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Walden: A Case Study in Virtue and Environmental Ethics by Frank Casale, Ph.D. Overview Setting the Stage: Questions to Think About Integrity, honesty, and the pursuit of excellence are the central themes of the overall module. What defines a well-lived life? Are there essential virtues that must be practiced in order to lead a good life? What are the themes of your life? Introduction Henry David Thoreau's Walden is a classic of American Literature and is widely taught in U.S. high schools and colleges. The text has been hailed as a seminal piece of nature writing, a foundational document for the environmental movement, an inquiry into American ideology, and as a perceptive exploration of the nature of the individual and the self. This module will treat Walden as a presentation of the ethics of excellence (virtue ethics) and of our ethical relationship to the environment.

Walden: A Case Study in Virtue and Environmental Ethics

by Frank Casale, Ph.D.

Overview

Setting the Stage: Questions to Think About

Integrity, honesty, and the pursuit of excellence are the central themes of the overall module.

What defines a well-lived life?

Are there essential virtues that must be practiced in order to lead a good life?

What are the themes of your life?

Introduction

Henry David Thoreau's Walden is a classic of American Literature and is widely taught in U.S. high schools and colleges. The text has been hailed as a seminal piece of nature writing, a foundational document for the environmental movement, an inquiry into American ideology, and as a perceptive exploration of the nature of the individual and the self. This module will treat Walden as a presentation of the ethics of excellence (virtue ethics) and of our ethical relationship to the environment.