Philosophy, Science and Environmental Realism:
Educational, Ethical and Enviromental Issues of Concern to Mankind
Lecture notes
Lecture Notes (PDF - 16 kB)
1. ARTICULATING THE CONTEXTS OF SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY
2. PROGRESS AND SCIENCE POLICY
3. PROBLEMS OF GOVERNANCE
4. ENVIRONMENTAL REALISM
5. EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RATIONALITY: SCIENCE AND ITS FUTURE
ABSTRACT
'Naturwissenschaftler werden sich zunehmend der Verantwortung bewusst, die ihnen daraus erwächst, daß ihre Arbeit einerseits zur Erhaltung, andererseits aber auch zur Zerstörung des Lebens auf der Erde beitragen kann. Es müssen die Grundlagen und gefährlichen Konsequenzen physikalischer, chemischer und biologischer Forschungs-und Entwicklungsarbeiten sowie die technischen und politischen Möglichkeiten zur Eindämmung der Gefahren und Stimulierung lebenserhaltender Strategien überdacht werden. '
1. My starting premises (Ausgangspunkt) is that it is always
possible and desirable to bring alternative perspectives to bear upon the issues
of concern to mankind, which are ritualistically posed and formulated under
the influence of some dominant paradigm or the other. It is of crucial importance
innovatively and strategically to explore alternatives by relentless interrogation
of the dominant paradigms themselves.
There is no doubt that we all have either witnessed or come under the direct
impact of tremendous progress made by the sciences, technology and industry
in the past century. Are we now witnessing some kind of paradigm shift? We live
and work in the age of knowledge society, where economic progress is directly
linked with how efficiently we use and manage the resources of knowledge and
information. The advanced economies are knowledge based economies in so far
as knowledge is a major factor for the creation of economic wealth and benefits.
Yet as soon as we ask questions about moral progress, sustainable development,
disappearing cultures and loss of values and wisdom, we find that not everything
is alright with knowledge society. So long as there is scientific progress,
there is hardly any need to defend science against its possible critics. But
scientific progress without moral progress certainly calls for innovative and
strategic moves for public debate on science policy.
2. As soon as we turn our attention to the existing scenario
outside the sciences, there is bad news at the major frontiers which are under
the direct impact of scientific, technological and economic progress. Some of
the challenges relate to the rituals of knowledge society, while others relate
to the paradigms of governance in a highly globalized world. Yet others relate
to the host planet Earth, world´s children, education, human life and
dignity. The major frontiers and tasks which the humanity needs to address are:
(i) defending human life and dignity particularly at the interface between the
basic and applied science; (ii) debating climate change mitigation and adaptation
while trying to assess the value of disappearing/disappeared cultures; and (iii)
impacting policy change for improving the human condition of governance and
stakeholder participation.
The proposed course is intended to acquaint ourselves with these major frontiers.
The main questions to be considered are: Whether it is possible to go beyond
the rituals of knowledge society? Whether it is possible to work for a change
in the science policy by bringing issues of concern to mankind into public debate
on science, technology and knowledge society? Whether by fostering the values
of wisdom, moral progress and stakeholder participation, it is possible to create
and preserve a better world for the future generations, in which they would
be able to live peacefully. Since alternative ways of organizing our corporate
activities and social or cultural life on our planet cannot be ruled out, the
question is how we might integrate knowledge, wisdom and values in order to
put an end to a fragmented approach to science, education, political economy,
institution building and governance.
Recommended Readings: Selections
1. Philosophy of Science:
Einstein, A. (1934), Mein Weltbild, Herausgegeben von Carl Seelig. Ullstein
Buecher. S. 113.
Heisenberg, W. (1984), Gesammelte Werke. Piper: München/Zürich. Band
II, 1956-1968, S. 428. Herausgegeben von Walter Blum, Hans-Peter Dürr und
Helmut Rechenberg.
Heisenberg, W. (1985), Gesammelte Werke III, 1969-1976, Herausgegeben von Walter
Blum, Hans-Peter Dür und Helmut Rechenberg. Piper: München/Zürich
1985, S. 459-460.
Fuller, Steve: 2000, Thomas Kuhn: A Philosophical History for Our Times, 490
p., 12 tables, Cloth IND $42.50spec 0-226-26894-2 Spring 2000, Paper Not for
sale in India $26.00sp 0-226-26896-9 Fall 2001.
