Autore
Murphy, Raymond

Titolo
Sustainability: A Wicked Problem
Periodico
Sociologica
Anno: 2012 - Volume: 16 - Fascicolo: 2 - Pagina iniziale: 0

This article outlines the theories of why modern practices are either sustainable orunsustainable, emphasizing that non-ecological economic modernization is the default option. Ifparalysis results from disagreements among proponents of ecological modernization, local participatoryapproaches, environmental justice, Marxian theory, anti-consumerism theory, humanecology, etc., then the result will be free rein for practices that threaten sustainability. This is anissue of such seriousness, scope, and urgency that these alternative approaches should not beseen as mutually destructive but as complementary. Sustainability efforts can be made at differentlevels and in different ways: local and global, participatory and organizational, market-based andregulatory- based, efficiency improvements and consumption reduction, etc. The five articles inthis volume by talented young sociologists are excellent and I agree with much of their analyses.By documenting limitations of attempts at sustainability, those papers demonstrate what awicked problem sustainability is. Even their omissions, which I have focused on to push analysisfurther, indicate wickedness. I conclude by suggesting that critical analytic skills should nowbe turned from the flea to the elephant, namely to the investigation of sustainability indifferenteconomic modernization.



SICI: 1971-8853(2012)16:2<0:SAWP>2.0.ZU;2-E
Testo completo: http://www.rivisteweb.it/download/article/10.2383/38274
Testo completo alternativo: http://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.2383/38274

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