Nature, Humans, and Philosophy
According to COA’s website, Human Ecology studies the relationships between humans and their natural and social environments. But what do we mean by “nature,” and what distinguishes a natural environment from a social one? Moreover, what kinds of relationships should we cultivate with our natural environments? This discussion-based course explores the concepts of nature and environmental responsibility across different philosophical and cultural frameworks. We will draw on a variety of readings from environmental ethics, ecofeminism, deep ecology, American transcendentalism, indigenous studies, queer theory, and Buddhism. We will read selections from thinkers such as John Stuart Mill, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Ramachandra Guha, Aldo Leopold, Arne Naess, Val Plumwood, Vandana Shiva, Gary Snyder, Henry David Thoreau, Eduardo Kohn, Mary-Jane Rubenstein, Thich Nhat Hanh, Anna Tsing, and others.
Guiding questions include the following: What is nature? How is the idea of nature politicized and socially constructed? Do we have moral obligations to nature? How should humans relate to nature? What assumptions drive the conceptual distinction between humans and nature? Although this course will focus primarily on theoretical questions, we will also discuss issues in applied ethics such as, control over natural resources, wilderness preservation, sustainability, and consumption. Throughout the course, we will revisit questions pertaining to environmental activism, and we will consider how philosophy can help us to articulate our ethical responsibilities and obligations.
Upon completion of this course, students will have gained a richer philosophical understanding of the idea of nature and they will be familiar with key debates in environmental ethics. Course requirements include weekly writing assignments, a midterm exam, a final paper, and class participation. There are no prerequisites, but students should arrive to this class prepared to engage difficult philosophical texts and to share their ideas with others.