Hacking, I.: 1993, `Working in a New World: The Taxonomic Solution’, in
P. Horwich (ed.), World Changes, The MIT Press, Cambridge, pp.275-310.
Jones, Caroline A.: Spring 2000, "The Modernist Paradigm: The Art World
and Thomas Kuhn", Critical Inquiry, 26: 488-528.
Jones, Richard A. L.: 2006, Review of Ted Sargent (2006) The Dance of Molecules:
How Nanotechnology is Changing our Lives, Thunder’s Mouth Press, 304 pp.,
in Nature, Vol. 440/20 April 2006, p. 995.
Maxwell, N. (2004) Is Science Neurotic? London: Imperial College Press.
Pandit, G. L. (1982) The Structure and Growth of Scientific Knowledge: A Study
in the Methodology of Epistemic Appraisal. Boston Studies in the Philosophy
of Science Vol. 73, D. Reidel: Dordrecht/Boston/London.
Pandit, G. L. (1989), “Scientific Change: The Possibility of a Unified
Approach”, Berichte Des 13. Internationalen Wittgenstein-Symposiums: Grenzfragen
Zwischen Philosophie und Naturwissenschaft. Wien 1989, 168-179. Eds. Paul Weingartner
& Gerhard Schurz.
Pandit, G. L. (1991), Methodological Variance: Essays in Epistemological Ontology
and the Methodology of Science. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science
Vol. 131, Springer/Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht/Boston/London.
Pandit, G. L. (1995): “A Pre-Established Dis-Harmony?” (1995: 152-162),
A Response to Nancy Cartwright, “Where in the World is the Quantum Measurement
Problem?, in Lorenz Krueger and Brigitte Falkenburg (Hrsg.) Physik, Philosophie
und die Einheit der Wissenschaften: Fuer Erhard Scheibe – Grundlagen der
Exakten Naturwissenschaften Band 10. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag: Heidelberg/Berlin/Oxford,
1995, 130-151.
Pandit, G. L. (1996) “Lorenz Krueger: Rational Reconstructionist of Conditions
of Scientific Change”, in The Memorial Symposium for Lorenz Krueger –
Max-Planck-Institut fuer Wissenschaftsgeschichte: Berlin: 25th September 1995.
Preprint 38 (1996, 27-35).
Pandit, G. L. (2002a) “Heisenberg-Einstein Context Principle and the Dynamic
Core-Context of Discovery in Physics” in Fortschritte der Physik 50: 5-7,
461-482.
Pandit, G. L. (2002b) “Heisenberg-Einstein Context Principle and the Dynamic
Core-Context of Discovery in Physics” in D. Papenfuß, D. Luest,
W. P. Schleich (eds.) 100 Years Werner Heisenberg – Works and Impact,
Wiley-VCH, pp. 32-53.
Pandit, G. L. (2007a), “Epistemologically Embedded Methodology of Science:
Turns in the Twentieth Century Conceptions of Scientific Rationality”,
in B. V. Sreekantan (ed.) Foundations of Sciences. PHISPC Publications Vol.
XIII, Part 5 (ICPR-CSC), 2007, pp. 43-73, New Delhi (forthcoming)
Weinberg, S.: 1992, Dreams of a Final Theory, Pantheon Books.
2. Ethics in the public domain:
Anderson, E. N., (1996), Ecologies of the Heart, Oxford University Press.
Daly, H. E., (1977), Steady-State Economics. Freeman: San Francisco.
Daily, G. G. C., (ed.) Nature´s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural
Ecosystems, Island Press: Washington, DC, 1997.
Hardin, Garrett, (1968), “The Tragedy of the Commons”, Science 162/
Dec. 13, 1968, 1243-1248.
Johnson, L. E., (1991), A Morally Deep World, Cambridge University Press.
Kohak, E., "Nature as Presence and Experience" (273-284), in R. S.
Cohen & Alfred Tauber (eds.) Philosophies of Nature: The Human Dimension
(in celebration of Erazim Kohak). Kluwer Academic Publishers: Dordrecht. 1998
Lubchenco, J., "Entering the Century of Environment: A New Social Contract
for Science", Science 279, 23 Jan. 1998, pp. 491-497.
