Philosophy of Technology and Nature
Technik- und Naturphilosophie
6 LPWiSeENFÜS
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.
Lernziele
After passing the module, students should: • understand main philosophical theories of “nature” • interrogate the concept of “nature” and to expose its numerous ideological and cultural manifestations. • identify the main ethical dimensions of “nature”, and their crosscultural and political dimensions. • gain insight into reading, writing, and visual practices about “nature”and understand the power of narratives and storytelling to shape our environmental present and future.
Prüfungsleistung
• One short essay, max. 2 pages (20%) • Two reviews, max. 5 pages (each 25%) • 2 oral group presentations, about 15 min OR weekly submitted written answers to one short question on the topical readings to be determined by the instructor (30%)
Literatur (1)
- See course material in moodle.
Quelle: Modulbeschreibung der BTU · abgerufen 18.10.2026Original