ID:
510390
Durata (ore):
40
CFU:
6
SSD:
STORIA DELLE DOTTRINE POLITICHE
Anno:
2024
Dati Generali
Periodo di attività
Secondo Semestre (24/02/2025 - 30/05/2025)
Syllabus
Obiettivi Formativi
The course introduces students to fundamental debates in contemporary political philosophy surrounding the pressing matter of climate change and the related topic of justice among generations. The course is taught exclusively in English, and is open both to Pavia-based students and to international exchange students.
The course aims to help students to achieve a basic understanding of some of the most important controversies in contemporary political philosophy, an improved ability to apply abstract principles to specific public issues, and an improved ability to argue effectively in political debates.
In addition, students will acquire more general skills in interpreting texts and analyzing abstract concepts and a specialist understanding of democratic theory, with a specific focus on the values of freedom and equality; the concept of democratic legitimacy and a discussion of applicative challenges to democratic societies.
The course aims to help students to achieve a basic understanding of some of the most important controversies in contemporary political philosophy, an improved ability to apply abstract principles to specific public issues, and an improved ability to argue effectively in political debates.
In addition, students will acquire more general skills in interpreting texts and analyzing abstract concepts and a specialist understanding of democratic theory, with a specific focus on the values of freedom and equality; the concept of democratic legitimacy and a discussion of applicative challenges to democratic societies.
Prerequisiti
There are no formal requirements for embarking on this course. However, students will find useful a prior familiarity with contemporary debated issues within the context of liberal democracies.
Metodi didattici
Classes will include introductory lectures on each of the main topics, and seminars (10 hours) in which the students will engage in discussions and debates, applying abstract concepts to the applied issues and case studies listed in the course program.
Students must be able to read all the texts in English. Students who attend the course (frequentanti) must be fluent in speaking and listening comprehension (at least B2 level).
Students may write their exam in English or Italian.
Students must be able to read all the texts in English. Students who attend the course (frequentanti) must be fluent in speaking and listening comprehension (at least B2 level).
Students may write their exam in English or Italian.
Verifica Apprendimento
Assessment will be based on participation, an assessed essay, and an oral exam.
The final mark will be calculated as follows:
Participation, 20%%
Assessed Essay, 60%
Oral exam, 20%
Participation: The mark for participation will depend above all on the quality of your participation in the seminars – including, in case it applies, your active participation as a debater in one of the seminars.
Assessed essay: The essay should address a clear research question and must be no more than 4,000 (four thousand) words long. Students might decide autonomously on which topic-research question you want to focus their essay. However, the topic of the essay must be agreed upon in advance with the course teachers. Essays addressing questions that were not agreed upon beforehand with the course teachers will not be accepted. Instructions on how to write the essay will be provided at the beginning of the course.
Essays will be assessed in terms of their clarity, structure, and argumentative rigor, in terms of their sensitivity to the relevant ethical and philosophical issues, and, ultimately, in terms of
the efficacy with which they answer the chosen research question.
Oral exam: The oral examination will consist of a short discussion of the paper submitted by the student and of some questions concerning other topics of the course. Performance in the oral exam will be assessed in terms of students' ability to discuss and critically assess the course arguments and to make connection among them.
It will not be possible to undergo the oral examination if the short paper is not submitted in time (a week in advance of the oral exam).
The final mark will be calculated as follows:
Participation, 20%%
Assessed Essay, 60%
Oral exam, 20%
Participation: The mark for participation will depend above all on the quality of your participation in the seminars – including, in case it applies, your active participation as a debater in one of the seminars.
Assessed essay: The essay should address a clear research question and must be no more than 4,000 (four thousand) words long. Students might decide autonomously on which topic-research question you want to focus their essay. However, the topic of the essay must be agreed upon in advance with the course teachers. Essays addressing questions that were not agreed upon beforehand with the course teachers will not be accepted. Instructions on how to write the essay will be provided at the beginning of the course.
Essays will be assessed in terms of their clarity, structure, and argumentative rigor, in terms of their sensitivity to the relevant ethical and philosophical issues, and, ultimately, in terms of
the efficacy with which they answer the chosen research question.
Oral exam: The oral examination will consist of a short discussion of the paper submitted by the student and of some questions concerning other topics of the course. Performance in the oral exam will be assessed in terms of students' ability to discuss and critically assess the course arguments and to make connection among them.
