The Economy of the Earth: Philosophy, Law, and the Environment (Cambridge Studies in Performance Practice)

The Economy of the Earth: Philosophy, Law, and the Environment (Cambridge Studies in Performance Practice)
By Mark Sagoff

Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Number Of Pages: 280
Publication Date: 2007-12-03
ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0521687136
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780521687133
Binding: Paperback

Mark Sagoff draws on the last twenty years of debate over the foundations of environmentalism in this comprehensive revision of The Economy of the Earth. Posing questions pertinent to consumption, cost-benefit analysis, the normative implications of neo-Darwinism, the role of the natural in national history, and the centrality of the concept of place in environmental ethics, he analyzes social policy in relation to the environment, pollution, the workplace, and public safely and health. Sagoff distinguishes ethical from economic questions and explains which kinds of concepts, arguments, and processes are appropriate to each.

Summary: Critique of cost-benefit analysis for environmental matters
Rating: 4

Prof. Sagoff demonstrates the problematic nature of an economic approach to environmental decisionmaking. Even granting that we could quantify environmental values in dollar terms, he raises the important question of why we would want to do such a thing. The author argues that questions of balancing environmental values against other "goods" should be decided in the public political arena, and not by reference to people's private willingness to pay. Somewhat puzzling is Sagoff's adherence to a utilitarian philosophy; I'm still waiting for someone to point out the obvious liberty and distributive-justice problems with cost-benefit analysis in the sphere of environmental regulation.