Robert T. Valgenti, Ph.D., is a philosopher, educator, and translator with over 20 years of experience in higher education. His research interests include contemporary Italian philosophy, hermeneutics, the aesthetics of improvisation, and the philosophy of food. He is the translator of several essays and books by Italian philosophers, most notably Luigi Pareyson’s Truth and Interpretation (2013) and Gianni Vattimo’s Of Reality (2016). He was Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Lebanon Valley College. He was also the director and founder of E.A.T. (engage, analyze, transform), an undergraduate research group focused on improving the ethical, environmental, cultural, and nutritional profile of college dining. He is currently a member of The Menus of Change University Research Collaborative (www.moccollaborative.org) and a desk editor and occasional podcast host for the journal Gastronomica (www.gastronomica.org).
This course is premised on the notion that sustainability represents a fundamental paradox: at the current moment, sustainability presents itself as a goal that can only be achieved through a radical transformation of the ways that we relate to each other and the environment—sustainability is premised upon the unavoidability of transformation. The goal of this course is therefore not to import one or several ethical theories into the world of business and commerce in order to form moral judgments about business practices, or to train business leaders to be more efficient decision makers. Our task is to identify and navigate ethical dilemmas that arise when we entertain sustainability as a guiding principle for our individual, organizational, and global actions.
Sustainability Transition Management