FIL1003 Nature in Crisis: Ethical and Philosophical Problems
- Course codeFIL1003
- Number of credits10
- Teaching semester2025 Autumn
- Language of instructionEnglish
- CampusLillehammer
- Required prerequisite knowledge
None
- Climate change: Who is morally responsible for the climate crisis? Who should bear the costs of mitigating the crisis? What are our duties to people afflicted by the climate crisis? What are our duties to future generations?
- Species and extinction: The extinction rate of wild species is alarming. More than 99 % of all species that have existed have already gone extinct. Is extinction a bad thing? If so, why? Is it only because of the death of individual animals or is it particularly bad when a species goes extinct? What is the value of biodiversity?
- Animal ethics: Humans rear and kill an enormous amount of animals for food production and medical research. What is the moral status of these animals? Can these practices be justified? What are our obligations towards these animals?
Learning Outcome
Having passed the course, the student has gained the following learning outcome:
The student
- has knowledge of central issues and problems in environmental philosophy
- has knowledge of prominent theories and arguments to address these problems
- is familiar with current research in environmental philosophy
- is familiar with central methods used in environmental philosophy
- is familiar with selected classical texts in environmental philosophy
- is familiar with the history of environmental philosophy
- has knowledge of how environmental philosophy is distinguished from other philosophical traditions
The student
- can explain central questions and problems in environmental philosophy, and can discuss and evaluate different solutions to them
- can articulate and defend their own viewpoints, positions and proposed solutions regarding such questions and problems
- can write an analytic and argumentative text in environmental philosophy
- can apply their knowledge of environmental ethics to other (professional and public) debates
- can adjust their professional practice in response to feedback and supervision
- can orient themselves in the relevant literature, both primary and secondary, and follow standard professional norms of attribution and reference
The student
- understands how ethical issues concerning humanity’s relation to nature are present both in concrete everyday situations and in societal debates
- can plan and carry out independent academic work
- can address and justify answers to complex questions in a clear and well-ordered manner
- can discuss complex problems, both orally and in writing
- can analyze philosophical texts and evaluate philosophical arguments
- respects professional, individual and cultural differences and contributes to inclusion and diversity in order to develop good academic practice
Three mandatory written pieces of coursework. The two first pieces are shorter (length to be determined in class) exercises or response papers while the last is a longer piece (length to be determined in class) that is intended to be preparatory for the exam essay.
| Form of assessment | Grading scale | Grouping | Duration of assessment | Support materials | Proportion | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Written assignment | ECTS - A-F | 100% |
Paper on a topic approved by the course instructor. Often, but not necessarily, this paper will be a further development of the third mandatory written assignment. The length of the exam paper will be announced at the beginning of class.
| Name | Credits | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
FIL1002/1 Nature in Crisis: Ethical and Philosophical Problems | 10 |
Reading list
No reading list available for this course