ABSTRACT
It is tempting to seek refuge in the words of former Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart, who, when asked to define pornography famously said, “I shall not today attempt to define it, but I know it when I see it.” In the case of sustainable development, a more modest claim might be, “I am not sure what it is, but I am quite sure what it is not.” Or we could attempt to browbeat anyone who persists in pressing for a definition by taunting, “If you are still asking for a definition, you are asking the wrong question.” Finally, when exasperation has become unbearable, perhaps we should blurt out the naked truth: “Sustainable development is what we want, stupid!”
