"The Capitalist Ethic of the Kleptocene and the Subversion of the Doctrine of Double Effect".

I argue that the contentious history of the doctrine of double effect leaves this moral principle vulnerable to becoming fully co-opted by capitalism's logic of commodification to catastrophic consequences for the planetary environment and atmosphere. Drawing on both relevant philosophical work but...

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Published in:Ethics & the Environment Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. 89 - 120
Main Author: Lee, Wendy Lynne
Format: Article
Published: Indiana University Press Fall2025
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: "The Capitalist Ethic of the Kleptocene and the Subversion of the Doctrine of Double Effect".
      aug:
        au: Lee, Wendy Lynne
      su:
        Capitalism
        Climate change
        Ethics
        Resource exploitation
        Ethical problems
        Ecological impact
      sug:
        subj:
          Capitalism
          Climate change
          Ethics
          Resource exploitation
          Ethical problems
          Ecological impact
      ab: I argue that the contentious history of the doctrine of double effect leaves this moral principle vulnerable to becoming fully co-opted by capitalism's logic of commodification to catastrophic consequences for the planetary environment and atmosphere. Drawing on both relevant philosophical work but also contemporary news stories concerning the climate crisis and its impacts, I show how the hijack of moral principle can be weaponized to support the myths of endless resources upon which kleptocratic capitalism depends to continue its pillage of increasingly scarce resources, and that for whatever veneer of moral rectitude the principle may provide, the doctrine of double effect has been weaponized to facilitate a fundamentally barbaric and nihilistic worldview.
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      doctype: Article
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    language: English
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