Values in Action

This book addresses the concern that even well established ethical theories do not accurately describe the manner in which people are compelled to make moral decision. If environmental philosophers are concerned about enacting change in the face of the growing environmental crisis then motivating their audience should be a concern. Environmental literature, as far as it appeals to a broader audience than philosophy, appears to be a relatively successful way to motivate people to accept the environment as an object of moral concern. Two classic works of environmental literature, "Walden," by Henry David Thoreau, and "A Sand County Almanac," by Aldo Leopold, are offered as examples of literature that motivates people to take moral action on behalf of the environment. "Moral motivation" is defined as a deliberation on values as proposed by philosopher Harry G. Frankfurt's theory of free will. In so far as literary devices, such as narrative and appeal to emotion, motivate people to reflect upon higher order values-literary devices may be a useful tool for environmental philosophers.