With the restrictions placed on indoor gatherings and international travel, outdoor recreation has exploded in popularity this year. The benefits in terms of health and environmental awareness might be balanced by downsides, such as wildlife-human conflicts, harm to cultural artifacts and biodiverse natural areas, and strain on search-and-rescue teams. PPN is sponsoring a free and open panel discussion to examine the values that draw us to recreate in nature and the potential value conflicts that can arise for participants in outdoor recreation and the communities that are affected.
Monday, April 26, 7:00-8:30 pm EDT
Free Registration here.
Featured panelists:
Kevin Krein, Professor of Philosophy and Director of Outdoor Studies at the University of Alaska Southeast, author of Philosophy and Nature Sports (Routledge 2019), mountaineer and professional ski guide
Leslie A. Howe, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Saskatchewan and author of numerous articles in the philosophy of sport, as well as in existentialism and moral psychology
Jonathan Ellsworth, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of BLISTER (an outdoor media & gear review company), former philosophy instructor, and co-editor of Thoreau's Importance for Philosophy (2012).
Moderated by Evelyn Brister (Rochester Institute of Technology, Philosophy) and Jonathan Schnaufer (RIT, Outdoor Education)
Our panel will discuss three questions at the core of outdoor recreation and adventure sports:
Does outdoor recreation bring us closer to nature?
What are the values that attract people to outdoor recreation, and how can these values come into conflict with each other?
How can outdoor recreation develop our character as individuals and communities, and what are the hazards?
This event is sponsored by the RIT Department of Philosophy, the RIT Department of Outdoor Education in the Division of Student Affairs, the Public Philosophy Network, and RocVentures Climbing Gym.