Dignity, Difference, and the Representation of Nature
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6351780 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joshua Foa Dienstag (0000-0003-0315-688X, UCLA/Political Science, Los Angeles, CA, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 613-636 |
| Publication date | 2021-08-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Theory (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0090-5917 • E-ISSN: 1552-7476 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0090591720966284 |
| OpenAlex | W3092795457 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
In the past few decades, political theorists have attempted to articulate a nontheological basis for a special human place in the moral universe. These attempts, I argue, generally fall into two groups, one centered around the concept of “dignity” and the other around ideas of “difference.” Both of these attempts ultimately fail, I maintain, but their failures are instructive and help us along a path toward a better kind of relationship with nature and the earth as well as one another. In the face of increased scientific knowledge about the environment, animals, and our own species, we have every reason to recalibrate our stance toward nature as a whole. But in doing so we must acknowledge that the human relationship with nature is ultimately a representative one that can therefore never achieve the kind of reciprocity available in human society. Whatever form our respect for nature takes, it will always be distinct from the relationships we have with those we consider co-citizens
Dignity · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Face (sociological concept · Political science · Politics · Reciprocity (cultural anthropology · Representation (politics · Social science · Sociology · Environmental Philosophy and Ethics · Law · Philosophy · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics · Theology and Philosophy of Evil
| Citations per year | 1.33 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Highly cited | No |