Floris van den Berg writes book ‘Beter Weten’

Author and science philosopher Floris van den Berg has written several books and has recently published his new book Beter Weten (Better Knowledge). In it he describes the philosophy of ‘ecohumanism’. “An ecohumanist is someone who spreads humanism towards non-human animals” says Van den Berg.

A pun

The book ‘Beter Weten’ has a provocative title. “It’s different than wise”,  says science philosopher and lecturer in Environmental Sciences Floris van den Berg. “It is wordplay relating to wanting to know more, of gaining more knowledge and also on ‘should know better’. After reading my book you will know more, and in the case of some ethical issues, you should know better.”

Ecohumanism

Van den Berg philosophises about ecohumanism in his book. The word is an extension of humanism. A humanist focusses on human welfare. An ecohumanist does too, but thinks that non-human animals and the environment are just as important. “Ecohumanism consists of several building blocks” says Van den Berg in an interview. Liberalism and veganism are just a couple of examples.

Faculty of Geosciences: a sustainable Earth for future generations