New Article on Ideology and Utopia

In the new issue of Environmental Philosophy (the journal of the International Association for Environmental Philosophy), an excellent article by Brian Treanor appears. Entitled "Turn Around and Step Forward: Ideology and Utopia in the Environmental Movement," (Environmental Philosophy 7 [2010]): 27-46) Treanor's argument explicates how Paul Ricoeur's work on the social imaginary--including the dialectic between ideology and utopia--can be fruitfully applied to environmental thought. These terms allow us to make a much stronger case for the need to move away from simply seeking technical fixes, and toward a shift in understanding.

Through his argument, Treanor shows the need for re-envisioning our social thinking about environments, rather than always relying on pragmatic compromise. Imagination is key here. In fact, I think imagination has been not been sufficiently dealt with in environmental philosophy, especially as a social--not simply individual--phenomenon. As a result, this essay is an important addition to environmental hermeneutics (and environmental philosophy more generally). It is also an excellent summation of this aspect of Ricoeur's thought; the portions related to Ricoeur would be profitable for philosophers, even if uninterested in the ecological dimensions Treanor is focused on.

Another reason this is a particularly useful and informative article is that Treanor applies his argument to two case studies. One case study is Shellenberger and Nordhoaus' thesis on "the death of environmentalism." The other is the work of David Brower.

Treanor is seeking to better analyze environmental thought, and thus push it forward. Here and elsewhere, he advocates a narrative approach. He tells us that a one sentence guideline would be: "Environmentalists should hold fast to a utopian vision of a sustainable future, articulated in compelling narratives, while remaining on alert for unconventional allies and unexpected opportunities for forwarding our agenda" (p. 40). I would recommend reading this article, to see exactly what he means.