“The Philosophy of Extinction: Environmental Humanities and the Biodiversity Crisis”

In this lecture, Thom van Dooren, recipient of the 7th BBVA Foundation Biophilia Award in Environmental Humanities and Social Sciences, addresses the biodiversity crisis from the perspective of the philosophy of extinction. Beyond scientific data, he proposes understanding species loss as a process that entails the disappearance of stories, relationships, and shared worlds.

Through his research on Hawaiian land snails and various species of crows, he shows how extinction affects complex networks of both human and nonhuman life. Van Dooren emphasizes that addressing this crisis requires not only technical solutions, but also ethical and cultural reflection that rethinks our relationship with the natural world in the Anthropocene.