David Sloan Wilson defines altruism as a concern for others as an end in itself. Even Adam Smith recognized this in The Theory of Moral Sentiments (he would be horrified to learn how his other book, The Wealth of Nations, is misunderstood today). Smith wrote: “How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortunes of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it.”
The contribution of Does Altruism Exist? is critical. Seeing group selection as foundational, along with individual (reproductive) selection is a kind of dialectic that drives us to both individuate and integrate– that makes us become fully individual and fully collective. Indeed, if we, you and I, are products of incredible cooperation between many entities on many levels, ultimately producing the great gift of evolution—our consciousness—it is tragic we are so sadly preoccupied with so many trivial considerations.
As Ken Wilber says in his comments on Wilson’s work, the arrow of time shoots toward an ever differentiating and integrating identity, which he summarizes as “growing up” (about learning and “knowing about” as humanity continues to mature) and “waking up” (that more enigmatic element in “gut” and heart that also fundamentally underpins the maturing process of humankind). It is an important synchronicity that Wilson’s work—pointing to the actual mechanisms of cultural evolution– is getting major attention just at the time when Wilber is differentiating these complementary aspects of human development.
At face it is not an easy process, nor one in which it is easy to remain optimistic. Life’s preponderance of suffering, for so many— “red in tooth and claw”, or “Auschwitz factor”– certainly clouds our appreciation of the altruistic, collaborative element. But the contributions of both of these men are asking us to take a look at the whole package.
Overall, across the underlying eco-system or “biosphere”, there appear to be three basic relationships between organisms in nature: predation, commensalism, and symbiosis. In ecology, commensalism is a class of relationships between two organisms where organism benefits from the other without affecting it. This is in contrast with mutualism (symbiosis) in which both organisms benefit from each other, amensalism, where one is harmed while the other is unaffected, and parasitism, predation, and competition, where one benefits while the other is harmed.
In the sentient realm where Homo sapiens makes conscious choices (call it, if you like, Teilhard’s “noosphere”), we then see the challenge of the design characteristics or principles fundamental to creating collaborative social systems that protect and nurture the commons. In this realm arises “the Hope” (echoing that classic title of Andrew Harvey’s foundational book on sacred activism) that we can evolve into something better-our great work.
This requires a paradigm shift to an ecological/ evolutionary orientation to life, a new sensibility of Earth as alive, and a restructuring of institutions accordingly (particularly economics). Many have been pointing to the need for a new worldview that moves us out of the mechanism, reductionism, anthropocentrism, utilitarianism of modernity, toward post-secular societies.
Earth systems scientists and cosmologists, nature poets and mystics, religious leaders and ethicists are converging on an understanding of Earth as a vulnerable, interconnected and interdependent living system. We humans are a part of nature and dependent on the vitality of ecological systems for our well-being. Increasingly, scientists and practitioners of diverse spiritual traditions are awakening to Earth as a community of subjects, which deserve our respect and care, especially in an age many now call the Anthropocene.
This is a convergence of new and old, scientific and spiritual understandings of who we are in the Earth community, and how we create mutually enhancing human-earth relationships. Contributions include evolutionary and complex-systems worldviews and new cosmologies, to phrase only a few, Mary Evelyn Tucker’s “The Journey of the Universe”, Albert Schweitzer’s “Reverence for Life”, Rachel Carson’s “Sense of Wonder,” the native American connection to “all my relations”, Arne Naess’ “Deep Ecology”, Thomas Berry’s “Communion of Subjects”, Aldo Leopold’s “Land Ethic”, The Earth Charter, and the affirmations of compassionate religious traditions based on new “unity consciousness”– universal Christologies, seeing all beings as Buddhas, and a Coming Interspiritual Age.
And into this arena steps evolutionary science with its declaration that “Group-” and “Multi-Level-“ Selection are real and select for processes and structures that serve the whole, and not just self-interest groups. We have David Sloan Wilson describing the nuances of the more “interior” aspects of what propels cultural evolution, within the larger patterns of material evolutions just as Ken Wilber declares that evolution is progressing in all of his “four quadrants” that is, reality as understood and experienced in all of first-, second- and third-Person– and third Person plural.
