The agony of nuclear: sustaining democratic disagreement in the anthropocene

Abstract

Disagreements inevitably arise over the possibilities and policies of sustainability. In contrast to approaches that pursue political consensus this article argues that such disagreement is not a matter of a clash with ignorant or immoral perspectives, but should rather be understood as irreducible political conflict that plays a valuable role in engendering social and technological transformation. Focusing particularly upon the contestation over nuclear energy, it challenges eco-modernist claims that technological innovation can bypass political disagreement and smoothly facilitate the shift to a more sustainable form of life in an era of ecological crisis. The article advocates an “ecological agonistic” approach that refuses to regard such contestation as an impediment to robust and radical transformation. Instead, it suggests that the conflicts over nuclear energy reveal the limitations and lacunae of existing social, economic, and political institutions and thus can be understood as themselves playing a salutary role in their transformation.