The Philosophical and Material Underpinnings of a Sustainable Alternative : A Contribution to Ecological Economics

Numerous social groups are explicitly rejecting their integration into the proletarian organization of production as part of the process of capitalist accumulation. In its place they are proposing and implementing self-directed social and political systems with their own productive and ecosystem management programs that allow them to determine the terms of their interchanges with the world (and regional) market economies. By framing the analysis within the paradigm of ecological economics, this paper contributes to a better understanding of the interactions of social and natural systems in order to ameliorate "the human condition" while building a firmer foundation for environmental sustainability and rehabilitation. Using the author's proposal for an analytical apparatus to evaluate the philosophical underpinnings of actual practice by social groupings (usually alliances among communities and/or within indigenous groups), the analysis applies four fundamental principles - autonomy, self-sufficiency, productive diversification, and sustainable ecosystem management - to evaluate progress made in regions attempting to implement their own alternatives to capitalist organization. The article analyzes results from two specific projects in which the author is involved as well as incorporating the lessons learned that are being applied in other settings, including a number of projects being implemented by social actors in other geographic, ethnic and institutional settings. The study concludes that the organization of societies to build viable and attractive alternatives to capitalist models offers great scope for improving human welfare and promoting sustainable environmental management that also offers significant benefits to other segments of society living in the urban-industrial context