On Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the Martire Center Theatre, Dr. Travis N. Rieder, Associate Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University Berman Institute of Bioethics, gave a presentation on his new book titled “Catastrophe Ethics: How to Choose Well in a World of Tough Choices.”
Rieder has a PhD in philosophy from Georgetown University, a master’s in philosophy from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Hanover College.
His research interests include ethical and policy issues concerning opiate use, public health, sustainability and climate change. He has investigated ethical concerns in opioid prescription practices and public health sustainability.
Some of his significant publications include “Toward a Small Family Ethic: How Overpopulation and Climate Change Impact the Morality of Procreation” and pieces in health affairs and bioethics, as well as the American Journal of Bioethics: Neuroscience.
Rieder has visited SHU’s campus once before to discuss the release of his previous book, “In Pain: A Bioethicist’s Personal Struggle with Opioids.”
Over 50 students and faculty attended the talk to learn about the topics of Rieder’s book.
The audience was taught how to engage in ethical reasoning during a time involved in massive threats, a statement that served as the framework for both the presentation and book.
Rieder’s ethical journey, as it relates to bioethics, started with his choice to switch from cow milk to almond milk. In this transitional stage, he joined a group of nutritionists at Johns Hopkins. These colleagues explained how harmful almonds are to the environment as well.
Later, Rieder discussed electric cars, how solar power is used to charge them in Maryland and how having a child can be incredibly taxing on the environment. All this information came in preparation for the Rieder’s Road Map.
This outline features the following stages: the problem of causal inefficacy, the puzzle is everywhere, traditional moral philosophy, less traditional moral philosophy and how this helps the puzzle.
Other topics mentioned throughout the presentation were the carbon cycle and its complexities as well as nihilism, which describes the impact of the top one percent of corporations on the environment, as opposed to the majority of humankind.
Due to the negative outlook a nihilistic approach could bring in the face of climate change, Rieder says adopting this mindset is a direct rebuttal to such a philosophy.
“I thought the whole talk was incredibly insightful. Students need to hear about the reality surrounding the climate. While we may not be directly affecting it, we have a moral obligation to do the right thing,” said junior Chelsea Cuseo.
“There is no single thing that you must do. But you could always do more, and it would be good if you did. Thus the work is never done,” Rieder said.
At the event, Rieder was asked to identify the hardest aspect of writing his book.
“I think it is the hate mail,” said Rieder.
The end of the talk was met with many questions from the audience, especially pertaining to why this topic should be so prevalent and what making a difference looks like.
“Some people think it only matters morally what you do if it makes a causal difference. It can matter what you do even when not making a causal difference. It matters to be a leader,” said Rieder.