IGN 14-5
Connecting philosophy, and philosophers, to ecological research

Thursday, August 8, 2013
101E, Minneapolis Convention Center
Michael P. Nelson, Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Joseph K. Bump, School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
John A. Vucetich, School of Forest Resources & Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
Ecology is about relationships.  Not only about relationships between organisms and their environment, but also how humans decide to relate to nature (think applied ecology, human dimensions).  But this is also a fundamentally philosophical and ethical pursuit.  Any of the natural sciences can inspire thinking about the human-nature relationship.  But the science alone is not prescriptive, and therefore not adequate to allow us to arrive at wise ways of living in the world.  It is only through a combination of facts and values, the realm of science and the realm of philosophy TOGETHER, that we will find what we seek.