Abstract

In an era when environmental policy discussions have become increasingly rancorous and balkanized Ecopragmatics provides a framework for addressing seemingly intransigent environmental issues by relying upon a method of pragmatic analysis and inquiry grounded in the ideas of William James and John Dewey. This approach eschews ideological posturing in favor of a consequentialist approach wherein reasonable and shared solutions to environmental problems are pursued on the basis of their perceived value to the community and in regard to natural environments and ecosystems. This approach incorporates a communitarian perspective to promote an atmosphere of collaboration by discerning the motivational factors informing the decisions of key stakeholders and subsequently framing policy issues to encourage compromise and ongoing partnership. In so doing Ecopragmatics presents a series of conceptual chapters followed by original case studies illustrating how ecopragmatic principles can empower decision makers to not only imagine possible policy options but to actually animate those ideas within their imagination to derive the potential worth of each option – what we call “imaginating.”