Daoism, Confucianism, and the Rights of Nature: Transformative Relations in Ecological Governance

Confronting a global ecological crisis, this paper argues that conventional anthropocentric governance models, rooted in instrumental rationality, are inadequate. Drawing on Edoardo Ongaro’s concept of an integrative approach to an ontological and political philosophical understanding of public governance and administration, it proposes a relational framework for ecological governance by integrating the Rights of Nature (RoN) movement with classical Chinese philosophical traditions. The study emphasizes the complementary foundations offered by Daoism, specifically its concepts of ziran (natural spontaneity) and wuwei (non-coercive action) which support decentralized governance aligned with ecological self-organization, and Confucianism, particularly tian ren he yi (unity of heaven and humanity), which embeds ecological stewardship within moral self-cultivation (ren) and social duty (li). Comparative case studies highlight cultural complexities in implementing such relational governance. This paper outlines a tripartite pathway for building transformative capacities within this relational framework and discusses policy implications.