协商、适应、行动——诺顿环境实用主义思想研究

华中科技大学博士学位论文协商、适应、行动——诺顿环境实用主义思想研究姓名：田宪臣申请学位级别：博士专业：马克思主义哲学指导教师：万小龙20090501IIIIIIAbstractEnvironmentalpragmatismisoneofthemainschoolsinenvironmentalethicsinAmerica,anditisalsoanimportantschoolintheresearchareasofthewesternenvironmentalethics.Agrowingnumberofenvironmentalphilosophersnowrefertothemselvesasenvironmentalpragmatists,includingAnthonyWeston,BryanNorton,BenMinteer,AndrewLight,MarkSagoff,AristotelisSantas,PeterWenz,KellyParker,SandraRosenthalandRogeneBuchholz.Theseself-proclaimedenvironmentalpragmatistsdonotspeakwithanentirelyunifiedvoice.WhileNortonandLightadvocateanthropocentrism,Wenzincludesnonanthropocentricvalues.Whilesome,suchasWeston,Norton,Wenz,Sagoff,Parker,RosenthalandBuchholz,explicitlyadvocatetheapplicationoftheperspectivesandmethodsofAmericanpragmatismtoenvironmentalphilosophy,Lightdoesnot.Whilesome,suchasWeston,NortonandLight,thinkthatenvironmentalphilosophymust“movebeyond”discussionofintrinsicvalue,others,suchasMinteerandSantas,defendpragmaticconceptionsofintrinsicvalue.Environmentalpragmatismrefusesthemeaninglessdebatessuchastheonebetweenanthropocentrismandnon-Anthropocentrismintheprocessofenvironmentaldialoguesandpolicyconsultations.Onthecontrary,Nortonconsentsademocraticandpluralisticapproach,endorsesthecriticalanddemocraticconsultationstotheenvironmentalethics.Associatingwithrufusingthemeaninglessdebates,Environmentalpragmatismpaysgreatattentiontoaction.Infact,itisanapproach--oratleastasetofapproaches--toenvironmentalissuesthatispractical,experimental,experiential,action-oriented,active,engaged,andempowering.AccordingtoEnvironmentalpragmatists,Environmentalpragmatismisakindofphilosophyofenvironmentalaction.Itbegainswiththeissuesintherealisticworld,andtherhetoricallanguageconnotreachtheexpectedtargetsoftheenvironmentalactions.ThisprovidesavaulableandhistoricaldimensionformanyideasinEnvironmentalethics.BryanNortonisaleadingproponentofenvironmentalpragmatism.Heisalsoabridle-wisescientificandlanguagephilosopher.HehasboththeprofoundacademicbasicandtheexperienceofbeingaconsultantinEPA,whichmakehimpayattentiontoboththeoricalresearchandpracticalenvironmentalproblemsintheproblem-resolvingprocess.Hisresearchincludesmanydisciplines,suchasthebiologydiversity,theenvironmentalIVpolicy,thephilosophyofconservationbiology,andthesustainability.Alongwiththis,headvocateboththesustainabilityandthepragmatismenvironmentalpolicy.Heapplieshimselftoinstituteenvironmentalpolicyfromthesustainability,andtostudy,form,andimplementthesustainableenvironmentalpolicyfrommulti-disciplineandinter-disciplinedimension,inordertosustainwidevaluechoicesforthefollowinggenerations.Norton’senvironmentalpragmatismthoughtisaffectedbothbyAmericanclassicalpragmatistsandbycontemporaryenvironmentalpragmatists.Byusingbasicpragmatismcoreideas,Nortonattempstoputanthropocentrismasthefoundationofenvironmentalethics,andhecallhimselfas“theweakanthropocentrist”.Forhim,thepragmatismconceptionoftruthhasacloserelationtohumancommunity’ssustainableprinciples;valuediversityiscontainedinbroadinteractionbetweenhumanandnature;thedevelopmentoftheinter-subjectivevalidityamonghumancommunityisconsideredasthefoundationoftheactiveethicpolicies.SustainabilityisthecoreconceptionofNorton’senvironmentalpragmatism.Heusessustainabilitytosolvetheproblems,suchasideology,“towering”andtheindigenceofpresentenvironmentallanguage.Meanwhileheputssustainabilityprinciplesasthemoralguideoftheenvironmentalethicsandenvironmentalpolicies.Adaptivemanagementisthebridgetoreachsustainability.Infact,hedefinesustainabilityfromhisdescriptiontotheadaptivemanagement.Heconstructsabriefmodelforanactivisttoadaptenvironmentandtomakepolicies.Accordingthemodel,anactionissustainableifitdoesn’treducetheratiooftheopportunityandconstraintofthefollowinggenerations.Inordertoreachthesustainability,Nortonpaysspecialattentiontoanalyseenvironmentalpoliciesinthedimensionofpragmatism,encouragestodefineitbeyondthedisciplines,andrelatesenvironmentalscienceswithsocialvaluesintheprocessofresearchingrationalpolicies.Inasense,Norton’smethodistouselanguageanalyseinthetradationofpragmatism.Forhim,languagehascloserelationswithactioninpublicwords.Hebuildshisargumentationsontwoassumptions.First,themannerforAmericanstotalkaboutandwriteenvironmentisoneofthemainreasonsthatAmericangovermentsatalllevelsfailintheactionsofprotectingcommonenvironmentalgoods.Second,thesuccessandfailureofenvironmentalactionsareoftendecidedbythemannerofilluminatinganddiscussingtheproblems.Nortoninstrumentallydemonstratesenvironmentalethic,triestorevealthepurposeofenvironmentalprotectionanditsreasonalityandmorality.Hethinksthatenvironmentalethicsshouldnotgetinvolvedintheargumentsamongmoralphilosophy,Vmeta-ethics,metaphysicsandworldviews,butpayattentiontotherealproblemsaboutenvironmentalmanagementsandpolicies.Weshouldtobuildapublicspaceandadialogueplatform,whichallowallstakeholderstoexpresstheirideasaboutthosecontroversialenvironmentalissues,andallowallkindsofviewstobecommunicatedbycommonreasons.Withdialoganddiscussion,themajorcontroversia