Systemic Ethics and Non-Anthropocentric Stewardship ― Implications for Transdisciplinarity and Cosmopolitan Politics

This book makes a case for rights and responsibilities to be expressed through a cosmopolitan praxis based on developing strong cosmopolitan approaches. This developed approach respects a form of cultural or national identity that is not at the expense of others, the environment or future generations. This new stoicism is based on a sense of responsibility for others. The book also explores systemic ethical praxis in response to the vexed challenge of how to bridge the false dualism of pitting the environment versus profit. Systemic Ethics and Non-Anthropocentric Stewardship: Implications for Transdisciplinarity and Cosmopolitan Politics is organized into seven chapters. The book begins by providing readers with an understanding of the way in which cosmopolitanism (like all social concepts) is shaped by diverse definitions and applied differently by theorists and those that engage in transformative praxis. It also develops an argument based on considering the empirical consequences of social, economic and environmental decisions on the quality of life of current and future generations. The next chapter critiques anthropocentricism and explores how policy makers develop agreements on what constitutes and supports the wellbeing of the planet rather than the GDP. The book then explores the options for social democracy and ways to enhance an ethical approach to post national governance and argues for participatory democracy and governance to respond to diversity within and across national boundaries. The following chapters reflect upon the author’s own participatory action research process and examines the transformations that can arise through critical systemic thinking and practice. Next the book makes the case for systemic ethical governance that is able to manage consumption, before concluding with a final look at the book’s approach, based on critical heuristics.

Janet McIntyre-Mills is Associate Professor Flinders University, and Adjunct Professor University of Indonesia. Her books address social and environmental justice concerns and include, for example: ‘Global Citizenship and Social Movements’, Harwood, McMillan, ‘Critical Systemic Praxis for Social and Environmental Justice’, Springer; ‘Systemic Governance and Accountability: working and re-working the conceptual and spatial boundaries,’ published by Springer; ‘User Centric policy design to address complex need’s, Nova Science. Emergence has recently published ‘Identity, democracy and sustainability’. It proposes a new architecture for governance.

Her research addresses wellbeing, consciousness and cosmopolitan ethics associated with the design and transformation of governance and democracy. It focuses on excessive social, economic and environmental consumption and suggests ways to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change through protecting cultural ecosystems. She is a board member of several journals, including the Journal of Globalization Studies, Systems Research and Behavioural Science, for example. She is an elected board member of Research Committee 10 on Participation and Organizational Transformation of the International Sociological Association and has participated in Research Committee 51 of Socio-cybernetics. She is also a member of the International Systems Sciences and the Action Learning and Action Association.