ASSIGNMENT

Utilitarianism uplifts ‘the greatest happiness principle’ and asks us to measure the consequences of our actions above all else. But then the next question arrives, who and what counts as consequential, especially as we consider large-scale problems such as climate injustice? In one of this week’s readings, philosopher Kyle Whyte reflects on the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of place in this world:

Is there a succinct way to convey an Indigenous perspective on climate justice that makes all these connections?

Ask yourself as you read, are we adrift on a lifeboat and doomed to violence, hoarding, and gorging as we fight for survival? Or are other stories possible?