A Political Philosophy of Ecologism

This book takes political philosophy as the starting point for a survey of the issues at stake in ecologism as a contemporary political ideology, far from the so-called postmodern approaches, but without ignoring them. Climate change, eternal pollutants, invasive species, or plastic in the oceans: how do these seemingly technical problems challenge modernity? What's at stake, at a time when the extreme right is often at the top of the polls, or even in power? Is an ecofascism on the rise? Using best available analysis and updated data, this book confronts ecologism to liberalism, conservatism, and socialism, using a perspectivist methodology, close to Sandra Harding's standpoint theory. It concludes that liberalism is a weak ally, too closely dependent on lifestyles that run counter to ecology. For its part, ecofascism as a sort of ecological extreme conservatism is a contradictory ideology, in the sense that no fascism will ever be "ecologist, even if some moderate forms of conservatism may exhibit common features. On the other hand, the tradition of critical socialism in modernity has strong similarities with ecologism. It is therefore only on this side of the political spectrum that alliances are possible. Finally, this book shows that these latter traditions of thought are compatible with what some call pluriversalism, provided that universalism and emancipation are not lost along the way.

Provides a comprehensive overview of the four main political ideologies of modernity Contains key definitions, such as that of the concept of nature, which postmodernism claims does not exist Surveys issues at stake in ecologism as a contemporary political ideology

Autorentext

Fabrice Flipo is Professor at Institut Mines-Telecom BS, researcher at the Laboratory of Political and Social Change, Paris Cité University.

Inhalt

Preface. What is Political Ecology?.- Chapter 1: Introduction. Some Necessary Clarifications.- Chapter 2: Liberal Skepticism.- Chapter 3: A Conservative ecologism?.- Chapter 4: Towards Ecosocialism?.- General conclusion. The autonomy of ecologism.