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The Avatars of Sustainability: A Necessary Prolegomenon

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The Sustainable Development Theory: A Critical Approach, Volume 1

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Abstract

Sustainable development has come to mean everything and nothing. It has become an overused word, named according to scientific or ideological needs. While the present garnishes it with futilities, its essence is left behind. It can be found in the works of the founders of economics. Turning back towards them amounts to an exercise of rehabilitation by means of simplification and clarification. Through them, we can find out where the theme of sustainable development fits and whether environmental and social criteria take precedence over production and efficiency. The chapter draws attention to the fact that the Brundtland definition is not a definition. Its critique is redundant. The Brundtland Commission launched a message. Its keyword is ability. This ability regards both the rich and the poor. It is noted that only a country can be deemed sustainable. A map of global sustainability is not yet possible.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Iasi, Romania

    Ion Pohoaţă, Delia Elena Diaconaşu & Vladimir Mihai Crupenschi

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  1. Ion Pohoaţă
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  2. Delia Elena Diaconaşu
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  3. Vladimir Mihai Crupenschi
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Pohoaţă, I., Diaconaşu, D.E., Crupenschi, V.M. (2020). The Avatars of Sustainability: A Necessary Prolegomenon. In: The Sustainable Development Theory: A Critical Approach, Volume 1. Palgrave Studies in Sustainability, Environment and Macroeconomics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54847-6_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54847-6_1

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