Multispecies Justice. Philosophical and political considerations for multispecies futures.

Abstract

The consequences of climate change, such as the massive decline in biodiversity and the increasing magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events, have challenged the western theorisation of a disentangled relationship between humans and nature, with interdependence all the more evident. This dichotomous imaginary, cemented by the philosophies of the enlightenment, makes the interrogation of our anthropocentric ontology almost unimaginable. The emerging field of Multispecies Justice (MSJ), however, gives the possibility to think differently and reconfigure biocentric individualism around questions of ontology, ethics, and justice. This disruptive potential is due to the fact that MSJ profoundly interrogates western anthropocentric knowledge creation by having the ambition to practice relational ontologies. This research proposes an in-depth analysis of MSJ’s potential by conducting a theoretical, as well as an empirical, analysis. The first part of the research included explorative and philosophical research for the consolidation of MSJ, considering that its literature is rather fragmented. Jointly, artistic research was conducted to probe the possibility of shaping multispecies imaginaries by building bridges between art and science. Secondly, by using the findings of this first analysis, this research addressed the concretisation and practicability of MSJ by con- ducting political scientific research that analysed the extent to which MSJ is reflected in sustainable governance practices. Through the integration of the results of the theoretical as well as the empirical analysis, this research laid a foundation to cement Multispecies Justice in our collective imaginary by giving innovative ways to reconceptualise a justice that encompasses all living beings of the Earth.