The Role of Philosophy for Sustainability Research

Abstract

Philosophy plays a crucial role for sustainability research in several ways. First, the definition and analysis of the ethical dimension of sustainability is a subject of ethics, and with this, belongs to the realm of philosophy. However, the ethical dimension of sustainability cannot be analyzed completely within the field of ethics, as it requires the reflection of the ethical role of science as well. Sustainability research must consider science as both a tool for approaching the issue of sustainability and part of the issue. Sustainability research thus needs to develop the ability and methods to reflect on its double role and to analyze and orient its own role within the sustainability relations. This is a further philosophical task, which can particularly be supported by epistemology and philosophy of science. With this, philosophy enables researchers for methodological reflections, and for discussion of the foundations of science, its inherent normative assumptions, and its ethical meaning in light of sustainability. In addition, philosophy provides fundamentals for the inter-and transdisciplinary design of sustainability research. The interdisciplinary integration of sciences and ethics requires more specific philosophical analyses of the self-identity, concepts, methods, basic assumption, evaluations, and implicit normative aspects of particular sciences, the discussion of their relationships, and their integration. This cannot be done by the methods of the respective sciences alone, but requires a philosophical perspective and approach. For this, the philosophies of particular sciences, such as the philosophy of biology, the philosophy of economics, or the philosophy of physics, can provide some support. Moreover, philosophy provides general expertise for the analyses of concepts and the identification of hidden (normative) assumptions, which is crucial for a solid underpinning of interdisciplinary work. Transdisciplinary integration requires an understanding of the specifics of scientific perspectives, approaches, and knowledge on the one hand, and other forms of experience, recognition , and knowledge on the other. Also, it requires a discussion of the relationship between scientific and nonscientific perspectives and types of knowledge. The history of philosophy offers important approaches and insights that can support such a discussion. Of particular relevance would be phenomenology, epistemology, and philosophy of science.