Representing a Sustainable World – A Typology Approach

Abstract

This paper presents, as a 'sustainable world typology', the findings of a current research project that is concerned with what it means for there to be a sustainable world and how humanity might go about achieving this. The typology is framed around key sustainable world dimensions and displays, for each of these dimensions, how Reformist and Transformational approaches are conceived in terms of giving meaning to the concept of a sustainable world. Key themes evident in the typology are discussed namely: (a) the primary sustainable world goal of flourishing life, (b) the anthropocentrism-ecocentrism divide, (c) approaches to human interests satisfaction, and (d) optimisation vs resilience living. The paper notes the mere descriptive nature of the typology and concludes with some thoughts on ways in which the typology might be critiqued to identify which approach, Reformist or Transformational, is more likely to see the primary sustainable world goal achieved.