Towards a Philosophy of Sustainability: The Gandhian Way

Abstract

“The sheer proliferation of definitions of sustainable development is evidence of its contestability; For example, in Blueprint for a Green Economy, David Pearce, Anil Markandya and Edward Barbier (1989, pp.173-85) provide a 'gallery' of over 40 definitions.”1For the scope of this article ,I will begin with the most widely used definition, taken from the Brundtland Report, that ‘sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' (WCED, 1987).2While the concept of needs demands that 'overriding priority' should be given to the essential needs of the world's poor, both North and South, poverty and the unequal distribution of resources are identified as major causes of environmental degradation: 'Sustainable development requires meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life' (WCED, 1987, p. 44).3