Who stands for Uŋčí Makhá

Abstract

Alasdair MacIntyre criticizes the liberal nation-state as using a veil of proceduralism to prevent individuals from determining their value and to stop them from pursuing different ways of life. Rather, the liberal nation-state acts as a utility company that attempts to balance competing interests of diverse entities, while its alleged claim to be the only entity with legitimate use of force relies on a supposed national identity that excludes others from the resources it distributes. In contrast, MacIntyre proposes a collective self-rule of the local community in which members rank-order their goods and make their desires most effective. An analysis of the No DAPL protests at Standing Rock both illustrates the power of MacIntyre’s critique of the liberal nation-state while raising questions about the place of nature in the community of common goods. The Lakȟóta, for instance, embrace a philosophy in which Uŋčí Makhá (Mother Nature) is not just a means for human freedom, but a member of the community itself with her own desires. Thus, we should extend MacIntyre’s account of collective self-rule such that someone in the community “stand” for Uŋčí Makhá in rank-ordering the goods of the community so that the community extends freedom to all.