Buen Vivir

Harmony with nature as the core foundation of plurinationality

Abstract

The 20th Century, perhaps even more than previous ones, has presented in its core essence a strong paradox, that is, it is not feasible to serve both the economy and the natural environment at the same time. In fact, natural resources have served as fuel to economic development. As the few rich became richer, and the many poor turned poorer, the century has witnessed the swift destruction of its homeland. By the same token, the modern state, characteristically segregationist and standardizing, began to display notable fractures in its structure. In order to face this scenario, forms of knowledge that have been silenced, such as those of the original peoples of Latin America, have attracted attention of researchers of the decolonial matrix, especially its legal-political realization, the Plurinational State. Both conceptually open and decidedly plural, plurinationality is grounded by the philosophy of buen vivir. The present research paper intends to elaborate on the foundational premises that hold together such a theoretical construction. By exposing the environmental crisis brought to force by the destructive logic of economic development and emphasizing the need to rethink Nature, homeland to all peoples, as bearer of legal rights. It establishes a dialogue with prominent thinkers such as Alberto Acosta, Airton Krenak, Vanessa Hasson, Anibal Quijano and other, as a means to highlight the premise of a state in necessary and definitive harmony with Nature.