Philosophy 303 - TALKING TRASH

Questions about waste permeate our lives. Perhaps most obviously there is the never-absent concern, across time and culture, about what to do with the waste humans generate in virtue of their biological processes, their practices of production, and their habits of consumption. At the same time, deciding what counts as waste is an inescapable part of our lives. "Waste," along with close relatives such as "trash," "rubbish," and "garbage," is part of the normative vocabulary we employ in evaluating the usefulness of the people and things around us, the projects we undertake, the way we spend our time. Enrollment limited to 12 juniors and seniors.

Instructor Permission. Limited to juniors, seniors.