Peter S. Wenz's Books

Environmental Justice

By: Peter S. Wenz

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This book explores the philosophical background of questions on environmental justice. It focuses on theories of distributive justice, primarily those which concern the manner in which benefits and burdens should be allocated when there is a scarcity of benefits (relative to people's wants or needs) and a surfeit of burdens. It is one of those rare philosophy books that is at once accessible and sophisticated, as it introduces both philosophers and people interested in environmental studies, law, and economics to germane developments in the philosophical treatment of the question of justice. Since environmental concerns are uniquely global, theories of distributive justice are tested most thoroughly for their comprehensiveness when they are applied to environmental matters. Consequently, most illustrations and applications in this book are drawn from contexts of environmental concerns including property rights, human rights, animal rights, general utility, and hypothetical contracts.

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388

Publisher

State University of New York Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

143842387X

ISBN 13

9781438423876

Take Back the Center

Progressive Taxation for a New Progressive Agenda

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Take Back the Center

Progressive Taxation for a New Progressive Agenda

By: Peter S. Wenz

Reality-based arguments against right-wing fantasies: the case for reducing income inequality, rebuilding our infrastructure, investing in education, and putting people back to work. Midcentury America was governed from the center, a bipartisan consensus of politicians and public opinion that supported government spending on education, the construction of a vast network of interstate highways, healthcare for senior citizens, and environmental protection. These projects were paid for by a steeply progressive tax code, with a top tax rate at one point during the Republican Eisenhower administration of 91 percent. Today, a similar agenda of government action (and progressive taxation) would be portrayed as dangerously left wing. At the same time, radically anti-government and anti-tax opinions (with no evidence to support them) are considered part of the mainstream. In Take Back the Center, Peter Wenz makes the case for a sane, reality-based politics that reclaims the center for progressive policies. The key, he argues, is taxing the wealthy at higher rates. The tax rate for the wealthiest Americans has declined from the mid-twentieth-century high of 91 percent to a twenty-first-century low of 36 percent—even as social programs are gutted and the gap betweeen rich and poor widens dramatically. Ever since Ronald Reagan famously declared that government was the problem and not the solution, conservatives have had an all-purpose answer to any question: smaller government and lower taxes. Wenz offers an impassioned counterargument. He explains the justice of raising the top tax rates significantly, making a case for less income inequality (and countering society's worship of the wealthy), and he offers suggestions for how to spend the increased tax revenues: K-12 education, tuition relief, transportation and energy infrastructure, and universal health care. Armed with Wenz's evidence-driven arguments, progressives can position themselves where they belong: in the mainstream of American politics and at the center of American political conversations, helping their country address a precipitous decline in equality and quality of life.

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Page Count

309

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

026230502X

ISBN 13

9780262305020

Environmental Justice

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Environmental Justice

By: Peter S. Wenz

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388

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State University of New York Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

143842387X

ISBN 13

9781438423876

Beyond Red and Blue

How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Beyond Red and Blue

How Twelve Political Philosophies Shape American Debates

By: Peter S. Wenz

Why Americans do not divide neatly into red and blue or right and left but form coalitions across party lines on hot-button issues ranging from immigration to same-sex marriage. On any given night cable TV news will tell us how polarized American politics is: Republicans are from Mars, Democrats are from Canada. But in fact, writes Peter Wenz in Beyond Red and Blue, Americans do not divide neatly into two ideological camps of red/blue, Republican/Democrat, right/left. In real life, as Wenz shows, different ideologies can converge on certain issues; people from the right and left can support the same policy for different reasons. Thus, for example, libertarian-leaning Republicans can oppose the Patriot Act's encroachment on personal freedom and social conservatives can support gay marriage on the grounds that it strengthens the institution of marriage. Wenz maps out twelve political philosophies—ranging from theocracy and free-market conservatism to feminism and cosmopolitanism—on which Americans draw when taking political positions. He then turns his focus to some of America's most controversial issues and shows how ideologically diverse coalitions can emerge on such hot-button topics as extending life by artificial means, the war on drugs, the war on terrorism, affirmative action, abortion, same-sex marriage, health care, immigration, and globalization. Awareness of these twelve political philosophies, Wenz argues, can help activists enlist allies, citizens better understand politics and elections, and all of us define our own political identities.

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Page Count

387

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262261278

ISBN 13

9780262261272

Abortion Rights as Religious Freedom

By: Peter Wenz

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Abortion Rights as Religious Freedom

By: Peter Wenz

Wenz argues that the Supreme Court reached the right decision in Roe v. Wade but for the wrong reasons.

