701-0703-00L  Environmental Ethics

SemesterAutumn Semester 2017
LecturersA. Deplazes Zemp, I. P. Wallimann-Helmer
Periodicityyearly recurring course
Language of instructionGerman


AbstractThe lecture beginns with an introduction to applied ethics in general. The main focus is on environmental ethics. Students learn to handle important concepts and positions of environmental ethics. They achieve a deeper understanding of these concepts and positions in applying them to ecological problems and discussing them in case studies.
Learning objectiveOn completion of this lecture course you will have acquired the ability to identify and process general and environmental ethical problems. You will be capable of recognising and analysing environmental ethical problems and of working towards a solution. You will have acquired a fundamental knowledge of standpoints and argumentations to be found within the field of environmental ethics and will have practised these in small case studies.
Content- Introduction to general and applied ethics.
- Overview and discussion of ethical theories relevant to the environment.
- Familiarisation with various basic standpoints within environmental ethics.
- Cross-section topics, such as sustainability, intergenerational justice, protection of species, etc.
- Practising of newly acquired knowledge in case studies (protection of species, climate change, etc.)
Lecture notesSummaries of the individual sessions will be distributed, including the most important theories and keywords; reading list.
In the part of the course serving as an introduction to general and applied ethics, we shall be using the following textbook: Barbara Bleisch/Markus Huppenbauer: Ethische Entscheidungsfindung. Ein Handbuch für die Praxis, 2nd Edition Zürich 2014
Literature- Angelika Krebs (Hrg.) Naturethik. Grundtexte der gegenwärtigen tier- und ökoethischen Diskussion 1997
- Andrew Light/Holmes Rolston III, Environmental Ethics. An Anthology, 2003
- John O'Neill et al., Environmental Values, 2008
- Klaus Peter Rippe, Ethik im ausserhumanen Bereich, Paderborn (mentis) 2008

Generel introductions:
- Barbara Bleisch/Markus Huppenbauer: Ethische Entscheidungsfindung. Ein Handbuch für die Praxis, Zürich 2014, 2. Auflage
- Marcus Düwell et. al (Hrg.), Handbuch Ethik, 2. Auflage, Stuttgart (Metzler Verlag), 2006
- Johann S. Ach et. al (Hrg.), Grundkurs Ethik 1. Grundlagen, Paderborn (mentis) 2008
Prerequisites / NoticeThe procedure for accumulating CP will be explained at the start of term.
I expect participants to be motivated and contribute to discussions, keeping the course interesting and lively.