Rethinking the Politics of Nature: Representation and Rights

This paper is concerned with the political representation of nature. More precisely, It attempts to discern what is specific about representing natural entities as opposed to humans – how the two logics of representation differ, if at all. In order to do so, it relays on theoretical discussions and the analysis of one striking example of representation: the Ecuadorian constitution of 2008 which, for the first time in history, grants nature formal rights. In the process we will develop some theoretical tools to help us understand the specificity of representing nature, as well as the minimal conditions for a political concept of nature. In order to do this, the paper will move across a landscape populated by theories of political representation drawn from political science, ethical arguments drawn from philosophy, and the only real (as opposed to hypothetical) case of the rights of nature today, its commentators and defenders. These three major nodes will help us evaluate what, if anything, is novel about granting nature rights, as well as situate the debate about the representation of nature on the background of recent developments in ethics.