Green republicanism: a viable alternative
| dc.contributor.advisor | Wissenburg, M.L.J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ruiter, P | |
| dc.date.issued | 2019-06-24 | |
| dc.description.abstract | In this thesis, green republicanism’s claim of being a green alternative to liberal democracy, of being an alternative that is better suited to deal with the ecological crisis while retaining human freedom and flourishing, is evaluated. Green republicanism is a relatively young strand of thought, that seeks to realize ecological values through the republican ideal of virtuous citizenship. Since the goal of republicans is to maintain the republic over time in a world that threatens it, republican thought is argued to intersect with values that are advanced in green political theory, such as sustainability and ‘green’ citizenship. By advancing a rather thick conception of human flourishing and sustainability, however, green republicanism seems to either expect that citizens will end up embracing these values as in some teleological sense, or requires that these conceptions should be the substance of politics. This seems to violate the neo-Roman republican ideal of non-domination, because, for republicans, the common good should be formulated by citizens in an inclusive process of public deliberation. The green republican approach to achieving sustainability, it can be argued, risks removing contingency from politics. Likewise, the green republican emphasis on place and leadership appears to be counterproductive for effectively dealing with the ecological crisis. This thesis argues that sustainability surely is one of the most important values and common goods of our time, but that the contents of it should be decided upon by the people. We may, however, agree to adopt a minimal, universal and scientifically backed conception of sustainability that comes to guide politics and society in a green republican fashion. Starting from this minimal conception of sustainability, the green republican strand of thought may inspire us to enter a necessary debate: that on what we want our common sustainable future to look like. 2 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://theses.ubn.ru.nl/handle/123456789/8396 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.thesis.faculty | Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen | en_US |
| dc.thesis.specialisation | Political Theory | en_US |
| dc.thesis.studyprogramme | Master Political Science | en_US |
| dc.thesis.type | Master | en_US |
| dc.title | Green republicanism: a viable alternative | en_US |
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