Markwell, D., (2007), `A Large and Liberal Education´: Higher Education
for the 21st Century. Australian Scholarly Publishing & Trinity College:
The University of Melbourne.
Meadows, D. H., Meadows, D. L., Randers, J. and Behrens, W. W. (1972), The Limits
to Growth. Universe: New York, N. Y.
Mittelstraß, J., (2001), "Ktreativität und Konstruction",
ZWF Jahrg. 96 (2001) 1-2. München: Calr Hanser Verlag; and Jürgen
Mittelstraß (2000), "Die Angst und das Wissen - oder was leistet
die Technikfolgenabschätzung?" in Philosophie und Technik, ed. A.
Gethmann-Siefert/C. F. Gethmann, München: Wilhelm Fink Verlag, 2000, pp.
25-41.
Pandit, G. L., 1995: Von der Oekologie des Bewusstseins zum Umweltrealismus
– Die Wiederentdeckung menschlicher und nicht-menschlicher Interessenssphaeren.
Wiener Vorlesungen Band 41. Picus Verlag: Wien.
In his book, published in its German edition from Vienna, he proposes a new
paradigm, environmental realism, for environmental and human interests studies,
integrating the environmental realities with a new environmental ethics and
a new model for environmental management.
Pandit, G. L., “Leibniz and the Changing Images of Universal Interconnectedness”,Hans
Poser et al (Hrsg.) VII. Internationaler Leibniz-Kongress “NIHIL SINE
RATIONE – Mensch, Natur und Technik im Wirken von G. W. Leibniz“,
Vortraege 2. Teil. Technische Universitaet Berlin (2001, 942-947).
Pandit, G. L., “Ecologies of Environmental Nesting”, in Karimo Bakhtiyor
(ed.) Proceedings of Humboldt-Kolleg ( July 6-10, 2004) Uzbekistan – Use
of Geographic Information Systems and Simulation Models for Research and Decision
Support in Central Asian River Basins. Tashkent, 2004, p. 154.
Pandit, G. L., “Leibniz´s Weltbild of Universal Interconnectedness,”
in Herbert Breger, Jürgen Herbst und Sven Erdner (Hrsg.) Einheit in der
Vielheit. Vorträge 2. Teil , VIII. Internationaler Leibniz-Kongress Vorträge,
2006 (769-779).
Pandit, G. L., “Human Interest Studies within Environmental Realism”
in Dhankar, R. S. (ed.) Environment and Quality of Life: Canada and India. Delhi:
Allied Publishers: forthcoming
Pandit, G. L., 2006c „Neue ethische Fragen aus der biomedizinischen Forschung
und dem
öffentlichen Gesundheitswesen” („New Ethical Issues from Biomedical
Research and Public
Health“): Guest lecture at the Seminar für Übersetzen u. Dolmetschen,
Universität Heidelberg
(unpublished).
Pandit, G. L., (2007a) “Ethical Tasks of Media Advocacy in the 21st Century”,
Philosophie der Informationsgesellschaft / Philosophy of the Information Society:
Beitraege des 30. Internationalen Wittgenstein Symposium (5. - 11. August 2007),
Band XV, edited by Herbert Hrachovec, Alois Pichler and Joseph Wang, pp. 169-173.
Kichberg am Wechsel: Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society.
Pandit, G. L., 2007b “Ethics in Public Domain: Biomedical Research and
Beyond”, in: Alok Srivastava and Ipsita Roy (eds.), Bio-Nano-Geo Sciences:
Addressing Issues of Concern to Mankind, Humboldt-Kolleg-Palampur (India), forthcoming.
A pre-print is accessible in Indo-German Science Circle Website of the Embassy
of Federal Republic of Germany, New Delhi: (www.science-cooperation.org/www.science-circle.org)
Pretty, J., 2007, The Earth Only Endures: On Reconnecting with Nature and Our
Place in it, Earthscan: London, 2007.
Turner, B. L., II (ed.), The Earth as Transformed by Human Action, Global and
Regional Changes in the Biosphere over the Past 300 Years, Cambridge University
Press. 1990.
UNICEF report on childhood in industrialised countries, News item 14 February 2007: see http://www.unicef.org.uk/press/news_detail.asp?news_id=890
Giridhari L. Pandit