Wilderness: a place for ethical inquiry

Abstract

This paper describes an unusual use of wilderness for inquiry: a college course in ethics which includes a 10 day wilderness trip as an integral part of the course. Through a combination of traditional classroom learning and experiential education students are encouraged to develop a new vision of ethics – ethics as a kind of wisdom about how to live a full and richly satisfying life. Students come to rely on the awe inspiring sublimity and beauty found in the San Juan mountains of southwestern Colorado to explore first-hand what it means to live as an ethical community in the wilderness.

Parent Publication

• Wilderness science in a time of change conference-Volume 3: Wilderness as a place for scientific inquiry; 1999 May 23-27; Missoula, MT

Citation

Fredrickson, Laura M.; Johnson, Baylor L. 2000. Wilderness: a place for ethical inquiry. In: McCool, Stephen F.; Cole, David N.; Borrie, William T.; O’Loughlin, Jennifer, comps. 2000. Wilderness science in a time of change conference—Volume 3: Wilderness as a place for scientific inquiry; 1999 May 23–27; Missoula, MT. Proceedings RMRS-P-15-VOL-3. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 177-180