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Basic Problems of Environmental Ethics
Grundprobleme der Umweltethik
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:48:16
Abstract
Climate change exerts a pressure on us to significantly change our individual and collective behaviour. Such a pressure raises questions like: Who has to give up what? What is a fair distributions of the burdens in the struggle against the cllimate change? What is the reasonable understanding of our relation to nature? How should we run our economies?
Objective
Participants should become familiar with basic approaches to central problems in environmental ethics. The course will try to give an argument-based answer to the question: What are the responsibilities for individuals (e.g. as consumers), and for collectivities (e.g. states and firms). Another focus will be to clarify the concept of "climate justice". The course should also enable participants to evaluate different answers to the question how we should organize our economies for securing our ecological niche.
Resources
Literature
Preparatory Literature 1. Dieter Birnbacher, Klimaethik, Stuttgart: Reclam 2016. 2. John Broome, Climate Matters, New York/London: Norton 2012. 3. Stephen M. Gardiner, A Perfect Moral Storm. The Tragedy of Climate Change, Oxford: University Press 2015. 4. Naomi Klein, Die Entscheidung: Kapitalismus vs Klima, Frankfurt/M.: Fischer 2016.
General Information
- Language
- German
- Levels
- DS , DR , MSC
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Grundprobleme der Umweltethik |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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GESS Science in Perspective (Only the topics listed in this paragraph can be chosen as GESS Science in Perspective. Further below you will find the "type B courses Reflections about subject specific methods and content" as well as the language courses. 6 ECTS need to be acquired during the BA and 2 ECTS during the MA Students who already took a course within their main study program are NOT allowed to take the course again.)
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Type B: Reflection About Subject-Specific Methods and Contents (Subject-specific courses: Recommended for doctoral, master and bachelor students (after first-year examination only). Students who already took a course within their main study program are NOT allowed to take the course again. These course units are also listed under "Type A", which basically means all students can enroll)
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Doctoral Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (More Information at: )