Peter Tait: Transition to a Biosensitive eco-sustainable future

Commentary on Stephen Boyden's 
Our Place in Nature: past present and future,
Nature and Society Forum, Canberra, Australia, second edition, 2010.

Respect for the processes of life

Biosensitivity provides a neat model for setting out the causal and so remedial pathways for human wellbeing and health and a healthy ecosystem. Biosensitive means being sensitive to and respectful of the processes of life. Respectful is the key ingredient. In this model a biosensitive society protects the health of the ecosystem and humans. A healthy ecosystem further supports human health. One weakness is the use of health for the ecosystem and humanity; a use of wellbeing and health captures more completely the broader aspects of psychosocial as well as ‘illness-absence’ relatedness.

Culture as a subset of human biology

The model is based in the Biosensitive triangle (Figure 1); this can be further broken down into an array of other sub-factors. The important novelty is the inclusion of culture, which in this model includes all the knowledge, assumptions beliefs, priorities and values of a population or community. Besides language, culture includes the governance, legal and economic institutional structures of that community. Change to culture is cultural reform.

Figure 1

Changing the dominant paradigm

Cultural reform is the process of transitioning from the dominant cultural paradigm, to another one which replaces it. Recognition is given to the need for different economic, industrial, built infrastructure and agricultural models. Population as a driver of problems is identified, but perhaps too simplistically particularly when population control is advocated. Access to reproductive services and contraception is a more reasonable means to achieve population limits. The vision is spelt out but details of the process of reform are sparse.

Expanding the analysis

I would extend the analysis and prescriptions in several ways. First the brevity of the monograph means some aspects are simplified too much. A broader description of the problems with the dominant economic paradigm would be useful. Such an amplification might include a list of the mis-assumptions of the neo-liberal model:

• That wellbeing and happiness are the same
• That wellbeing is solely derived from material prosperity and acquisition of money
• That material prosperity needs to increase continuously
• That the market operates in an idealised form
• That the market operates best when unregulated (free).

Alternatives to the free market

In regard to ‘the market’ no player in real life has perfect information, infinite choice, is rational and so the playing field is not level. Recent financial history demonstrates that unregulated markets are not perfect. Economic models need to include researched and realistic aspects of human behaviour and social organisation, including the advertising industry and how it operates. They need to include assumptions about the need for fairness, equity and ecosystem limits. Part of a new culture has to accept the need for governments, who are the collective means to self discipline in a democracy, to regulate to make sure fairness, equity and ecosystem limits are not exceeded. The market can then work within these prescribed parameters to deliver reasonably cost effective outcomes.

A society driven by consumerism

Secondly the way the power relationships within society contribute to the lack of wellbeing and health can be teased out. It is not just that “a significant proportion of the population [is] deprived psychosocially, lacking social support …” Those in power seek to maintain their power and privilege. They actively create the culture that helps them to do this. In industrialised society they are also the owners of the means of production. Thus they have a second incentive to control; to ensure that product is consumed. This control is exercised through advertising.

Consumerism driven by advertising

Advertising works by creating a feeling of dissatisfaction with the product proposed as the reliever of that disquiet. Human frailty is used against people. The dynamic over supply – over demand spiral is set up. Behaviour change leads to acceptance of and even belief in the necessity of the system. So society comes to believe the cycle is making us happy similar to the addict believing that relief of withdrawal is the natural state.

Both sets of control (that is, the institutionalised power relationships withion society and advertising) together lead to alienation and a lessening of feeling in control in most people. Where the distribution of wealth is most glaringly obvious this is worse. This leads to the disparities discussed on page 38. The have-nots feel their lack. Overconsumption includes excess calories leading to obesity. Together the excess calories, advertising disquiet and distress at the system translate into psychological and physical illness.

The Impact of inequality

Outline the mechanism of this in detail.

A few other minor issues need to be enumerated.

Employment: meaningful or alienating

In discussing societal arrangements “the workforce” and “jobs” are discussed. In fact they are perhaps better thought of as work practice. Jobs and work are promoters of health when they are meaningful occupations. Several of the factors listed on page 45 under psychosocial fit into the meaningful occupation category. However on page 27 the issue is work practice. In the treadmill of over production the nature of the work contributes to alienation, the non-closed ‘technometabolism’ contributes to overuse of resources and excessive waste.
There is a link between overuse of energy and over manufacture and over consumption of products.

Societal inertia

I’m not sure that is it “cultural gullibility” that is a problem of our species. This sounds like victim blaming. As discussed about powerful forces are applied to have us follow the dominant paradigm. Unless good reason is given, when things seem to be going well, there is no need to question the received wisdom. When things go bad, we are more likely to cling to the usual ways. This is able to be manipulated. At a deeper level the fact that we are social animals means we are programmed to go with the crowd to a large extent.

Contradictory beliefs

In cultural shift (p.24), how would the current religious reality of so many be shifted to understanding the “story of life on Earth and the human place in nature”. This is like promulgating a new religion, albeit one based on promoting the reality derived from western scientific knowledge of the universe. If a new religion is not being proposed, then how does this reformed understanding stand with existing sometimes contradictory beliefs?

Driving cultural reform to effect paradigm shift

Our real challenge now is to initiate and drive forward the cultural reform. This is not going to happen without planning and organisation. The transition framework gives a model to assess leverage points. Section five sets out what needs to happen at a strategic level. The next step is to look, sector by sector, at what action need to be taken and the tactics needed. For instance if we are to create an understanding community, what changes to school curricula need to be introduced, at what level and in a way that will involve not alienate youth? Who is to do this and when? How is the understanding of the mis-assumptions to be exposed to the public in a way that does not turn people off the messenger and helps them think? How will the backlash from those with vested interests be managed?
 

References

de Botton, A 2005, Status anxiety, Sydney, Australia Penguin
Wilkinson, RG 2005, The Impact of Inequality: how to make sick societies healthier, New York, The New Press.
The text of Our Place in Nature begins here.