Abstract

Dominique Bourg is a philosopher and honorary professor at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). He is the editor of the online journal lapenséeécologique.com and the author of several books about ecology, democracy and the impact of the market. In this interview he first talks about the initiatives, in teaching but also in university management, he is involved in, mainly in Lausanne. With regards to teaching, he shares his thoughts on how to introduce courses and he argues for a multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach of teaching ecological issues, combining the perspective of social sciences with sound scientific knowledge and eco-psychological support. The interview then adopts a broader angle by mentioning obstacles to the « transition », the need to change institutions at different scales, with taking into account long term issues in public decision-making and defining a common baseline for democracy. Finally Dominique Bourg explains which levers he considers most important on the local, national and international scale.