Freedom in the Anthropocene: Bringing Political Philosophy to Global Environmental Problems

Abstract

In order to address the current global challenges, including climate change, it is helpful to connect environmental and technology ethics, and bring in political philosophy. After briefly exploring some relations between AI and climate change, this essay draws on my recent work – in particular the book Green Leviathan or the Poetics of Political Liberty – to discuss the topic of political freedom in the light of climate change and AI in the Anthropocene. Starting from the need for changing human behaviour into more climate and environmentally friendly directions, it discusses nudging and climate change, warns for the danger of green authoritarianism, and, inspired by the capabilities approach and critical theory, explores notions of freedom that go beyond the libertarianism-authoritarianism dilemma. This leads to a consideration of more relational notions of freedom that link freedom to justice and human flourishing and to a brief reflection on anthropocentrism and the modern focus on control.

Keywords

• freedom
• liberty
• Anthropocene
• climate change
• nudging
• anthropocentrism