Suchergebnisse

Abstract
This study examines the origins and main aspects of the Chinese concept of ecological civilization. Originally a philosophical concept, it was later developed into a political and constitutional principle and became the basis of several public policies of the Chinese government. The author also draws attention to several contradictions and weaknesses in the concept, which has been seen as a Chinese version of sustainable development and ultimately as a Chinese concept of global civilization.

A filosofia política nasce dos reflexos das crises, riscos e ameaças que a sociedade enfrenta. O autor entende o ambientalismo como uma tendência da filosofia política atual que parte de refletir as causas e possíveis efeitos da crise ambiental global como uma das mais graves ameaças às pré-condições existenciais do sistema político atual e da civilização global. Considerando as mudanças nas condições sociais, tecnológicas e ambientais iniciais de existência do sistema político-económico – que são consequências da transição da era geológico-climática estável do Holoceno para a era instável do Antropoceno – é necessário reconsiderar as premissas básicas dos imperativos e marcos conceituais do atual sistema político-económico. Os fundadores do pensamento político moderno traçaram os contornos do atual sistema político-económico no quadro filosófico, embora possamos identificar algumas das premissas básicas do ambientalismo e conceitos relevantes para a reflexão das ameaças e riscos atuais em algumas de suas obras. O autor considera o conceito de direitos civis e humanos, o conceito de estado de natureza e o conceito de contrato social adequados para pensar a crise do atual sistema político-económico em termos de ambientalismo. Em seguida, o autor formula em que sentido esses conceitos também são válidos para o Antropoceno. Em conclusão, a hipótese do autor é que a filosofia política do século XXI deve refletir as pré-condições ambientais e os limites da existência e das formas do sistema político-económico e, ao mesmo tempo, deve levar em conta que qualquer econômicos e fatores influenciam a qualidade e sustentabilidade do meio ambiente. ; Political philosophy stems from the reflexes of crises, risks and threats that society faces. The author understands environmentalism as a tendency of current political philosophy that starts from reflecting the causes and possible effects of the global environmental crisis as one of the most serious threats to the existential preconditions of the current political system and global civilization. Considering the changes in the initial social, technological and environmental conditions of the existence of the economic-political system – which are consequences of the transition from the stable geological-climatic era of the Holocene to the unstable era of the Anthropocene – it is necessary to reconsider the basic premises of the imperatives and conceptual frameworks of the current political-economic system. The founders of modern political thought traced the outlines of the current political-economic system in the philosophical framework, although we can identify some of the basic premises of environmentalism and relevant concepts for the reflection of the current threats and risks in some of their works. The author considers the concept of civil and human rights, the concept of state of nature and the concept of social contract adequate to think about the crisis of the current political-economic system in terms of environmentalism. Then, the author formulates in what meanings these concepts are also valid for the Anthropocene. In conclusion, the author's hypothesis is that the political philosophy of the 21st century must reflect the environmental pre-conditions and the limits of the existence and the forms of the economic-political system and, at the same time, must take into account that any economic and factors influence the quality and sustainability of the environment.

Development plans at different levels – from local to global – aspire to eliminate poverty, famine, to make health care accessible, to create better access to education, to improve transportation, employment, and the quality of life, all within next decades. Yet, these plans collide with the reality of climate change, more precisely the Anthropocene, which already creates high-dimensional conflicts. These will only intensify within decades because climate change and other consequences of the environment global devastation lead to a real decrease of resources. These resources enable not only development but also an elementary reproduction of the essential preconditions of life. The current model of development has substantially contributed to the intensification of unequal accessibility to resources and existing conflicts have thus heightened and new ones have emerged. Water as an essential resource will cause new conflicts. Growing population, expansion of deserts and a sea level rise then increase conflicts for the land. Heat waves occur more often which strengthens conflicts for land suitable for human life, meaning that inhabitable areas are spreading. Therefore there is a need to re-evaluate the character and hierarchy of resources and their accessibility, and also concepts of development. The existing development of humankind has been done at the expense of others in many cases and mainly at the expense of the environment. The current situation raises a question of climate justice from both historical and systematic viewpoints. It opens a need to reformulate the concept of human rights from the perspective of their essential environmental preconditions and to define the status of environmental migrants.

