CEPPA Talk (in-person) – Alice Murphy (St. Andrews)

Title: “Invasive” Species and the Aesthetics of Nature

Abstract: This talk explores the intersection of environmental science and environmental aesthetics, focusing on the discourse surrounding “invasive” species. I will present the ways that debates on invasive species reflect broader issues in the philosophy of science, particularly concerning the role of moral and political values in scientific practice. I will then discuss how aesthetic judgments also shape this discourse, influencing research, management decisions, and public perceptions. I argue that the intertwined nature of aesthetic and moral values in invasion science challenges traditional approaches to the “new demarcation problem”, which seeks to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate value influences. Further, this complicates views in environmental aesthetics that privilege scientific knowledge as the foundation for aesthetic judgments of nature.

Location: Edgecliffe G03