Climate Science and Environmentalism: Philosophical Investigations
Overview
In an era of ‘climate emergencies’ and controversies surrounding ‘global warming’, we explore the relationship of philosophy to environmentalism, and introduce the field of philosophy of climate science.
We investigate the emergence and development of ‘climate science’ and consider how philosophy engages with its concepts and practices. A variety of themes, such as catastrophism and scepticism, will be considered, and problems about climate data and models will be examined.
Finally we explore ‘anthropogenic climate change’ and recent, associated problems such as the ‘hockey stick’ and ‘climategate’ controversies. This will lead us to evaluate the ethics, politics and economics of climate change.
Programme details
Session 1
Science and Philosophy: historical relations and transformations
Session 2
Philosophy and environmentalism: from ‘deep ecology’ to ‘green philosophy’
Session 3
Contexts and attitudes: climate, catastrophism and scepticism
Session 4
The emergence of ‘climate science’ and its key developments
Session 5
Climate science and philosophy: preliminary problems and definitions
Session 6
Climate data and philosophy: from stations to palaeoclimate econstructions
Session 7
Climate models and philosophy I: types of model and their construction
Session 8
Climate models and philosophy II: uses and evaluation
Session 9
Anthropogenic climate change I: from detection to projection
Session 10
Anthropogenic climate change II: some specific controversies and disputes
Session 11
Further perspectives: non-western philosophy and the environment
Session 12
Climate change: politics, ethics and economics
Tutor
Dr Martin Ovens
Tutor
Martin Ovens has taught courses in Philosophy and Religious Studies for OUDCE since 2005. Among his research interests are scepticism and philosophy of science.
Course aims
This course aims to introduce, elucidate and examine problems in the philosophy of climate science.
Teaching methods
All summer school courses are taught through group seminars and individual tutorials. Students also conduct private study when not in class and there is a well stocked library at OUDCE to support individual research needs.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be expected to understand:
- Core themes, problems and arguments in philosophy of climate science
- Relationships between philosophy and environmentalism
- Problems about the ethics and politics of climate change
- Specific controversies and disputes associated with anthropogenic climate change
For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/courses/climate-science-and-environmentalism-philosophical-investigations?code=O20I503SSR