Philosophy for a Better World: A plea for Ecohumanism

What is the good life? How should a just society be arranged? How can humans live in harmony with nature? Are cultures morally equal? What is a sustainable and ethical human-animal relationship? Philosophy for a better a world offers a clear moral vision that contests moral relativism, subjection and exploitation.

The world can be more humane, just, beautiful, happier, healthier, freer, animal friendly and sustainably organized. Floris van den Berg knows how. By the theory he calls universal subjectivism. Universal subjectivism takes as viewpoint the individual and strives to minimize suffering and maximize happiness.

Now it is time for action. There is much suffering in the world that easily could have been prevented. Every day people die from starvation, although there is plenty of food to nourish the
present-day world population. Every day people die due to lack of medicine, although these could easily have been provided. A major problem is if there is a future. We humans are ruining planet Earth on unprecedented scale and the planetary boundaries will overshoot soon. We will have to face the fact that we will have to drastically change our lifestyles in order to live more just, animal friendly and sustainable. The world will look differently after reading this lecture.

Floris van den Berg is a philosopher and teaches philosophy of science and (environmental) ethics at Utrecht University, the Netherlands. He is Co-Executive Director of Center for Inquiry Low Countries and Vice-President of Dutch freethought association De Vrije Gedachte. He published How to Get Rid of Religion? An Inconvenient Liberal Paradox and the novel Lived Letters (both in Dutch).

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