The course is an elective course for students pursuing a licentiate degree in philosophy: it requires, in fact, basic knowledge in the field of moral philosophy and philosophical anthropology.
This is a characterizing course, dedicated to a topic of great contemporary relevance. If, indeed, since ancient times man, through his activities, has modified the world around him, the impact of such activities has become increasingly extensive in recent centuries, thanks to an astounding but problematic technological progress. In the last fifty years, therefore, ethical reflection on human action in the environment has intensified, as serious, often dark, questions have arisen about the future of man and his home, the Earth.
The course therefore aims to analyze the so-called “environmental question,” especially in its (bio)ethical implications. After mentioning some historical and scientific elements of ecology, we will recall the philosophical elements that identify man’s place in nature. In line with what the specialization curriculum of the licentiate proposes (to compare Catholic moral and social thought with current debates), we will proceed to define and critically analyze the main ethical theories of the human-environment relationship. Subsequently, we will describe the Christian vision of the environment and the concepts of human ecology and integral ecology that have emerged in the magisterium.