It will not be possible to undergo the oral examination if the short paper is not submitted in time (a week in advance of the oral exam).
Testi
Introductory readings:
Introduction: Environment and Normative Ethics
Reading:
- D. Jamieson, Ethics and the Environment. An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, 2008. Ch.1 “The environment as an ethical question” (pp. 1-25) and Ch. 4 “Normative ethics” (pp. 76-101).
Climate Change
Readings:
- S. Gardiner, “A Perfect Moral Storm: Climate Change, Intergenerational Ethics and the Problem of Moral Corruption”, Environmental Values, Vol. 15, No. 3, 2006, pp. 397-413.
- W. Sinnott-Armstrong, “It’s Not My Global Warming and Individual Moral Obligation”, in Perspectives on Climate Change: Science, Economics, Politics, Ethics, 2015, pp. 285-307.
- G. Pellegrino, “Robust Individual Responsibility for Climate Harms”, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vol. 21, No. 4, 2018, pp. 811-823.
- S. Caney, “Climate Change, Human Rights, and Moral Thresholds”, in Climate Ethics, Gardiner, Caney, Jamieson, Shue (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2010, pp. 163-177.
Intergenerational Justice
Readings:
- John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Harvard University Press, 1971, Chapter 44 “The Problem of Justice between Generations”, pp. 251-258.
- Jane English, “Justice Between Generations”, Philosophical Studies, 31 (2), 1979, pp. 91-104.
- B. Barry, “Circumstances of Justice and Future Generations”, in Barry & Sikora (eds.) Obligations to Future Generations, Temple University Press. 1977, pp. 204-248.
- T. Meijers, “Justice Between Generations”, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, 2018, pp. 1-37.
Readings for Seminars
Seminar 1: Is Liberalism Compatible with Ecologism?
- D.R. Bell, “Political Liberalism and Ecological Justice”, Analyse & Kritik Vol. 28, 2006, pp. 206-222.
Seminar 2: Is Animal Liberation an Environmental Matter?
- D. Jamieson, “Animal Liberation is an Environmental Ethic”, Environmental Values, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1998, pp. 41-57.
Seminar 3: Should We Value Population?
- J. Broome, “Should We Value Population?”, The Journal of Political Philosophy, Volume 13, Number 4, 2005, pp. 399–413.
Seminar 4: Is There a Good Reason to Prevent Human Extinction?
- J. Lenman, “On Becoming Extinct, in Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 83, 2001, pp. 253-269.
Seminar 5: Is There Anything Wrong with Extreme Wealth?
- I. Robeyns, “What, if Anything, is Wrong with Extreme Wealth?”, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 20:3, 2019, pp. 251-266.
Seminar 6: Limitating Wealth and Future Generations
- T. Meyers, “Limitarianism and Future Generations”, in I. Robeyns (ed.), Having Too Much: Philosophical Essays on Limitarianism, Open Book Publisher, 2023, pp. 361-390.
Introduction: Environment and Normative Ethics
Reading:
- D. Jamieson, Ethics and the Environment. An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, 2008. Ch.1 “The environment as an ethical question” (pp. 1-25) and Ch. 4 “Normative ethics” (pp. 76-101).
Climate Change
Readings:
- S. Gardiner, “A Perfect Moral Storm: Climate Change, Intergenerational Ethics and the Problem of Moral Corruption”, Environmental Values, Vol. 15, No. 3, 2006, pp. 397-413.
- W. Sinnott-Armstrong, “It’s Not My Global Warming and Individual Moral Obligation”, in Perspectives on Climate Change: Science, Economics, Politics, Ethics, 2015, pp. 285-307.
- G. Pellegrino, “Robust Individual Responsibility for Climate Harms”, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vol. 21, No. 4, 2018, pp. 811-823.
- S. Caney, “Climate Change, Human Rights, and Moral Thresholds”, in Climate Ethics, Gardiner, Caney, Jamieson, Shue (eds.), Oxford University Press, 2010, pp. 163-177.
Intergenerational Justice
Readings:
- John Rawls, A Theory of Justice, Harvard University Press, 1971, Chapter 44 “The Problem of Justice between Generations”, pp. 251-258.
- Jane English, “Justice Between Generations”, Philosophical Studies, 31 (2), 1979, pp. 91-104.
