Introduction to Part I. Field Environmental Philosophy: Concepts and Case Studies

Abstract

Education plays a major role in the formation of citizens and attitudes about biological and cultural (biocultural) diversity. Today, we are increasingly disconnected from everyday interactions with our environments and the living beings that inhabit them. To reorient this trend, we present a novel methodological approach, Field Environmental Philosophy (FEP), to reconnect students and other participants with biocultural diversity. This methodological approach is called “field environmental philosophy,” and not “field ecology” because it integrates epistemological, ontological, and ethical dimensions. Graduate students and other participants use methods from sciences humanities and arts. They combine analyses of philosophical, ethnographic, and ecological texts with field experiences to investigate biophysical, symbolic-linguistic, and political dimensions of biocultural diversity. The ultimate goal of FEP, however, is that participants do not limit themselves to only learning about biocultural diversity, but also propose and practice respectful, and responsible ways of co-inhabitation.