368 Farm Ln
East Lansing, MI 48823
USA
Professor Kelly Parker, Department of Philosophy, Grand Valley State University
Philosophizing for Catastrophe: Resilience and the Limits of Sustainability
Environmental philosophers have recently begun to consider “resilience”–alongside or even instead of “sustainability”–as a central normative concept. This seems to reflect a recognition of indeterminate catastrophe as a certainty that people will face, as well as a change in our general expectations about how to manage the effects of catastrophe. Part 1 of this presentation provides an overview of several varieties of resilience, their relation to aspects of sustainability, and raises cautions about this shift in attention. Part 2 explores the role of philosophy in preparing for catastrophe. On the more abstract side, philosophy may provide some appropriate perspective on catastrophes; on the practical side, developing education and development strategies to build capacity for resilience in communities is a needed philosophical project. The presentation concludes with examples of such local, community engaged, collaborative, and transdisciplinary philosophical projects for developing community resilience.