Changes in Euro-American Values Needed for Sustainability

Discusses the worldview that gives rise to contemporary Euro-American values. It is argued that this worldview is no longer adaptive, due to some of the underlying subconscious beliefs and assumptions. In particular, beliefs about "human nature," about the causes of "scarcity," and about the nature of "progress," are questioned, and the ways in which these beliefs have led to socially and environmentally destructive institutions are traced. Sustainability, which requires both ecological awareness and sensitivity to human social needs, will depend on replacing maladaptive assumptions with new beliefs: that humans are not naturally selfish, but are prosocial; that scarcity for humans is not primarily a condition of Nature, but is culturally caused; and that progress means not growing bigger or more complex, but adapting to change. It is concluded that adoption of these new beliefs can lead to new, more adaptive values and institutions.