The nectar is in the journey: Pragmatism, progress, and the promise of incrementalism
Philosophy and Geography 6 (2):167 – 187 (2003)
| Abstract | The nectar is in the journey, |3dotnld| ultimate goals may be illusory, nay, most likely are but a gossamer wing. Day by day, however, human life triumphs in its ineluctable capacity to hang in and make things better. Not perfect, simply better." John McDermott, Streams of Experience I investigate one manner in which classical American pragmatism might be utilized by theorists and practitioners interested in addressing urban environmental problems. Despite the widespread adoption of the sustainability moniker within the environmental movement, evidence suggests that progress toward implementing urban environmental sustain ability proposals has been minimal. To address this inaction, I undertake an analysis of the philosophy of progress guiding efforts to transition urban environments toward sustainability. I argue that one of the reasons so little has been accomplished in terms of implementing existing urban environmental sustainability proposals is that a disproportionate emphasis has been placed on values that stem from economic-centered indicators of progress. I argue that the value of progress ought to be less about how much of a certain type of economic growth sustainability proposals ultimately can generate for urban environments and more about ensuring that continual incremental societal progress takes place. | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,701 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesTom Spector (2006). Does the Sustainability Movement Sustain a Sustainable Design Ethic for Architecture? Environmental Ethics 28 (3):265-283.
Tal Gilead (2012). Education and the Logic of Economic Progress. Journal of Philosophy of Education 46 (1):113-131.
Diego Martino (2009). 'Sustainable Cities': No Oxymoron. Ethics, Place and Environment 12 (2):235 – 253.
Kai Hahlweg (1991). On the Notion of Evolutionary Progress. Philosophy of Science 58 (3):436-451.
Ben Dixon (2005). Achieving Moral Progress Despite Moral Regress. Social Philosophy Today 21:157-172.
Leslie Sklair (1968). Gomte and the Idea of Progress. Inquiry 11 (1-4):321 – 331.
David W. Marcell (1974). Progress and Pragmatism: James, Dewey, Beard, and the American Idea of Progress. Westport, Conn.,Greenwood Press.
James W. Sheppard (2006). The Paradox of Urban Environmentalism: Problem and Possibility. Ethics, Place and Environment 9 (3):299 – 315.
John M. Gowdy (1994). Progress and Environmental Sustainability. Environmental Ethics 16 (1):41-55.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads12 ( #93,408 of 549,119 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,361 of 549,119 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
