Changes in Euro-American Values Needed for Sustainability
Author(s)
Clark, Mary E.
Abstract
The worldview that gives rise to contemporary Euro-American values is examined and found to be no longer adaptive. The problem is traced to some of the subconscious beliefs and assumptions that underlie that worldview. In particular, our beliefs about “human nature,” about the causes of “scarcity,” and about the nature of “progress,” are questioned, and the ways 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 others: namely, 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. These new beliefs will lead to new, more adaptive values and institutions.
