Dr. Martin Schönfeld

Department of Philosophy

Spring Semester 2004

PHI 6506 / EVR 6934 Seminar in Metaphysics: History of Environmental Thought (3 CH)

Meetings: Tuesdays 6:00-8:50 SCA 202

Reference: Phil. Ref. # PHI 16189 PHI 6506 901 Seminar in Metaphysics

ESP Ref. # ESP 16436 EVR 6934 903 History of Environmental Thought

Course Description:

The seminar is about metaphysical conceptions of humans, nature, and their relation. The theme is a survey of the theories of the human-nature-relation that are “alternatives” to the culturally dominant ideas in the West—the views developed by Heraclites and Pythagoras in Greek antiquity; by Laozi, Huineng, and the Confucians of the Doctrine of the Mean in ancient China; by Kepler, Leibniz, Wolff, and the (non-critical) Kant in the European Enlightenment; by Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche in 19^th century Germany; and by E. Fromm, A. Leopold, and A. Naess in 20^th century Western philosophy. These alternative perspectives, despite their different contexts, share a common ontological narrative. All of these thinkers propose that

• Nature is a dynamic structure of fields and forces, not a material collection of moving particles
• Nature is characterized by evolution and change, not by one-time creation and invariance
• Humans are integrated in nature, not separate from it
• Humans and animals are deeply similar, not categorically different
• Human flourishing and natural integrity are interdependent, not mutually exclusive
• The good is in harmony with the natural thrust of life, not opposed to it.
• Divinity is the self-organizing power of nature, not a supernatural masculine God

This alternative metaphysical tradition is provocative, for two reasons. First, it flies in the face of our dominant Western views of humans, animals, and the environment—it is pagan and non-dualistic. Second, it agrees with scientific knowledge better than the traditions of the mainstream—in heuristic assumptions and specific implications, it is the ontology that has worked out.

Course Objectives:

The goals of the seminar are (a) to examine the individual variations and overall patterns of this alternative tradition, and (b) to compare these narratives with current views in the environmental sciences, ecology, biology, and physics.

Course Requirements:

The course grade results from one research paper (40%), two essay exams (20% each), and a presentation (20%). The paper should be on a topic in the history of metaphysics and/or environmental thought; it should be 15-20 pages in length, and is due on the last day of the semester. The exams are on the persons and perspectives in the history of ideas discussed in class. The dates of the exams will be announced in class (exam I at midterm time; exam II in final meeting). The presentation should be ca. 15-20 minutes in length; the topic is up to the participant but ought to be cleared with the instructor. Students registering under the PHI-prefix should present on a relevant topic in metaphysics; students registering under the EVR-prefix should present on a relevant topic in environmental thought (e.g. history, policy, or science).

Contact:

Martin Schönfeld

Department of Philosophy (Faculty Office Building) FAO 221

Phone 974-5698

Fax 974-5914

Email mschonfe@chuma.cas.usf.edu

Graduation Requirements:

In Philosophy, PHI 6506 Seminar in Metaphysics satisfies the MEL-Requirement (Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Logic) and the requirement in Modern History of Philosophy (Spring 2004).

In Environmental Science and Policy, EVR 6934 History of Environmental Thought satisfies 3 CH of the Graduate Elective Requirement and can substitute for the Core Requirement in Environmental Thought & Communication (tentative; Dr. Duke will decide).

Texts:

1. Heraclites Fragments
2. Pythagoras Fragments
3. Laozi Dao De Jing
4. Confucian Students Doctrine of the Mean
5. Huineng Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch
6. Master Eckhart Sermons and Lectures (selections)
7. Johannes Kepler The Optical Part of Astronomy; On the Harmony of the World (selections)
8. Baruch Spinoza Letters to Oldenburg (selections)
9. Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz A Specimen of Dynamics
10. Christian Wolff Speech on the Chinese (selections)
11. Immanuel Kant True Estimation of Living Forces; Universal Natural History (selections)
12. Immanuel Kant Physical Monadology; New Elucidation of First Principles
13. G. W. F. Hegel Science of Logic (selections)
14. Friedrich Engels Dialectics of Nature (selections)
15. Arthur Schopenhauer The World as Will and Representation vol.1 bk. 2 (Metaphysics)
16. Friedrich Nietzsche The Will to Power (bk. 3.1.ix “Thing in itself and Appearance”)
17. Erich Fromm To Have or To Be
18. Aldo Leopold The Land Ethic
19. Arne Naess Essays on Deep Ecology

Since most of the texts are short, the bulk of the material will be made available as a set of copies. At this point (November 2003), the list is still subject to change—the one or the other item may be replaced. A few texts be ordered as individual books; go to the first class meeting to find out which ones they are.