If you’re looking for a course at the intersection of philosophy, economics, public policy, and environmental science, look no further than Professor Tim Williamson’s upper-level philosophy elective.

As an economics and mathematics major but also a Barnard liberal arts student, I highly value a diverse courseload each semester–one or two economics courses, a math course, and about two electives in varying disciplines. When choosing compelling electives, I’m particularly drawn to smaller discussion-based lectures, as well as courses that allow me to apply economic theory to pressing modern issues.

When I was initially signing up for the course, I already knew I would be drawn to the syllabus–after acknowledging that climate change is real, there are so many further questions that need to be answered. If the globe is warming, which countries should bear the costs? Do individuals have a responsibility to change their lifestyles, sometimes at great financial cost? Should future generations be considered in policy decisions? What kinds of government processes need to occur to ensure that action is taken?

Although some of these questions appear clear cut on the surface, the literature and potential answers are very complex, making the subject lend itself well to discussion. Professor Williamson fosters lots of this discussion through his course setup, which consistently invites students to share their opinions and lead a lecture on a text of their choice.

The course itself is very open-ended, allowing students to tailor their learning to philosophical concepts that are interesting to them personally. A major part of the course is writing a research paper on a topic from the first half of the semester, and I chose to use decision theory and expected utility theory to examine the concept of individual responsibility towards climate change. As an economics student, I was glad to apply microeconomic theory to a more concrete example and understand how individuals could use the risk principle to inform their everyday decisions. Since so much of environmental policy-making is also centered around financial decisions, macroeconomic theory was also helpful in understanding the international scope of the issue.

As a math major in addition to an economics major, I tend to enjoy philosophy courses in general due to the use of logic in understanding common ethical dilemmas. I was excited at the prospect of using inductive reasoning to talk through moral theories. I think philosophy courses uniquely allow math students to challenge themselves intellectually, seeing if they can exercise their reasoning skills in real-world scenarios.

For students interested in understanding climate change through the interdisciplinary lenses of moral philosophy, economic theory, and political science, I would highly encourage them to take this class. The professor is highly interested in tailoring the course material to the students’ interests and is genuinely invested in us as a class. I’m also of the strong belief that we should understand how our majors can be useful when thinking about the climate crisis, so if this course isn’t quite up your alley, I would encourage you to find a sustainability-focused course that is! You won’t regret it.

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