Year
2024
Abstract
This chapter applies a paradigm framework to examine ecological transition, revealing how large-scale societal shifts toward sustainability occur through complex interactions between beliefs, objects, values, and performance. Drawing on Thomas Kuhn’s concept of paradigms, the analysis demonstrates how ecological transitions emerge not through centralized value alignment, but through the meshing of diverse individual interpretations and practices. The chapter introduces the concept of “pivot objects” – like bicycles in urban mobility – that can catalyze paradigm shifts without requiring universal agreement on values. It explores how paradigm transitions inherently involve discontinuities and tension between competing viewpoints, using examples from debates over nuclear power and economic growth. The analysis suggests that effective ecological transitions may be achieved through orchestrating networks of localized changes rather than attempting to impose system-wide value transformations. This perspective offers new pathways for advancing sustainability by embracing rather than attempting to eliminate the polymorphic nature of social change. (Abstract generated by Claude AI)
CAVARRETTA, F. (2024). Wishing for shift: A paradigm perspective on ecological transition. Dans: Hugues Bouthinon-Dumas, Arijit Chatterjee, Bernard Leca eds. Navigating the Ecological Transition: A Business School Perspective. 1st ed. London: Routledge, pp. 20-26.