As the label “Leibnizian-Wolffian School Philosophy” suggests, Christian Wolff has traditionally been regarded as Leibniz’s disciple. Thanks to L. W. Beck, C. A. Corr, J. École, and others, we now know that Wolff was inspired by.

As the label “Leibnizian-Wolffian School Philosophy” suggests, Christian Wolff has traditionally been regarded as Leibniz’s disciple. Thanks to L. W. Beck, C. A. Corr, J. École, and others, we now know that Wolff was inspired by.

As the label “Leibnizian-Wolffian School Philosophy” suggests, Christian Wolff has traditionally been regarded as Leibniz’s disciple. Thanks to L. W. Beck, C. A. Corr, J. École, and others, we now know that Wolff was inspired by.

Falling down a waterfall is a boundary experience that epitomizes a crisis. This philosophical essay draws an analogy to the maladaptation civilization finds itself in. Falling down a waterfall is a singular event, but it has structure. There are stages that lead up to it, and if one survives the fall, there will be stages that follow it. I suggest that such a mishap is analogous to the ecological overshoot. What leads to the overshoot, and what is entailed by it, (...) is a parallel sequence of stages. As a civilization, we are in an unprecedented situation: we have reached the limits of growth. We are overwhelming the load capacities of the global system, with climate change as tangible symptom. Akin to what leads up to a waterfall, the first stage of the civilizational crisis is a petering-out of familiar pathways. The second stage is reality-denial: the pretense that such petering-out cannot be happening. Stage three is the lure of the risky choice – followed by the great geopolitical freak-out, which is stage four, the core of the crisis. We’re in the current; we’re swept over the edge; we’re going down. And if we survive, the worst isn’t over yet, for now other dangers lurk. This is stage five: the stage of lethal irony. You think you’ve made it and win a Darwin Award anyway. But say you scrape by, then the final stage of the crisis will be a transition to lingering perils: an aftermath of heightened vulnerability. (shrink)

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction: The Problem of Dynamics in the Enlightenment Kant's Starting Point: The Ontology of Force Relativistic Dynamics: The Force–Space Bond The True Estimation of Force: The Marriage of Momentum and Energy Conclusion – Kant's Unlikely Dialectical Inspiration.

While humanity is altering planet Earth at unprecedented magnitude and speed, representation of the cultural driving factors and their dynamics in models of the Earth system is limited. In this review and perspectives paper, we argue that more or less distinct environmental value sets can be assigned to religion – a deeply embedded feature of human cultures, here defined as collectively shared belief in something sacred. This assertion renders religious theories, practices and actors suitable for studying cultural facets of anthropogenic (...) Earth system change, especially regarding deeper, non-materialistic motivations that ask about humans' self-understanding in the Anthropocene epoch. We sketch a modelling landscape and outline some research primers, encompassing the following elements: extensions of existing Earth system models by quantitative relationships between religious practices and biophysical processes, building on databases that allow for formalisation of such knowledge; design of new model types that specifically represent religious morals, actors and activities as part of co-evolutionary human–environment dynamics; and identification of research questions of humanitarian relevance that are underrepresented in purely economic–technocratic modelling and scenario paradigms. While this analysis is by necessity heuristic and semi-cohesive, we hope that it will act as a stimulus for further interdisciplinary and systematic research on the immaterial dimension of humanity's imprint on the Earth system, both qualitatively and quantitatively. (shrink)

The unsustainability of the Western paradigm points to the need for alternatives. Confucian philosophy suggests itself as a cultural resource for human evolution in the Anthropocene, because of its emphasis on good governance, information-based policy, and factbased practices. However, patriarchy is a liability of Confucian philosophy, and the Analects in particular is sexist. Ecological wisdom, progressive thought, and feminism go hand in hand. How can the Analects be utilized for a future-oriented reading? I suggest an interpretive pathway for a non-patriarchic, (...) ecological, and feminist appropriation of Confucius. (shrink)

One might think that nuclear energy is a simple issue, with economists loving it and environmentalists hating it. But climate change complicates matters. Global warming reveals fossil fuels as the real problem. For reining in climate change, it would make sense to use any and all solutions that work; and nuclear power might presumably serve as a stopgap measure until the global economy can run on renewables alone. However, decades of tinkering with fission have not led to engineering breakthroughs. Fast (...) breeder technology could not get off the ground, nuclear reprocessing turned out to be a dead end, safe underground storage facilities were never located, and what to do with nuclear waste continues to be an open question. Major accidents, as in Fukushima 2011, can happen. Insurance companies still demand liability protection when underwriting fission. And running nuclear reactors over time indicates that their economic competitiveness is not impressive. So climate change, engineering d .. (shrink)

This chapter contains section titled: Thomasius Wolff Crusius, Baumgarten, and Lessing Writings.

