)
Department: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences
Degree: Master of Science
Program: Environmental Policy Studies
Document Type: Thesis
Advisory Committee: Katz, Eric M. (Committee chair)
Rothenberg, David (Committee member)
Light, Andrew (Committee member)
Date: 2002-05
Keywords: Sustainable agriculture
Availability: Unrestricted
Abstract:

This thesis will explore the ethical dimensions of global agriculture from the productionist paradigm to the land ethic in the context of the sustainable agriculture promoted in the fair trade, shade grown, and organic coffee movements. Much of the sustainable development debate in the environmental ethics literature has centered on justifications (from anthropocentric and nonanthropocentric worldviews) for preserving nature. Since agriculture is an artifact of human sedentary civilization, traditional nonanthropocentric arguments do not suffice because of the tendency to focus exclusively on natural systems. Building on the work of Katz's "Pragmatic ReConsideration" and Light's "methodological pragmatism," the role of anthropocentric and nonanthropo centric worldviews in the ethical justifications for policy is considered. After developing a pragmatic reconsideration of worldviews, it will be argued that a sustainable agriculture with regard to ecosystem preservation can be achieved by expanding the biotic community referenced in Leopold's Land Ethic to include agriculture or by accepting multiple overlapping arguments as does methodological pragmatism. Ecologists agree that biological corridors are essential to proper functioning and the carrying capacity of migratory species. From a policy perspective, sustainable agriculture means not only the preservation of natural systems, but also the integration of surrounding artifactual systems to support those natural systems.


If you have any questions please contact the ETD Team, libetd@njit.edu.

 
ETD Information
Digital Commons @ NJIT
Theses and DIssertations
ETD Policies & Procedures
ETD FAQ's
ETD home

Request a Scan
NDLTD

NJIT's ETD project was given an ACRL/NJ Technology Innovation Honorable Mention Award in spring 2003