- B. Barry, “Circumstances of Justice and Future Generations”, in Barry & Sikora (eds.) Obligations to Future Generations, Temple University Press. 1977, pp. 204-248.
- T. Meijers, “Justice Between Generations”, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, 2018, pp. 1-37.
Readings for Seminars
Seminar 1: Is Liberalism Compatible with Ecologism?
- D.R. Bell, “Political Liberalism and Ecological Justice”, Analyse & Kritik Vol. 28, 2006, pp. 206-222.
Seminar 2: Is Animal Liberation an Environmental Matter?
- D. Jamieson, “Animal Liberation is an Environmental Ethic”, Environmental Values, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1998, pp. 41-57.
Seminar 3: Should We Value Population?
- J. Broome, “Should We Value Population?”, The Journal of Political Philosophy, Volume 13, Number 4, 2005, pp. 399–413.
Seminar 4: Is There a Good Reason to Prevent Human Extinction?
- J. Lenman, “On Becoming Extinct, in Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 83, 2001, pp. 253-269.
Seminar 5: Is There Anything Wrong with Extreme Wealth?
- I. Robeyns, “What, if Anything, is Wrong with Extreme Wealth?”, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 20:3, 2019, pp. 251-266.
Seminar 6: Limitating Wealth and Future Generations
- T. Meyers, “Limitarianism and Future Generations”, in I. Robeyns (ed.), Having Too Much: Philosophical Essays on Limitarianism, Open Book Publisher, 2023, pp. 361-390.
Contenuti
Increasingly, communities, cities and economies face the need to not only mitigate, but also adapt to climate change. Mitigation and adaptation to climate change are complex and multifarious efforts, involving profound transformations in critical infrastructure systems, social behaviors and values and governance systems, constituting one of the most pressing global challenges to humankind. The goal of this course is to analyse these challenges with the tools of normative political theory, that is, investigating how to understand and include social values and justice concerns in these transformative processes.
The first part of the course will focus on theories of environment ethics discussing which theories of justice are more suitable for guiding modelling, plans and policy-making in climate adaptation processes. The second part of the course will debate matters of fairness between different generations. Solving the challenges raised by aging, stable pension funding programs, and increasing healthcare costs, for example, requires a view on what justice between age groups demands. Also, climate change, resource depletion, environmental degradation, population growth, and the like, raise serious concerns about the conditions under which future people will have to live.
The second part of the course will be more applied, and will discuss some of the specific challenges faced by environmental ethics. It is likely to cover at least the following issues: How much CO2 may we emit – and who is allowed to emit what?; What – if anything – do we owe to future generations? How should we divide resources between the old and the young?; Do we have a right to create future generations, or even an obligation? Can there be ‘too many’ people? These are hard questions on the intersection of political philosophy and ethics. They are not questions that can be answered by merely applying our existing theories: thinking about how to react to the environmental crisis and about what we owe to future generations puts pressure on existing normative theories and the course intends to shed lights on these pressing dilemmas.
The first part of the course will focus on theories of environment ethics discussing which theories of justice are more suitable for guiding modelling, plans and policy-making in climate adaptation processes. The second part of the course will debate matters of fairness between different generations. Solving the challenges raised by aging, stable pension funding programs, and increasing healthcare costs, for example, requires a view on what justice between age groups demands. Also, climate change, resource depletion, environmental degradation, population growth, and the like, raise serious concerns about the conditions under which future people will have to live.
The second part of the course will be more applied, and will discuss some of the specific challenges faced by environmental ethics. It is likely to cover at least the following issues: How much CO2 may we emit – and who is allowed to emit what?; What – if anything – do we owe to future generations? How should we divide resources between the old and the young?; Do we have a right to create future generations, or even an obligation? Can there be ‘too many’ people? These are hard questions on the intersection of political philosophy and ethics. They are not questions that can be answered by merely applying our existing theories: thinking about how to react to the environmental crisis and about what we owe to future generations puts pressure on existing normative theories and the course intends to shed lights on these pressing dilemmas.
Lingua Insegnamento
INGLESE
Altre informazioni
Teacher of the course: Prof.ssa Federica Liveriero
Email: federica.liveriero@unipv.it
Email: federica.liveriero@unipv.it
Corsi
Corsi
3 anni
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Persone
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