Sustainability Thinking

This book lies at the intersection of environmental humanities and decision theory, political philosophy and science, and psychology and biology. Its storyline emerges from the perspective of biological evolution. It is hopeful yet realistic, guided by Al Gore's refrain that we must not leap from denial to despair. We can do something and we must. It will contribute by: (i) contextualising global sustainability within the introduced open epistemic democracy framework; (ii) proposing a comprehensive conceptual decision-making model; (iii) highlighting the importance and basic means of individual and group attention-taking; (iv) promoting the democratisation of philosophy and thoughtful action; and (v) recommending a specific cluster of citizen and experts' techniques in aid of Earth's sustainability. In sum, it seeks to elucidate the basic social conditions for wisdom-making and its decision-taking to renew a reverence for all life on Earth.

Contextualises global sustainability within the open epistemic democracy framework Proposes a conceptual decision-making model, highlighting the importance of individual and group attention-taking Recommends a specific cluster of citizen and experts' techniques in aid of the Earth's sustainability Concludes that a renewed reverence for all life is necessary

Autorentext

Dr. Epaminondas Bellos has been a civil servant for most of his professional life. This background has fostered in him a keen interest in the interplay between energy security and energy transition as one of the key mechanisms necessary for the larger transition towards sustainability. Political processes will inevitably play a role, in particular modes of collective decision-making as the principal precursors to final decision-taking, but these aspects have been largely neglected in the current solution space. He seeks to narrow these gaps by way of Sustainability Thinking explaining that it is a part of our evolutionary trajectory involving a blend of divergent and convergent thinking that is in need of both public participation and expert techniques. Dr. Bellos also maintains an active curiosity about how ethics and philosophy can contribute to a renewed reverence for all life that can underpin sustainability and embed it in national constitutions as a human right. He intends to pursue all these interests primarily by research, teaching, writing, and public speaking.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Prologue and Other Firsts.- Chapter 2: Complexity As Context.- Chapter 3: Shifting Knowledge Boundaries.-Chapter 4: Sustainability and Other Global Existential Risks.- Chapter 5: Dynamic Epistemic Equilibria.- Chapter 6: Democracy As Collective Attention.- Chapter 7: Citizen Roles.- Chapter 8: Expert Roles.- Chapter 9: Planning Scenarios As Collective Perspectives.- Chapter 10: Who Decides For Whom and Why?.- Chapter 11: Epilogue and Way Forward.