A philosophical justification for a novel analysis-supported, stakeholder-driven participatory process for water resources planning and decision making

David Purkey; Marisa Escobar; Vishal Mehta; Laura Forni; Nicholas Depsky; David Yates

doi:10.3390/w10081009

The authors of this paper explore early classical writing from Plato and Aristotle to find a new approach to water resource planning and decision-making.

View of the central portion of the Raphael’s School of Athens painted between 1509 and 1511 in the Vatican’s Apostolic Place, depicting a supposed conversation between Plato (left) and Aristotle (right). Stanza della Segnatura, Palazzi Pontifici, Vatican.

Purkey, D. R., Escobar Arias, M. I., Mehta, V. K., Forni, L., Depsky, N. J., Yates, D. N., Stevenson, W. N. (2018). A Philosophical Justification for a Novel Analysis-Supported, Stakeholder-Driven Participatory Process for Water Resources Planning and Decision Making. Water 2018, 10(8), 1009; doi.org/10.3390/w10081009

Two trends shape current water resources planning and decision-making: reliance on stakeholder evaluation processes, and growing recognition that some evaluation options may not be appropriate. These trends pose questions regarding the role of information, analysis and expertise in this social and political context.

How do we discover the best options in the face of uncertainty? Does a best option even exist?

The authors of this paper explore early classical writing as captured by Plato and Aristotle to create a new approach to water resources planning and decision-making.

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