| CODE | PHI2024 | ||||||
| TITLE | Philosophy of the Environment | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 2 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Philosophy | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Students learn to apply traditional philosophical concepts and tools to the issues raised by contemporary environmental concerns, as well as inquiring into what such issues can contribute to the conventional discussions. The study-unit covers material from established philosophical areas, including ethics, aesthetics and philosophy of science, and adds new material from other disciplines, in particular, ecology. Brief breakdown of lecture topics: 1. Introduction to Environmental Philosophy, and brief history of the discipline 2. The concept of 'nature' over the ages 3. Wilderness and Urban environments; concept and value analysis 4. Science and the domination of Nature (Bacon, the industrial revolution) 5. Valuing nature: the intrinsic - instrumental debate 6. Anthropocentrism, Speciesism, Human chauvinism 7. Environmental Ethics - Individualism (utilitarianism, animal welfarism, animal-rights etc.) 8. Environmental Ethics - Holism (Callicott; Deep Ecology, etc.) 9. Environmental Ethics (Cost-benefit analysis and other approaches) 10. Nature and gender - the Eco-feminist critique 11. Social and political issues (population, poverty, consumption) 12. Problems in ecology; native species and exotics, the balance of nature vs. ecology of flux 13. Environmental Aesthetics - nature and art, pristine vs. 'spoilt' / 'restored' nature etc. 14. Spirituality and the Environment - the response of world religions to the ecological crises. Study-unit Aims: - To encourage students to think deeply about environmental issues, and to examine deep-seated values and prevailing attitudes. - To familiarize students with the way philosophical concepts and tools can be applied to environmental issues. - To familiarize students with the way these issues can contribute to our understanding of general philosophical problems. - To introduce students to the historical development of our ideas about and concepts of nature. - To introduce aspects and dimensions of philosophical debate which emerge from ecology and other life sciences. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe, in an essay, the relevance of philosophy to environmental issues. - Trace the development over time of various concepts to do with nature. - Analyze the concept of natural value. - Recognize the contribution of science to philosophical debates. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Provide a written account of the material that has been discussed. - Locate relevant material in printed, online and other resources. - Present a concise summary of one of the major debates in the field. - Express one's views clearly and succinctly. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: (availability at the Library or otherwise is indicated against each entry) - Zimmerman et. al Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005. (not available) - Atfield Robin. "Environmental Philosophy: Principles and Prospects." Brookfield: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 1994. (not available) - Jamieson, Dale, ed. A Companion to Environmental Philosophy. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, Inc., 2001. (Not available) - Sarkar, Sahotra. Biodiversity and environmental philosophy : an introduction. Cambridge U.P., 2005. (Available) - Sutton, P.W. Nature, environment and society. Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. (Available) - Mark Sagoff: The Economy of Earth: Philosophy Law and the Environment. Cambridge UP, 1990. (Available) |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-requisite Study-units: PHI1001, PHI1102 | ||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Colette Sciberras |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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