ONLINE FIRST
published on July 3, 2025
Silviya Serafimova
https://doi.org/10.5840/envirophil2025630144
On the Hopeful Hermeneutics of the Anthropocene
Some Reflections on Forrest Clingerman¡¯s Theory of Environmental Justice
This article unpacks how Forrest Clingerman¡¯s analysis of Martin Buber¡¯s word pairs (I-It, I-You and I-I elaborated by Clingerman in Buber¡¯s sense) enriches recognition justice with relational justice in the field of environmental hermeneutics. The major contribution of relational justice in Clingerman¡¯s sense is that it fosters the reevaluation of responsibility as a morally justifiable response of humans (microcosm) to the Earth (macrocosm) and vice versa. In addition to preventing the degradation of I-You mutuality to I-I reciprocity, when the Other mirrors the Self, relational justice also avoids I-It hierarchical asymmetry, when the Other is objectified by the Self.