260089 Philosophy and the Environment (S) (SoSe 2020)

Course Outline:
We are living in what scientists are calling the ‘Anthropocene’, an age where humans are affecting the environment at an unprecedented level. The consequences of our actions, such as the reduction of biodiversity, species extinctions and climate change, are overwhelmingly negative, and we do not yet know their full extent. What is the best way to approach these environmental problems? In this course, we will investigate key epistemic and ethical questions in environmental philosophy. In the first part of the course, we will focus on the topic of biodiversity, from various perspectives, including: (a) what is biodiversity and how can it be measured? (b) what affects biodiversity in actual communities, (c) what are the best arguments for defending biodiversity? In the second part of the course, we will delve deeper into a real-world application of these issues: biological invasions. We will examine two difficulties scientists face while studying bioinvasions, one epistemic and one ethical: (a) how to predict where/when an invasion will succeed, and (b) how to evaluate and compare the positive and negative effects of bioinvasions.

Course Structure:
The first part of the course will have the traditional format, weekly seminars with a combination of lecture and class discussion (June 3rd-July 15th). The second part of the course will consist of an intensive two-day workshop. Proposed (but negotiable) dates for the workshop are July 17th-18th.

The course will be offered in the winter semester 2020/21

Bibliography

Various articles (TBA) and selected chapters from the following two books:

What is Biodiversity? Sterelny, K. & Maclaurin J., (2008) Chicago University Press.

Defending Biodiversity: Environmental Science and Ethics by Newman J., Varner G., & Linquist S., (2017), Cambridge University Press.