1Department of Philosophy, University of South Florida, 4202 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33620, USAKant and the Sciences Eric Watkins Oxford and New York Oxford University Press 2001 xiii + 290 Hardback£47.00, $52.00.

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Kant's Universal Natural History: Fuzzy Wavefronts and the Dance of Comets Kant's Nebular Hypothesis: Sun Clouds and Environmental Fate Kant's Dare to Christianity: Joining Leibniz and Newton over Spacetime Kant's Cosmogony: Cyclic Universes and the Phoenix of Nature Conclusion.

Kant has been the target of innumerable objections, and yet his thought involves correct scientific aperçus, as well as viable ethical ideas, which are increasingly embraced in the Global Village. Kant's critical philosophy involves profound puzzles. In the first Critique, a spatial force field is identified as an a priori and yet material condition of experience . In the Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, the Good Will is of singular but odd importance , and the Categorical Imperative has a (...) noumenal, yet comprehensible status, and involves two starkly different "versions" . To solve these puzzles requires us to unify and contextualize Kant. The critical philosophy is a piece of a larger philosophical whole—the ideas Kant advanced before and after the 1780s. Kant's overall thought needs to be understood as a product of the pantheist Enlightenment, which was shaped by the Confucian Classics. In the first section, I paint a portrait of Kant's thing in itself. I speculate that it is an interactive bond of forces in space, governing nature; and I contend that this structural-dynamic perspective may not only unify Kant's insights but also supply an ontological narrative that integrates scientific knowledge today. In the second section, I interpret the historical record. I argue that the structural-dynamic perspective was a driving idea of the early Enlightenment; that this idea arrived from China through the Rites Controversy; and that this idea, mediated by others, informed Kant. In the third section, I examine Kant's first book, Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces . I argue that this exotic idea is the core of his theory of dynamics, and that the key features of his theory of dynamics withstood the test of time. (shrink)

This introduction to the special issue on climate puts individual contributions in context. Climate change is the result of the current civilization paradigm and its modes of cognition. This suggests a failure of conventional ways of thinking, including mainstream philosophy. The articles in this issue illustrate alternative philosophical approaches, which point to civil evolution.

The Third Revolution is an examination of the historic transformations in contemporary China. Elizabeth C. Economy is director for Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. According to its mission statement, the CFR is a think tank “dedicated to being a resource for … government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students … to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States.” The Third Revolution is about the societal, economic, and political changes (...) under the administration of General Secretary Xi Jinping. Published by Oxford as a CFR Book, the study is written from a foreign policy perspective with regard to strategic U.S.... (shrink)

The environmental crisis is the collision of civilization with biospherical limits. Its sign is climate change, which is brought about by a cultural maladaptation, and which threatens to lead to scarcity, displacement, and violence. The solution will have to be a global transformation—a civil evolution—to a postcarbon and sustainable world order. China and Germany, I argue, are well positioned to achieve this new adaptation to living within limits, whereas the United States may have difficulties to respond adequately to the new (...) realities. Here I explore cultural and historical reasons for this Sino-German convergence. (shrink)

The environmental crisis is the collision of civilization with biospherical limits. Its sign is climate change, which is brought about by a cultural maladaptation, and which threatens to lead to scarcity, displacement, and violence. The solution will have to be a global transformation—a civil evolution—to a postcarbon and sustainable world order. China and Germany, I argue, are well positioned to achieve this new adaptation to living within limits, whereas the United States may have difficulties to respond adequately to the new (...) realities. Here I explore cultural and historical reasons for this Sino‐German convergence. (shrink)

Climate change is now a global problem that can no longer be ignored. As climate change signals a civilization failure, the emerging reality will spur cultures everywhere to re-examine their traditions and rediscover the ecological wisdom of the ancients. Daoism will be no exception. This paper tries to explain the Daoist response to climate change by focusing on the manifestation of Dao, the responsibility of humankind and the ideal life. It shows that in its tenets and practices, Daoism articulates ideas (...) that emphasize conservation, envision a post-consumerist existence and inform a climate ethics, which can help with the cultural adaptations that are now necessary for a sustainable future. (shrink)