Civic environmental pragmatism: a dialogical framework for strategic environmental assessment

摘要: Questions of uncertainty and value conflict are increasingly pervasive challenges confronting policy makers seeking to address the range environmental problems generated by contemporary technological systems. Yet these questions ultimately political moral in nature, require a framework strategic assessment (SEA) that is marked informed democratic civic governance. Reflecting this, original, purposes (EA) embraced science public participation as interdependent elements creation more sustaining forms human-nature interaction. However, formal models EA have forsaken meaningful engagement technique. Based on instrumentalist assumption better automatically leads policy, has externalised source energy underpins its expertise. Moreover, debates become polarised when uncritically imported into adversarial forums interest-based politics, so unable support action. I shall argue revolutionary potential SEA transform process rests upon recovery purposes. My thesis deeper understanding relationship between scientific knowledge action required if be rigorous, also relevant concerns. Philosophical pragmatism contributes epistemological resources vital this task. By situating context practice, recognising dialogical, judgmental nature rationality, practical philosophy reclaims contextually embedded inquiry. When wider ethical context, meaning central policy. The procedural ethics both liberal Habermasian politics cannot questions, however, because they relegate good realm individual choice. Instead, dialogue, guided praxisoriented virtue ethics, recover objective goods process. Aristotlean rhetoric, with focus credibility expertise, mode persuasive argument most appropriate for dialogical forums. The therefore presented richer theoretical contribution experts citizens development As SEA, constructively combines critical/normative instrumental/descriptive aspects inquiry, which socially robust politically feasible decisions.