Abstract
When we abandon the neoliberal fiction that one is independent on the grounds that it is a-historic and antisocial, we realize that everyone is dependent and interdependent. In a media-driven society the self-identity of the individual is formed within the framework of the culture-ideology of consumerism from early childhood. As a result, both the environmental and social destruction have intensified. In the global era, or in the era of the global environmental crisis, self-identity as a precondition for environmentally sustainable care of the self should be based on the culture-ideology of human rights and responsibilities, and on conscious self-limitation which realizes that one's prosperity and security cannot come at the expense of others. Care of the self is about ensuring the habitability of the global environment as the primary interest of each individual.

This article outlines the role of globalized mass media in the perception of environmental and social threats and its reciprocal conditionality in the globalized society. It examines the reasons why the global environmental crisis will not lead to a world-wide environmental movement for change of the basic imperatives of the world economic-political system. Coherency between globalized mass media and wide-spreading of consumer lifestyle exists despite the fact that it deepens the devastation of environment and social conflicts. Globalized mass media owned by transnational corporations are not only a part of the current global economic-political system, but also the prerequisite of its creation and existence, as well as social contradictions and conflicts.

"It is extremely difficult to seek new paths in the twilight of our former idols, ideals and visions of a happy and successful life. The authors of the book invite the reader to embark on this journey in a free-spirited manner and to look at the challenges posed by the new climate regime from different perspectives. Whether one accepts the concept of the Anthropocene as a starting point, or rather as an opportunity for constructive criticism, readers will be fully engaged by thinking through historical-philosophical, scientific, political, social, as well as educational problems"--

The article analyzes the prospects of ecological civilisation in a media-driven society at the end of the 20th century and the first two decades of the 21st century. The self-identity of the individual is now formed within the culture-ideology of consumerism, which is defined by the excessive production and consumption of all kinds of goods and services. Public policies of this period are shaped by neoliberal principles emphasizing the individuals' benefit and their profit. The result of such a culture is an intensification of environmental and social destruction at the planetary level. Almost unlimited support for the growth of production and consumption faces the limits of the planetary system, its capacity to provide resources for continued growth, and to absorb pollution. Consequently, humanity faces the instability and unpredictability of the Anthropocene. From a philosophical point of view, the global environmental crisis opens up the problem of justifying regulations restricting the freedom of unlimited production and consumption. The concept of ecological culture or ecological civilization which is developing in contemporary China can be considered as the opposite of the culture-ideology of consumerism. It emerged in China in the mid-1980s as a response to the Soviet-formulated model of 'green culture.' This concept integrates several 'Western' concepts of sustainable development, eco-Marxism, ecological democracy, but it also incorporates several traditional Chinese philosophical concepts and thus can be perceived as part of the renaissance of traditional Chinese ways of thinking and interpreting the world. The question is whether the concept of ecological civilization is a real alternative to consumer culture. If the answer to this question is affirmative, then the possibilities of transforming the culture of consumption into an ecological civilization analysed in the article should be considered as trends of sustainable development.

Frontmatter -- Contents -- 1 Introduction -- 2 A Trialogue on Revolution and Transformation -- 3 Revolutions, Transformations, Civilisations: Prolegomena to a Paradigm Reorientation -- 4 The Transformation of Capitalism and the Limits of Democracy -- 5 From Civilisational Crisis to Revolutionary Transformation? -- 6 Environmental Crisis and Political Revolutions -- 7 Communists and Social Democrats in the Hungarian Soviet Republic -- 8 Can Political Participation Become Dangerous for Democracy? Participatory Experiences in Brazil and the Reactions Against Them -- 9 Hidden Revolutionary Processes in 1990s India? -- 10 Matching Reforms of Political and Economic Systems of China -- Notes on the Contributors -- Index