Honors Theses
Date of Award
2009
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Philosophy and Religion
First Advisor
Neil Manson
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
For the last three decades, there has been a lively debate over the best way for a govemapproach decisions of environmental policy. Adherents to anthropocentric utilitari anism - those who believe that actions are right as they tend to promote utility for humans - favor the use of cost-benefit analysis - a tool that is used to come up with recommendations the basis of their probable costs and ment to for or against particular environmental policies benefits. Although making decisions this way may seem like a straightforward approach that should be acceptable to everyone, many challenge the latent assumptions of the tool s application: that only humans have moral standing and that the morality of actions is a function of the utility they promote. After giving an introduction to CBA, I will articulate a variety of objections, which will include objections to the methods used in performing a CBA, objections to CBA’s utilitarian framework, objections from proponents of the Precau tionary Principle, and objections from advocates of the Land Ethic - a nonanthropocentric deontological position inspired by the work of Aldo Leopold. Finally, I will give an ment of CBA in light of these objections. I expect to establish that environmental policy decisions should be informed by CBA because of the tool’s emphasis on priority setting and on assessthe effective management of funds; however, 1 will also argue that because ot problematic features of CBA as well as difficulties arising from the ethical system of anthropocentric utilitarianism, CBA does not give us all the intormation we need to make environmental policy decisions.
Recommended Citation
Watson, Nora Anne, "Cost Benefit Analysis: A Policy Tool of Anthropocentric Utilitarianism" (2009). Honors Theses. 2270.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2270
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