Introductory description

The climate emergency invites us to rethink our understanding of nature. To what extent can we understand and control our environment? Do we have a moral obligation to protect the natural world? In what sense are we, as thinking animals, part of nature? This module introduces the concept of nature as a fundamental and ongoing matter of philosophical reflection. From the Presocratic poets to contemporary environmental philosophy, it provides a critical reconstruction of key attempts in philosophy's history to interrogate and alter our understanding of nature. Along the way we will examine the political and normative implications of how we think about nature, and critically reflect on our own presuppositions about the natural world.

Module aims

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Topics often include:

Nature in the Presocratic poets
Daoism and environmental philosophy
Aristotle's physics
Medieval theories of creation, including Plotinus and Aquinas
The Scientific Revolution, including Descartes and Newton
Kant and natural science
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection
Mind and world
The human body: race and gender
Our obligation to future generations

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• Students will develop a critical understanding of key phases in the philosophy of nature.
• Students will acquire the capacity to contextualise and analyse historical texts.
• Students will be able to evaluate the political and normative implications of our thinking about nature.
• Students will acquire the ability to reflect on their own conception of the natural world.

Indicative reading list

Selected texts include:

Aristotle, Physics
Aquinas, Summa Theologica
Darwin, On the Origin of Species
Daston, Against Nature
Descartes, Discourse on Method
Haslanger, 'Gender and race: (What) are they? (What) do we want them to be?'
Kant, Critique of the Power of Judgment
Newton, Principia
Sellars, ‘Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man’
Spencer, 'Are Biological Races Real?'
Svoboda, 'Environmental Philosophy as a Way of Life'
Zhuangzi, The Inner and Outer Chapters

Interdisciplinary

This module examines the philosophical foundations of natural science. It will be of interest to students working in STEM subjects, who would like to reflect on the assumptions of their discipline, and to students in the GSD program seeking to gain a philosophical understanding of the issues underpinning the climate emergency.

International

This module challenges geographical distinctions in philosophy, such as east and west, continental and analytic, by examining literature from a variety of traditions, including the ancient Near East, China, Greek antiquity, medieval Islam and Christianity, modern Europe and contemporary Anglo-American philosophy.

Subject specific skills

Students will develop their understanding of the central questions, concepts and debates in the philosophy of nature. They will be able to situate various conceptions of nature within the philosophical tradition, and have a greater appreciation of the diversity of positions regarding the metaphysics of the natural world. Students will refine their ability to discuss in speech and writing the philosophy of nature based on close reading and critical analysis of the set texts and relevant secondary literature. Finally, they will develop the capacity to critically reflect on their own assumptions about nature.

Transferable skills

Students will develop the capacity to analyse explicit and implicit conceptions of nature that underpin natural science, philosophy of mind, environmental philosophy and ethics. They will be able to contextualise contemporary debates surrounding the climate emergency within an ongoing conversation about the place of human beings in the natural order.