Nature
Modern societies allow for a myriad of different understandings of nature. The Nature research group looks at their terminological content, the cultural conditions in which they arose, and the normative and pragmatic guidance they give. One emphasis of our work is to engage with the current nature-philosophical and ecological issues. Another is to analyse how the concept of nature is used by the public at large for political, economic, aesthetic, religious or ethical purposes.
The aim of our research is to reconstruct social patterns of interpreting human relationships with nature, and to promote debates on protecting nature, the landscape and the environment, on the preservation of biodiversity and on ecological sustainability.