Abstract
What is the significance of the wicked problems framework for environmental philosophy? In response to wicked problems, environmental scientists are starting to welcome the participation of social scientists, humanists, and the creative arts. We argue that the need for interdisciplinary approaches to wicked problems opens up a number of tasks that environmental philosophers have every right to undertake. The first task is for philosophers to explore new and promising ways of initiating philosophical research through conducting collaborative learning processes on environmental issues. The second task is for philosophers to recognize the value of philosophical skills in their engagements with members of other disciplines and walks of life in addressing wicked problems. The wicked problems framework should be seen as an important guide for facilitating philosophical research that is of relevance to problems like climate change and sustainable agriculture.
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Notes
According to one source, Karl Popper originated the phrase wicked problems (Buchanan 1992).
Since the 1970s, the wicked problems framework has been adopted in a number of fields, including political science (Harmon and Mayer 1986; Fischer 1993; Roberts 2000), natural resource management (Allen and Gould 1986; Freeman 2000; Salwasser 2004), cybernetics research (Conklin 2006) and urban and regional planning (Innes and Booher 1999).
Though, interestingly, in Operations Research some have suggested that scientific methods should only be applied to problems that can benefit from their application (Mitchell 1980).
We note that Norton’s Sustainability: A Philosophy of Adaptive Ecosystem Management also lays stress on collaborative learning, though Norton does not support this aspect of his approach with reference to research or theory in learning processes.
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Thompson, P.B., Whyte, K.P. What Happens to Environmental Philosophy in a Wicked World?. J Agric Environ Ethics 25, 485–498 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-011-9344-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-011-9344-0