The need for empathy for other species will be discussed by philosopher Elisa Aaltola, researcher Sami Keto, historian Otto Latva and sustainability expert Matleena Käppi. The panel will discuss what meaningful cross-species empathy might enable, and why it is so difficult for people to embrace it. By empathising with the experiences of other species in a human-dominated environment, we could perhaps find concrete ways to promote genuine planetary well-being that takes into account the needs of other species. Alongside this, we must consider the limits and dangers of our capacity to empathise. The panel will be chaired by Anna Lehtonen.

• Elisa Aaltola

  Elisa Aaltola is an Associate Professor of animal and environmental ethics, researcher and activist. She has published numerous research papers on human relationships with other animals, including: ”Häpeä ja rakkaus: ihmiseläinluonto” (2019), ”Esseitä eläimistä” (2022) ja ”Puhe eläinten puolesta” (2023).

  “Humans often talk about the harms of other animals without realising that they themselves are by far the most harmful of all species.”

• Sami Keto

  Sami Keto explores empathy between humans and the rest of life in the context of education. He has written non-fiction books on the subject such as “Enemmän kuin sapiens – kasvu elonkirjon jäseneksi (2022) sekä yhdessä filosofi Elisa Aaltolan kanssa “Empatia – Myötäelämisen tiede” (2017).

  “The ecocrisis has revealed that the image of humans as the rulers of the rest of life is unsustainable. We should strive for good membership in the life book rather than domination.”

  Photo by Paula Virta

• Otto Latva

  Otto Latva is a historian specialising in cultural animal and plant studies and environmental history, and an Associate Professor of multispecies history. He leads three research projects and has written non-fiction books on the subject.

  “Our understanding of the relationship between humans and nature is very unhistorical nowadays, and that is a major problem.”

• Matleena Käppi

  Matleena Käppi is a politician from Central Finland and a student of socio-ecological economics and politics.

  “Future generations will be horrified by our morally disastrous relationship with animals and nature” 

• Anna Lehtonen

  Anna Lehtonen is a researcher in sustainability and climate education at the Finnish Institute for Educational Research, University of Jyväskylä. She has applied creative drama education methods in her work both as a teacher and researcher