| Record number | 577116 |
|---|---|
| Title | Towards a Philosophy of a Bio-Based Economy: A Levinassian Perspective on the Relations Between Economic and Ecological Systems |
| Author(s) | Veraart, Roel; Blok, Vincent |
| Source | Environmental Values 30 (2021)2. - ISSN 0963-2719 - p. 169 - 192. |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.3197/096327120X15916910310626 |
| Department(s) | Wageningen University & Research Centraal Philosophy |
| Publication type | Refereed Article in a scientific journal |
| Publication year | 2021 |
| Keyword(s) | Bio-based economy - Circular economy - Enjoyment - Georgescu-Roegen - Levinas - Sustainability |
| Abstract | This paper investigates the fundamental idea at stake in current bioeconomies such as Europe’s Bio-Based Economy (BBE). We argue that basing an economy upon ecology is an ambivalent effort, causing confusion and inconsistencies, and that the dominant framing of the damaged biosphere as a market-failure in bioeconomies such as the BBE is problematic. To counter this dominant narrative, we present alternative conceptualisations of bio-economies and indicate which concepts are overlooked. We highlight the specific contradictions and discrepancies in the relation between economy and ecology, and then work towards outlining a genuine and consistent conceptualisation of the BBE. The philosophical perspective of Emmanuel Levinas is employed to develop a more profound understanding of the tensions at stake; Levinas’ work is compared with that of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen’s work on bioeconomics, and found to be of complementary value. Our hypothesis is that, rather than the impossible, absolute amalgamation of economy and ecology striven for today, a principal heterogeneity between humankind and nature must be acknowledged if a bioeconomy that truly operates within the carrying capacity of planet Earth is to be achieved. |
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