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Page Count

312

Publisher

Temple University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439904618

ISBN 13

9781439904619

Functional Inefficiency

The Unexpected Benefits of Wasting Time and Money

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Functional Inefficiency

The Unexpected Benefits of Wasting Time and Money

By: Peter S. Wenz

How can we reduce unemployment? As this insightful and counterintuitive book shows, the surprising answer is inefficiency. Some of the most labor-intensive sectors of the economy, the author notes, are also the most inefficient. But this inefficiency is functional—rather than impairing the economy, it bolsters employment and fosters economic growth. Technological progress increases efficiency and reduces the need for workers in manufacturing, mining, agriculture, and many services. So how do we keep people working? By maintaining inefficiencies in other areas, such as in our systems of transportation and healthcare. The author documents the waste of time and money in hospital systems, the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, automotive travel, and road construction and maintenance. These inefficiencies are tolerated because they provide a lot of jobs and promote economic growth, making them functional inefficiencies. Some of these inefficient systems come with added environmental and health costs, meaning we sacrifice more than simple efficiency for the sake of jobs. Our inefficiencies may be functional, argues Peter Wenz, but they are too often harmful for us as well. The good news is that most of these inefficiencies can be reduced without increasing unemployment or impairing economic growth. Wenz explores different methods of combating unemployment, evaluating each method carefully to determine its basic efficiencies and inefficiencies, as well as its impact on human wellbeing and on the environment. He also assesses whether it is culturally and politically acceptable and actually serves to reduce unemployment. Some inefficiency will remain, he concludes, but its negative impacts can be lessened through increased investment in physical and human infrastructure. Functional Inefficiency offers a wealth of details and a unique analysis of our economic system, plus hope for our future prospects through reduced inefficiency.

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Page Count

446

Publisher

Prometheus Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1633880419

ISBN 13

9781633880412

Nature's Keeper

By: Peter Wenz

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Nature's Keeper

By: Peter Wenz

A thought-provoking look at the value of not making separations between humans and nature.

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224

Publisher

Temple University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439904626

ISBN 13

9781439904626

Take Back the Center

Progressive Taxation for a New Progressive Agenda

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Take Back the Center

Progressive Taxation for a New Progressive Agenda

By: Peter S. Wenz

Reality-based arguments against right-wing fantasies: the case for reducing income inequality, rebuilding our infrastructure, investing in education, and putting people back to work.

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Page Count

298

Publisher

MIT Press (MA)

Published Date

ISBN 10

6613887064

ISBN 13

9786613887061

Nature's Keeper

By: Peter Wenz

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Nature's Keeper

By: Peter Wenz

A thought-provoking look at the value of not making separations between humans and nature.

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224

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Temple University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1439904626

ISBN 13

9781439904626

Environmental Ethics Today

By: Peter S. Wenz,Professor of Philosophy and Legal Studies Peter S Wenz

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Environmental Ethics Today

By: Peter S. Wenz,Professor of Philosophy and Legal Studies Peter S Wenz

Environmental Ethics Today is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of the environment, our species, and species diversity. This wide-ranging introduction to major issues and questions in environmental ethics employs an accessible, journalistic style--featuring current facts, real controversies, individual stories, and a vivid narrative--that engages readers and gives meaning to abstract philosophical concepts. Topics discussed include pollution permits for corporations, medical experimentation on animals, genetic engineering, economic globalization, biodiversity, and much more. Theories and methods such as utilitarianism, contractarianism, and hermeneutics are introduced as needed to help readers understand and attempt to resolve environmental conflicts. The book considers the views of many thinkers including Father Thomas Berry, Wendell Berry, J. Baird Callicott, Jane Goodall, Garrett Hardin, David Korten, Aldo Leopold, Arne Naess, Val Plumwood, Daniel Quinn, Tom Regan, Holmes Rolston III, Vandana Shiva, Julian Simon, Peter Singer, and Karen Warren. An exceptional primary text for courses in environmental ethics and environmental values, Environmental Ethics Today is also excellent reading for general courses in moral problems, business ethics, environmental studies, and women's studies.

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Page Count

351

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0195133846

ISBN 13

9780195133844

Functional Inefficiency

The Unexpected Benefits of Wasting Time and Money

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Functional Inefficiency

The Unexpected Benefits of Wasting Time and Money

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

446

Publisher

Prometheus Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

1633880419

ISBN 13

9781633880412

Take Back the Center

Progressive Taxation for a New Progressive Agenda

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Take Back the Center

Progressive Taxation for a New Progressive Agenda

By: Peter S. Wenz

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

309

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

026230502X

ISBN 13

9780262305020

Book's by Peter S. Wenz

Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice

Take Back the Center

Take Back the Center

Environmental Justice

Environmental Justice

Beyond Red and Blue

Beyond Red and Blue

Abortion Rights as Religious Freedom

Abortion Rights as Religious Freedom

Functional Inefficiency

Functional Inefficiency

Nature's Keeper

Nature's Keeper

Take Back the Center

Take Back the Center

Nature's Keeper

Nature's Keeper

Environmental Ethics Today

Environmental Ethics Today

Functional Inefficiency

Functional Inefficiency

Take Back the Center

Take Back the Center

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