People do not like what they see and most are aware that the outcome might be disaster. But how do we direct our efforts without a vision beyond just seeing what is wrong or not working? A coherent vision must go beyond the “re” words of re-construction, re-novation, re-storation, all of which are conserving views, like “sustainability”, and not sufficient to get us through and onward. The earth obviously cannot take on an affluent life of consumption for all. More fundamental changes are necessary. But so far we are fighting ourselves. Just as it is clear we need fundamental change to avoid interdependent catastrophes, many are working to reinforce their current activity in order to remain viable a little bit longer. But this gets in the way of change. Moreover many are making plans for what they see as a post crisis opportunity to rebuild what was lost, but this too gets in the way of meaningful changes and delays, potentially lethal, the possibilities of a new social contract, a new constitutional order, a new civility, new community.
Keep the kids occupied with school, sex and
video games, more babies, more workers and
more consumers. The more people the more
profit. ( standard business logic of the last 100 years)
Are we going to keep the current systems (corporations, representative democracy, population increase) when it is clear they are producing serious failures?. Roberto Unger makes the strong case that most progressive thinking stops short of structural change: law, property, governance, laid out in his challenging beyond conventional book, The Knowledge Economy. See chapter 18, including the imperative of Structural Vision.
We can imagine a better future that is organized around the way we solve the major problems: food, habitat, and meaning. Taking all three together is easier than one at a time. I call this approach Gardenworld. It is not a plan but an intent to be worked out at every part of society . We need to manage the earth for human habitat and that requires , because our interdependencies are so strong, managing for the good of all species.