According to Peter Brown, “an overarching paradigm in this new and emerging understanding is an evolutionary and complex systems theory worldview (ECSWV) —greatly enriched by developments in thermodynamics, genetics, systems theory, physics etc, especially since WWII. In this framework biological evolution is a special case, which occurs within the context of an evolutionary universe… The most fundamental truth in environmental science is that everything is connected to everything else, or that all activities in biological reality, including human activities, are embedded in, and interactive with the whole of the ecosphere.” 1
What does this understanding of our group, altruistic, interconnection with all life, our awakening to the soul of things, imply for how we live our lives, organize our communities and workplaces, revise our economic and social policies at all levels of government?
Drawing on David Sloan Wilson and Elinor Ostrom’s work, it implies that we would identify with and care for the commons, e.g. the atmosphere, oceans, all “common pool resources,” by conducting our group policy and practice making according to the design principles.
In the 70-year journey of the United Nations, the most recent negotiations over the new (Post-2015) UN Development Agenda actually are manifesting such a concern for the interconnected and fragile biosphere we are part of. And the negotiations (between 193 nation states and other stakeholders) are also, remarkably, manifesting most if not all of the design principles.
As environmental and social deterioration has accompanied rapid economic growth, even the most established governments are recognizing the fact that “transformative change is needed”, and “business as usual is not an option.”2
They recognize we must redefine what development is for. Development– both economic and personal– and more broadly evolution, is not primarily about short-term dominance and economic gain (thereby owning, consuming and controlling ever more goods and services)-the selfish gene. Rather it is about building those conditions and capacities necessary for full human development for all in a flourishing Earth community. To paraphrase The Earth Charter, after basic needs are met, development should be about being more, not having more. Real transformative change will require the reorientation of development goals to support psychological and spiritual growth and sustainable living. It will encourage those with more than they need to give to those who lack the basic necessities for life.
In September 2015, world governments have adopted new, universal sustainable development goals that incorporate the unfinished business of the MDGs into a broader framework. SDGs are to be the guides (a sort of dashboard) for this transformative change. They are intended as a set of “action- oriented, concise and easy to communicate goals that could help drive the implementation of sustainable development.” The 13 UN Intergovernmental Open Working Group (OWG) meetings led to the completion of the Zero Draft of the SDGs in July 2014. Then, various UN offices and civil society organizations analyzed these 17 goals and 169 targets and made recommendations for their improvement.
This extensive process (including the monthly intergovernmental negotiation sessions so far preparing for the Fall Post 15 Summit) has been remarkable in terms of the consensus for seeking transformative change guided by an integrated triple bottom line and determination to place the resultant new understanding of sustainable development at the center of national and international development, starting with United Nations’ own agencies. In the monthly intergovernmental negotiations, governmental representatives have repeatedly affirmed the need for transformative change guided by a new framework for development that would eliminate poverty, promote the breadth of human rights, ensure equitable and inclusive economic growth-all within planetary boundaries. (UN Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform, Sustainable development Goals Report, 2014 and other sources)
In concluding my comments, I want to point to Pope Francis’ recent challenge. His Encyclical (Laudato Si’) is a rallying point for ensuring that people understand the magnitude of the challenge facing us and for embracing the moral imperative to reorient our hearts and minds as well as our economic and social policies, to create a world that works for all. He terms this integral ecology, which “integrates questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”
Laudato Si’ challenges us to make three major shifts:
- From narrow anthropocentrism to integral ecology, centered on the common good, and the interconnectedness and dignity of all life.
- Toward a just and equitable social order, emphasizing a new bottom line for development that replaces economic growth and short term gain (GDP) with fuller measures of personal and planetary well being
Toward a true global collaboration-a social movement, that is not about conversion but convergence grounded in shared global ethics.3
References
[1] Brown et al. 2011, p. 11
[2] Secretary General’s Interagency Task Force Report, 2012
[3] United Nations Secretary-General’s UN System Task Team, “Realizing the Future We Want for All: Report to the Secretary General”:
– Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Global Action (Final draft of the outcome document for the UN Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda)
– Earth Charter Commission, 2000, the Earth Charter Preamble, San Jose, Costa Rica, Earth Charter International
– Bosselmann K., Brown P. and Mackey B. (2011) Enabling a Flourishing Earth: Challenges for the Green Economy, Opportunities for Global Governance. Stakeholder Forum
