ENVS 048. Philosophy of Nature

Cross-listed as PHIL 029
The question of how we conceive of nature and our relationship to it is one that has become increasingly pressing as we deal with environmental issues that are rapidly reaching a critical point. There has been a resurgence of interest in views like process philosophy-a view that suggests that unless we take interconnected becoming into account we cannot explain the novelty of life; panpsychism-a view that suggests that consciousness may be a fundamental component of the universe rather than an emergent effect of brains; biosemiotics-a view that suggests that even at the level of cells and unicellular organisms life operates through meaning-making rather than merely as mechanisms; and "new" materialism-a view that suggests that even matter instead of being viewed as inert could be conceived as having a kind of agency of its own. These views, among others, in updated forms that take up again questions silenced at earlier points in time in new contexts-along with cross-cultural views that have never succumbed to the Western binaries of nature/culture, human/animal, and self/other-in light of the radical challenges facing us, are rich resources for rethinking our relationship to nature in ways that could foster the kind of shifts in self-understanding and investment in our relations to others and our surroundings that we need to survive.
Prerequisite: First- and second-year students must complete one introductory level PHIL course before enrolling in this course.
Humanities
1 credit.
Eligible for ENVS.
Catalog chapter: Environmental Studies
Department website: https://www.swarthmore.edu/environmental-studies

Access the class schedule to search for sections.

Close Window