Geology & Ethics?

•How do rocks have ethics?

–Interactions of humans with their environment
leads to ethical issues.
•Part of the Pathways curriculum involves consideration of
ethical reasoning.
–Not about good vs. bad, but the ability to
reflect on moral issues.
•Three broad categories:
–Consequence-based.
–Rights- or duty-based.
–Perfection-based.
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 Classical Case: The Trolley Problem
•Do you throw the switch?

•Common complaint:
–Contrived situation.
–No real world
solution.

http://nymag.com/selectall/2016/08/trolley-
problem-meme-tumblr-philosophy.html 2
 REAL WORLD EXAMPLE:
LOUISIANA
•Particularly, southern
Louisiana.

http://geology.com/lakes-rivers-water/louisiana.shtml 3
AVULSION
•Shifts of river channels.
–Minor: Meander cutoffs.
–Major: New delta creation.

Ma, 5th, Figure 17.21c, Page 633. http://www.geo.uu.nl/fg/palaeogeography/results/avulsions 4

MISSISSIPPI DELTA AVULSIONS

http://www.adammandelman.net/category/physical-geographies/ 5
 EVOLUTION OF THE
ATCHAFALYA

https://majikphil3.blogspot.com/2011/05/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchafalaya_River mississippi-river-flood.html 6
ACTS OF GOD VS. ACTS OF
CORPS (1)
•Between 1850 and 1950,
Atchafalaya discharge
increased from 10% to
30%.
–What happens if the
Mississippi avulses?

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/louisiana_map.htm 7
 ACTS OF GOD VS. ACTS OF
CORPS (2)
•Congress mandates a 70-30
split in discharge.
–Army Corps of Engineers
placed in charge.
–Multi-billion dollar Old
River Control.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atchafalaya_River 8
ACTS OF GOD VS. ACTS OF
CORPS (3)
•In major floods (1973,
2011), control
structures opened to
relieve Mississippi
flooding.
•Save Baton Rouge &
New Orleans?
–Or Morgan City?
–The trolley problem!

http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/louisiana_map.htm 9
 Example Exercise
•Flood hazards and ethical reasoning.

•25th anniversary of 1993 flooding on Mississippi River.

–NOVA episode: Flood!
–URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQYqHDoCugk

•Short summary of video with discussion of ethical

issues illustrated.
–Example text on Canvas.

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