Learning objectives
Learning objectives:
1. Through this course students will develop the following abilities of acquiring knowledge and understanding (Dublin Descriptor I):
(a) they will be acquainted with relevant authors and topics in the history of the notion of environment and in environmental ethics;
(b) they will be able to read and understand some classical texts of environmental ethics debate;
(c) they will know the specific terminology of such texts and the different philosophical methods required for the discussion of their topics.
2. Through this course students also will develop the following abilities to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding (Dublin Descriptor II):
(a) they will be educated to identify, describe, and apply the conceptual and argumentative structure of some relevant positions in environmental ethics debate;
(b) they will be able to elaborate their knowledge through well-structured arguments, while reconstructing the context and the historical-conceptual genesis of a problem;
(c) they will be able to identify the connection of ideas between the main positions of the environmental ethics debate and other positions in the history of philosophy;
d) they will be able to apply argumentative and conceptual tools, borrowed from environmental philosophy, to reflect on actual problems concerning the environmental crisis.
3. Finally, through this course students will reinforce their communication and learning skills and abilities of making independent judgments (Dublin Descriptors III, IV, V). Specifically:
(a) they will be able to analyze a philosophical text, both from a historical and a philosophical point of view;
(b) they will be able to criticize a philosophical topic and assess the arguments used in a philosophical debate in order to resolve a problem and/or defend a thesis, while justifying their position;
(c) they will be able to communicate (both with professors and fellow students) the acquired knowledge in a clear, documented and logically consequential way, while evaluating their learning process and skills.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites
No specific prerequisites. Only a general acquaintance with the history of philosophy and a basic knowledge of the philosophical vocabulary is recommended. During the first few lectures of the course, however, all knowledge useful and necessary for learning the matter of the course will be given.
Course unit content
Title of the course: “Philosophy and environmental crisis: ontological and moral challenges to rethink our relation to the world”.
The course focuses on the philosophical implications of the notion of environment, with particular reference to the environmental crisis. Whereas the meaning of the term “environment” refers first to the history of biology, the lack of a balanced relationship between humans and nature has requested new perspectives (both ontological and moral) to investigate it, while requiring a philosophical reflection on our being-in-the-world and the moral value of the natural environment. The course intends to offer an introduction to this reflection, starting from the environmental ethics debate and the ontological challenges this presents, towards an “ecological” interpretation of nature, our place in the natural world, and our natural experience.
Full programme
After an initial reflection on the biological meaning of the term “environment”, the course will focus on some philosophical problems concerning the environmental crisis and the conception of the man-nature relationship presupposed by it. The reconstruction of the main theoretical positions in environmental ethics debate (J. Passmore, J.B. Callicott, H. Rolston, E. Hargrove etc.) will allow to examine some problematic issues which suggest a new conception of nature, human nature, and moral actions towards the natural environment. In particular, the course will focus on the thought of Hans Jonas and Arne Næss (who coined the term “deep ecology”), as both philosophers proposed to rethink the ontological and moral man-nature relationship through the dialogue with the past philosophical tradition and a new concept of environmental experience.
Bibliography
-E. Casetta, Filosofia dell’ambiente, il Mulino, Bologna 2022.
-S. Bartolommei, L’etica ambientale come nuova frontiera del pensiero morale contemporaneo, in P. Donatelli (a cura di), Manuale di etica ambientale, Le Lettere, Firenze 2012, pp. 11-46.
During the classes, selected texts from the following volumes will be discussed:
-S. Dellavalle (a cura di), Per un agire ecologico. Percorso di lettura attraverso le proposte dell’etica ambientalista, Baldini&Castoldi, Milano 1998 (anthology).
-E.C. Hargrove, Fondamenti di etica ambientale. Prospettive filosofiche del problema ambientale, Franco Muzzio Editore, Padova 1990.
-H. Jonas, Organismo e libertà, Einaudi, Torino 1999 (pp. 3-35).
-H. Jonas, Ricerche filosofiche e ipotesi metafisiche, Mimesis, Milano 2011 (pp. 139-155).
-A. Næss, Introduzione all’ecologia, ETS, Pisa 2015.
-M. Tallacchini (a cura di), Etiche della Terra. Antologia di filosofia dell’ambiente,Vita e Pensiero, Milano 1998 (anthology).
-R. Peverelli (a cura di), Valori selvaggi. L’etica ambientale nella filosofia americana e australiana, Medusa, Milano 2005 (anthology).
Any other didactic material examined or distributed during the lessons will be made available on the ELLY platform.
Teaching methods
Oral lessons. During the classes the topics that will be discussed are those of the general contents of the course; they can be implemented by other didactic materials, in addition to those indicated in bibliography, materials that will be however made available on the ELLY
platform.
Assessment methods and criteria
Oral exam.
Assessment criteria:
30 and praise: excellent; extremely solid preparation; excellent expressive skills; complete and exhaustive ability of comprehension and analysis of concepts, topics, and arguments.
30: excellent; adequate knowledge; excellent analysis skills; correct and well articulated expression.
27-29: very good; more than satisfactory knowledge; adequate analysis skills; essentially correct and articulate expression.
24-26: good; good but not complete knowledge; satisfactory analysis skills and not always correct expression.
21-23: discrete; discrete albeit superficial knowledge; occasionally unsatisfactory analysis skills and inappropriate expression.
18-20: sufficient; acceptable but very superficial knowledge; unsatisfactory analysis skills; often inappropriate expression.
Less than 18: insufficient; the preparation has important gaps in terms of content, exposition, and analysis skills.
Other information
Students who cannot attend regularly the lessons are asked to contact the professor.
