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Professor Stephens
Environmental Ethics & Policy
19 January 2018
What we can learn from the Greeks
One can learn a lot about the history of environmental philosophy from the ancient
Greeks. The first Greek natural philosophers or “Presocratics” focused foremost on physis or
nature, as opposed to anthropogony and politogony (Callicott, van Buren, Brown 4). They
between natural and moral philosophy. One of the most interesting developments in ancient
greek natural philosophy is the idea of “environmental determinism,” or the idea that “human
beings are shaped not only by cultural but also by environmental influences” (Ibid 30).
Presocratic thinkers, such as Anaximander, used this idea to study how the natural climate of
Greece contributed to the development of Greek society. Despite these advancements, when
Socrates began to philosophize, his sole focus on morality eventually encouraged a separation of
disciplines into science and philosophy. This separation still heavily influences our modern
In line with the prevailing perspective of the 20th century, many thought that human
culture and values acted separately to the “facts” of nature. In the midst of an environmental
crisis, some began to evaluate how they view the natural world and the role that humanity has in
it. As the Gaia hypothesis emerged, championed by James Lovelock, it began to merge with
founded centuries before by the ancient Greeks (Ibid 313). Additionally, many began to
categorize the approaches and perspectives people have towards the environment, or
environmental worldviews (Miller and Spoolman). Despite these advancements, in society today
there is still major conflict between this current approach to the natural world, and former more
anthropocentric approaches. In order to aid this misunderstand many are calling for philosophy
to stop acting as such a specialized discipline, and instead act as way of unifying the natural and
human world (Callicott, van Buren, Brown 324). The book Greek Natural Philosophy presents
the separation of disciplines, specifically science and philosophy, as one of the catastrophes of
modern thinking. It also proposes that in order to solve environmental problems, we must once
again let philosophy and science closely inform each other. However, I tend to disagree that this
While I do agree that science and philosophy need to inform each other on a basic level, I
am hesitant to encourage their fusion any further. The case of stem cell research exemplifies my
reasoning. Stem cell research is often the topic of many philosophical debates. People are often
adametily for or against the use of stem cells in research on the basis of their values, religious
beliefs, or approaches to science. However, even though there is vast moral debate, stem cell
research still continues all over the world. This is because we need stem cell research to create
cures and treatments for some of the world’s most pressing public health problems, such as
cancer, birth defects, genetic diseases, etc. Stem cell research is not just relevant for humanity, it
is also relevant to many species that may face dying populations due to deadly diseases. For
example, using stem cell therapy, researchers have taken the first step toward developing an
effective treatment for devil facial tumor disease (DFTD), which is decimating Tasmanian devils
in the wild (Morris Animal Foundation). If philosophy further informed decisions regarding stem
cell research, there would probably more severe barriers to research then there are now. While
philosophy is positive in that it provides moral checks, if it has more influence than it does now
pursuits of scientific inquiry could suffer delays. I also fear that merging science and philosophy
would lead to decreased specialization in either field; this specialization has allowed humanity to
get to the moral and scientific place that we are at now. While I agree that interdisciplinary
approaches to environmental problems are incredibly important, the key to actually solving the
problems is having separate but communicative disciplines that have different knowledge and
perspectives.
Question: What are the positive aspects of the separation of educational disciplines? Has the
Works Cited
Baird Callicott, J., John Van Buren, and Keith Wayne Brown. Greek Natural Philosophy. 1st ed.
Cognella , 2018.
Miller, G., and Scott Spoolman. "Environmental Problems, Their Causes and Sustainability." In
Living in the Environment, 5-30. 17th ed. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, 2012.
Morris Animal Foundation. "Stem cell research provides hope for tasmanian devils with a deadly,