Technik- und Naturphilosophie

Inhalte

What is “nature”? Is “nature” the same in all times and cultures? Is the “nature”/culture distinction still worth drawing? This module seeks to answer these and other questions, by approaching “nature” with various grounded historical and contemporary philosophical approaches. The module has two parts: „How to talk about “nature"?“ and „Living in the Anthropocene: concepts, models, and narratives in the climate crisis debate.“ The module provides an overview on how “nature” reveals itself in various environmental debates. For example, the concept of “nature” was differently interpreted in ancient times, compared to modern contemporary cultures. We will probe the different usage, the scope of historical and cross-cultural depth, the semantics, the imageries, and finally, the logical coherence of “nature” concepts. This variety of topics means that the assigned readings will draw from a wide range of sources. With respect to handle current ecological and technocultural problems, a conscious reflection about “nature” seems to be required. Thus, the module should be also seen, in part, as a way to gain insight into reading and writing about “nature”. In this module, we will demonstrate the power of narratives and storytelling to understand and shape our environmental present and future. Participation in the accompanying excursion is requested.