Just Philosophy, Just Practice? An Exploration of Enrique Dussel's Ethics of Liberation in Relation to the Normative Dimension of Two Movements Against Globalisation and Exclusion

Abstract

The Ethics of Liberation in the Age of Globalisation and Exclusion by the Latin American philosopher Enrique Dussel aims to be 'a day to day ethics, starting from and in favour of the immense majorities of humanity excluded from globalisation, in the historic 'nonnality' that is presently prevalent' 1 • Dussel's Ethics is based around the material principle of 'the production, reproduction and development of life', the formal discursive principle that decision-making processes should be open to all those affected by them, and the principle of (ethical and empirical) feasibility. Ethical critique and liberatory practice, Dussel argues, should start from and be carried out by the 'victims' of the partial or non-realisation of these principles. Nevertheless, the discussion of Dussel's philosophy has tended to stay at the philosophical level. This thesis moves beyond this discussion by relating the universal principles Dussel proposes to the concrete experiences of two movements that are insisting on universalistic normative ideas in the context of globalisation and eicclusion: The Zapatistas in Mexico and the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement - NBA) in India. My study of these concrete struggles to challenge victimisation reveals both the similarities between their nonnative content and Dussel's principles and the complex questions that arise in attempts to realise these normative principles precisely in the situations of domination and exclusion that Dussel takes as his starting-point. While some of these questions constitute a challenge to rethink aspects of the philosophical debate, others can only legitimately be answered by those who participate in practical attempts to challenge material and discursive exclusion. From this background, the relationship between philosophy and practice becomes an important question in itself.