Socio-ecological Justice as Opportunities for All Humans to Flourish and Healthy Ecological Space for Nature to Flourish
Date
2022-05
Authors
Mathews, Josef M.
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Abstract
In this master’s thesis, I characterize socio-ecological justice as opportunities for all humans to flourish and healthy ecological space for nature to flourish. I presume socio-ecological flourishing is an intrinsic good and argue that we have a moral obligation to promote this good. I suggest that the injustices of domination and oppression of humans and nature are major impediments to socio-ecological flourishing. I survey causes of domination and oppression and identify various agents that dominate and oppress. As for causes, of particular interest to this thesis is the logic of domination that sanctions domination and oppression as well as hypermaterialism, greed, and hyperconsumerism. Harms of domination and oppression to both oppressors/dominators and the oppressed/dominated are discussed. After describing human and ecological flourishing and combining those ideas to speak of a socio-ecological flourishing, I offer political, social, and educational pathways that can create the conditions for flourishing. The main argument herein is that socio-ecological flourishing is a collective good for the entire Earth community and that we have a moral obligation to foster flourishing. Part of the work that this thesis does is bear witness to much unnecessary suffering in this world that comes through domination and oppression while recognizing the possibilities for socio-ecological flourishing.
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Keywords
Humans, Nature, Social, Ecological, Socio-ecological, Justice, Flourishing, Domination, Oppression, Political, Educational, Pathway
Citation
Mathews, J. M. (2022). Socio-ecological justice as opportunities for all humans to flourish and healthy ecological space for nature to flourish (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.