Nature and Society

Semester 2 · 27271 · Bachelor in Economics, Politics and Ethics · 7CP · DE

The course offers a variety of perspectives to help students develop a critical understanding of the relationship between nature and society. Throughout the course, elements for diagnosing the present are conveyed and discussed in relation to the following questions, among others: How have human beings understood nature, and how do they understand it today? How have human beings understood themselves and how do they understand themselves today? What scope do they have to shape their relationship with nature and with each other in society? Classic ethical positions provide an opportunity to develop autonomous reflections on these questions. The enquiry into the nature of the human being remains the central point of reference. Thanks to language, human beings establish themselves in nature and organise themselves in society. Thus, nature and society emerge as the thematic areas that characterise humanity’s relationship to the world.

Lecturers: Ralf Lüfter, Johannes Niederhauser

Teaching Hours: 42
Lab Hours: 6
Mandatory Attendance: Highly suggested, but not required.

Course Topics
God - Nature - Man The things of nature and the nature of things Art as imitation of nature: mimesis Nature as a model for technology: bionics and bioengineering The book of nature in mathematical symbols Methodological monism vs. methodological dualism On the appropriation of nature in photography, cartography, chronography The observer paradox Cybernetics: steering of natural organisms and social organizations Anthropocene Natural language and technical language

Propaedeutic courses
None

Teaching format
Mixed lecture and seminar style. Exercise hours will be offered to elucidate (including from a linguistic point of view) and deepen what is presented and discussed in class.

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding: By the end of the programme, students will have acquired the following knowledge and skills: - diachronic textual knowledge and hermeneutic tools for understanding the phenomenon of human existence in the context of the polis institution; - diachronic textual knowledge and tools of epistemological analysis for understanding the relationship between philosophical and scientific knowledge, with special consideration of the ethical foundations of economics and the prerequisites and implications of economic modelling; - Knowledge of selected basic philosophical positions and theoretical tools of analysis to develop the autonomous ability to conceptualise and ethically and philosophically diagnose phenomena; - Knowledge of selected basic philosophical positions and theoretical tools of analysis for understanding the fundamental institutions of the Western world; - Knowledge of the relationship between nature and society based on fundamental concepts of the philosophical tradition that enable an analysis of the human habitat and an understanding of the crises associated with the mechanisation of nature in an economic context; - Knowledge of the philosophical rationales for decision-making criteria in the field of economics and their ethical implications, with the aim of understanding the element of responsibility that these rationales entail at both theoretical and practical levels, focussing on transformative experiences. Applying knowledge and understanding: - The ability to disengage from the operational, contingent level and the corresponding forms of knowledge in order to engage with the realm in which meaning and the grounding knowledge related to it are constituted: - the ability to distinguish between the factual cause of a state of affairs and the origin or principle of a phenomenon; - the ability to understand the linguistic dimension and the differences between languages as a field of elaboration of philosophical thought; - the ability to adopt an autonomous cognitive and critical stance, supported by an adequate capacity for conceptualisation at the methodological, theoretical and ethical levels; - the ability to distinguish between the problematic impacts of human intervention in nature and the level of meaning from which these impacts emerge; - the ability to read and interpret textual examples from the philosophical tradition and to understand the rationale of their reasoning; - the ability to formulate a concept or argument effectively in a multilingual context characterised by translation and dialogue between languages. Making judgements: Acquiring the necessary judgement and associated methodological tools to critically analyse data, sources, assumptions and implications of scientific practice as well as the political, ethical and legal contexts in which economic phenomena are situated and with which they interact. Communication skills: Proficiency in written and spoken Italian, German and English, including translation of these languages. Intercultural competence. Conceptual conciseness, ability to capture facts in writing, especially for scientific and science-based texts. Learning skills: Promotion of critical thinking and analytical skills to recognise complex problems in their long-term dynamics and in the diversity of their - also ethical - implications .

Assessment
Written exam at the end of the semester.

Evaluation criteria
The written exam counts for 100% of the final mark. Relevant for the assessment: • knowledge and understanding • ability to ask adequate questions • critical thinking • analytical strength

Required readings

— Slides presented in class

— Readings handed out in class

All texts will be made available in the reserve collection.

Download as pdf

Sustainable Development Goals
This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals.

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