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FREEDOM AND DEPENDENCY IN AN ENVIRONMENTAL AGE

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2009

Andrew Dobson
Affiliation:
Politics, Keele University

Abstract

In this article the implications of our nature as both autonomous and heteronomous beings is discussed. It is suggested that our condition as part-dependent creatures calls for a reconsideration of the nature of both freedom and liberalism, and the work of Alasdair MacIntyre and Jean-Paul Sartre is used to illustrate the natural and historical dimensions of our dependency. The conclusion reached is that neither deep ecological re-enchantment nor full-blooded cornucopianism are possible, and that we need to take our nature as semi-dependent creatures seriously as we seek ways of negotiating our way through our environmental problems.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Social Philosophy and Policy Foundation 2009

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References

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