Zoo Story: Narrative, Virtue Ethics, and Deconstructing Dualisms in the Journalism of Thomas French. Issue 2 (3rd April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Neely, Jeffrey C.
• Is Part Of: Journal of media ethics. Volume 33:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 80
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2018-04-03
• DOI: 10.1080/23736992.2018.1440559
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0890-0523

Abstract

ABSTRACT: This study conducts a textual analysis of Thomas French's longform journalistic work Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives as an example of how narrative might foster a nuanced understanding of environmental conservation and its complexities. It draws on the work of Alasdair MacIntyre to argue for a virtue-based mediated conservation ethic that ties media producers, audiences, and the shared environment to narratives of human experience. Specifically, narrative offers a means to deconstruct false dualisms, to overcome the limitations of deontological and teleological approaches, and to see ourselves as part of the larger shared story of the natural world.