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Redefining Ecological Ethics: Science, Policy, and Philosophy at Cape Horn

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Abstract

In the twentieth century, philosophy (especially within the United States) embraced the notion of disciplinary expertise: philosophical research consists of working with and writing for other philosophers. Projects that involve non-philosophers earn the deprecating title of “applied” philosophy. The University of North Texas (UNT) doctoral program in philosophy exemplifies the possibility of a new model for philosophy, where graduate students are trained in academic philosophy and in how to work with scientists, engineers, and policy makers. This “field” (rather than “applied”) approach emphasizes the inter- and transdisciplinary nature of the philosophical enterprise where theory and practice dialectically inform one another. UNT’s field station in philosophy at Cape Horn, Patagonia, Chile is one site for developing this ongoing experiment in the theory and practice of interdisciplinary philosophic research and education.

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Notes

  1. An international workshop, “Integrating Ecological Sciences and Environmental Ethics: Understanding and Conserving Frontier Ecosystems,” held in March 2007, included scientists, policy analysts, philosophers, regional decision makers, and graduate students in all these areas. The workshop had two overall goals: to make progress in understanding the challenges of managing frontier forest ecosystems in Chile, and, more generally, to improve understanding of how to interweave ethics and values concerns with scientific information for improved decision making. Outcomes of this workshop include two edited volumes (one in English, Environmental Ethics, vol. Fall, 2008, one in Spanish; Refs) which will be shared with (and in part written by) local, regional, and national decision makers.

  2. A recent edited volume, The Philosophy of Expertise, by Crease and Salinger [17] addresses some of these questions, but not within the context of a crisis of knowledge production.

  3. NSF’s IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education Research Training) is an eight-year effort at funding graduate programs that overcome disciplinary limits. See http://www.igert.org/.

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Correspondence to Robert Frodeman.

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Frodeman, R. Redefining Ecological Ethics: Science, Policy, and Philosophy at Cape Horn. Sci Eng Ethics 14, 597–610 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-008-9100-7

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