The Politics of Nature : Explorations in Green Political Theory

This book presents a uniquely comprehensive and balanced survey of current green political ideas. It analyses the ability of these ideas to provide plausible answers to fundamental problems in political theory, concerning justice and democracy, individual rights and freedom, human nature and gender. The authors, who come from a range of different disciplines, explore the relationship between green ideas and other traditions including liberalism, anarchism, feminism and Christianity. Does green political theory provide plausible answers to the central problems of political theory - problems of justice and democracy, of individual rights and freedom, and of human nature and gender? The contributors to this book, who come from a range of disciplines - philosophy, political science, sociology and economics - and a range of political backgrounds, explore this question from a variety of perspectives. They look at the relationship between green political ideas and liberalism, anarchism, feminism, social democracy, individualism, critical theory and christianity. Green political theory shares some basic ideas with anarchism, feminism and German critical theory. Yet it can and should be reconciled, according to some authors, with liberalism or social democracy. Christianity, which is often perceived by greens as part of the problem rather than part of the solution, is also shown to have some affinity with green thought. Additionally, some chapters focus on issues which seem peculiar to green thought; the critique of industrialization and economic growth; holism and ecocentrism. Not all chapters are purely theoretical; one chapter deals with social policies, another with forms of direct democracy. The Politics of Nature presents a uniquely comprehensive and balanced survey of current green political ideas. It is directed to those with academic interests in the environment, but the chapters that deal with practical issues will be of equal relevance to those with professional interests in the area Book Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 List of figures......Page 8 List of contributors......Page 10 Introduction......Page 11 THE IDEA OF NATURE AND THE NATURE OF DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE......Page 20 WHY WOULD EGOCENTRISTS BECOME ECOCENTRISTS? ON INDIVIDUALISM AND HOLISM IN GREEN POLITICAL THEORY......Page 38 TOWARDS A GREEN POLITICAL THEORY......Page 56 GREEN DEMOCRACY?......Page 80 CAN LIBERAL DEMOCRACY SURVIVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS? SUSTAINABILITY, LIBERAL NEUTRALITY AND OVERLAPPING CONSENSUS......Page 98 TO DE-INDUSTRIALIZE;IS IT SO IRRATIONAL?......Page 122 ECONOMIC THEORIES AND THE NECESSARY INTEGRATION OF ECOLOGICAL INSIGHTS......Page 135 ECOLOGICAL VERSUS SOCIAL RATIONALITY: CAN THERE BE GREEN SOCIAL POLICIES?......Page 162 ANIMAL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL RELATIONS......Page 178 ECOFEMINISM AND THE POLITICS OF THE GENDERED SELF......Page 194 CRITICAL THEORY AND GREEN POLITICS......Page 207 GREEN BELIEFS AND RELIGION......Page 227 Afterword......Page 246 Name index......Page 252 Subject index......Page 256 A balanced and comprehensive survey of current green political ideas - their varying responses to fundamental problems in political theory and their relationships with other ideological traditions. When I wrote the first draft of this text, Iraq was threatening to set fire to Kuwait's oil wells.