THE BALANCING ACT: TOWARDS A TERMINAL LOGIC OF SUSTAINABILITY.

Abstract

Building on recent work seeking to redress the shortcomings of contemporary sustainability practices, two versions of sustainability are explored. The first, built on the logic of the market with its emphasis on growth, is found to use sustainability as a means to an end; an end which is not sustainable: growth. The second version, built on the logic of equilibrium developed by Georges Bataille (1967/2007), treats sustainability as the end itself and is thus sustainable by definition. The logics underlying and the mechanics of these forms of sustainability are explored. The ability of the Bataille logic to incorporate existing findings and offer a parsimonious goal on which to build strategies is discussed in light of specific connections to recent research. An empirical case is provided to illuminate the existence of the sustainability logic in contemporary business practice. Practical and theoretical implications are provided