ABSTRACTGeography must be conceived in relation to man. It is not merely a description of the Earth, rather it accounts for the history of man’s relationship with it, of man’s movements on its surface, and his transformative impact on the world. From this perspective, Friedrich Ratzel was extraordinarily innovative respect to other nineteenth century scholars. That said, however, his revolutionary approach actually relied on an ancient foundation. To understand the basis of Ratzel’s anthropogeographical project it is vital to return to (...) a Greek concept that, over the centuries, has been variously resemantized: the concept of the oecumene. In his understanding of the oecumene, the entire breadth of humanity is conceived in historical and geographical relation to the world around it. Ratzel’s anthropogeography aspires to an all-encompassing understanding of man. In fact, it allows us to reconstruct the coordinates of time and space through which man has developed as a being capable of culture. The Earth, according to Ratzel, transcends its eminently geophysical connotations and becomes more similar to the ancient oecumene. It is, once more, the abode of man; it is that which he knows and recognizes, that to which he gives a name. (shrink)

This is the second of three parts of an introduction to the philosophy of climate science. In this second part about modelling climate change, the topics of climate modelling, confirmation of climate models, the limits of climate projections, uncertainty and finally model ensembles will be discussed.

This is the first of three parts of an introduction to the philosophy of climate science. In this first part about observing climate change, the topics of definitions of climate and climate change, data sets and data models, detection of climate change, and attribution of climate change will be discussed.

We are facing uncertainties regarding climate change and its impacts. To conceptualize and communicate these uncertainties to policy makers, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has introduced an uncertainty framework. In this paper, I assess the latest, most developed, version of this framework. First, I provide an interpretation of this framework, which draws from supporting documents and the practice of its users. Second, I argue that even a charitable interpretation exhibits three substantial conceptual problems. These problems point towards untenable (...) assumptions regarding evidence aggregation in the context of climate scientific findings. Third, I put forward a tentative roadmap for improving the uncertainty framework. (shrink)

We are facing uncertainties regarding climate change and its impacts. To conceptualize and communicate these uncertainties to policy makers, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has introduced an uncertainty framework. In this paper, I assess the latest, most developed, version of this framework. First, I provide an interpretation of this framework, which draws from supporting documents and the practice of its users. Second, I argue that even a charitable interpretation exhibits three substantial conceptual problems. These problems point towards untenable (...) assumptions regarding evidence aggregation in the context of climate scientific findings. Third, I put forward a tentative roadmap for improving the uncertainty framework. (shrink)