The Economic Addiction of Humanity

Our crisis-immersed society is heading towards a tipping point that likely leads to a transformation of our behavior. ‘Having the cake and eat it too’ is an illusion.

This essay views this transformation from the perspective of the process of healing from addiction. Before I come to this topic, I want to describe the trigger first.

Our metabolic, linear economic system

Our economic system is a construct designed and developed by humankind. It is based on our biological metabolism and is linear by design: from raw material to waste. We have developed this economic system, based on (neo) liberal market thinking so deeply that it has given us enormous prosperity with many luxurious, material achievements. But accompanying these eco-technological feats is a hedonistic consumption behavior that is unprecedented in its magnitude. All thanks to the fossil resources necessary for these achievements [1].

This economic development has led to a strong dependence on material comforts such that we can no longer live without them. We have created for ourselves such a compulsive lifestyle which has created addiction of another kind. The downside to this addiction is that these trends have led to a colossal growth in global waste. Natural resources are now harder to find and access, and human exploitation of the third world is rampant.

Globally, Gaia or mother nature is increasingly reacting violently to our lifestyle. We are witnessing extreme environmental disasters including outbreaks of (corona) viruses and deterioration of biodiversity. And on top of that, we are experiencing wars, refugee migrations and lifestyle diseases.

Science refers to the Anthropocene as the marked era when our human actions are visible and palpable worldwide [2]. I consider the term 'humanity' justified in this essay, because the vast majority of the world's population is cause for all this misery. Although the Third World, is not behaving hedonistically it is regrettably being 'sucked' into that misery and is also showing signs of addicted behavior.

We live in a comfort bubble, which we want to protect at all costs. Our economic system has conditioned us so much that we find technological solutions for everything. This techno-fix mindset manifests itself in our urge to control, predict and manipulate nature.

“Existential questions reach for technology first: the process of dying is technologically regulated and we are inured to being able to bend everything to our will. Right to the end, we treat someone until the last breath in the ICU.” – Ad Verbrugge (here)

All our actions, even well-intentioned ones such as energy transition, sustainability and political policy issues – captured in the 17 European SDG/ESG measures [3] – are aimed at keeping our economic and capitalist system alive in this comfort bubble.

Many agree that pursuing continuous economic growth is unsustainable and has reached its limits. It has metabolic characteristics similar to human 'metabolism'. In our economic pursuits, we digest natural resources, convert them into products and services, and then excrete waste. Although we are aware of this global problem, the solution is elusive as long as we remain within our comfort bubble and want to have our cake and eat it too.

This metabolic characteristic causes our economy to move in one direction and is thus linearly oriented [4]. This is in contrast to the ecology of nature which is inherently circular.

Linear economy: a mere segment of the circular ecology

The essence of a healthy living system is maintaining a constant balance between two opposing forces, what is often referred to as ‘dynamic equilibrium’ or call it Yin and Yang. Living systems can be seen as a spectrum that covers micro to macro-scale. These are systems within systems. Our own body is a living system but so is the bacteria cell that resides within. Similarly, we see ecosystems at the level of all nature on our planet which can be broken down into the level of society or humanity and also an organizational entity consisting of a team of humans.

Fritjof Capra formulates this phenomenon in his book Systems View of Life (Ch.4.1) thus:

“An outstanding property of all life is the tendency to form multileveled structures of systems within systems. Each of these forms a whole with respect to its parts while at the same time being a part of a larger whole. Thus, cells combine to form tissues, tissues to form organs, and organs to form organisms. These in turn exist within social systems and ecosystems. Throughout the living world, we find living systems nesting within other living systems. The web of life consists of networks within networks, also known as fractals.”

British scientist James Lovelock, the founder of the Gaia hypothesis, concluded that planet Earth is a self-regulating and regenerative superorganism. It is a living system with a strong restorative capacity that keeps it in perfect equilibrium. He says:

“Our Earth is more than a home; it is a living system and we are part of it.”

Take for example the four seasons and the symbiosis between life and death. Our planet has been in existence for some 4.5 billion years. This is in contrast to homo sapiens, who are about 200,000 years 'old'. Humans have developed their own linear economic system in only the last three to four hundred years. For individual humans our life and health may be in balance, but at the level of humanity, the economy works 24/7 continuously in endless competition and under high working pressure.

Any equilibrium will go out of balance if there is too much disruption. At such a moment there is a tipping or bifurcation point, i.e., either the system goes down, or the system undergoes a transformation to a new structure of life resulting in a new dynamic equilibrium. Characteristic of the phase before such a tipping point is the increase in disorder, chaos, or turmoil. In physics, this is known as the law of entropy, which is a measure of increasing disorder of an isolated system leading to dissipative structures. Ilya Prigogine (Nobel Prize in Chemistry) says:

“Entropy is the price of structure…we grow in direct proportion to the amount of chaos we can sustain and dissipate.”

As long as humanity behaves separate from nature, it remains an isolated system and its structure is doomed to 'dissipate'. Therefore, it is important to zoom out now and examine the human-developed economic system in perspective as part of the overarching system of our planet.

Systemic science

Scientific systems theory deals with holistic coherence of global phenomena and thus also of global crises. Systems physicist Fritjof Capra has written extensively on the topic of physics in relation to Eastern wisdom. Here is a quote from him:

"The more we study the big problems of our times, the more we realize that they cannot be understood in isolation. They are systemic problems, meaning that they are interconnected and interdependent."

Capra’s book Systems View of Life is a synthesis for a new understanding of and for life [5]. His view of 'life' is that it is inherently restorative but also innovative and regenerative which is referred to as autopoiesis. So, with every disturbance or a 'system out of balance' a recovery process occurs. But if equilibrium is too far out of balance, then the tipping point is reached. Characteristic of the phase just after the tipping point is that the structure of the new system is neither be predictable nor imaginable [6].

In light of this discussion, we should understand the difference between the concepts of transition and transformation. A transition of a system means that the structure of the system adapts to new circumstances and the old balance is restored (in the comfort bubble). Thus, the science of business management focuses on this and aspects such as imagining a 'future vision', meaning 'mission' and a project-based work plan (strategy) play an important role here. A transformation, however, results in an entirely different structure after such a tipping point. Forming a vision or an image of the future, let alone defining the path to that image (strategy), is impossible.

Transformation may sound apocalyptic, but nature also has the phenomenon of emergence: under certain circumstances, complex systems (or parts of a complex system) can spontaneously organize themselves differently so that new interactions and relationships emerge with new properties. This offers a different perspective and is discussed in the next section.

The metaphor of addiction

As mentioned earlier, we are addicted to fossil fuels [7] and the many vested commodities that we cannot live without. The concept of addiction, and in particular how Alcohol Anonymous views the healing process, offers a line of thought for reflection.

With respect to the healing process of a person addicted to alcohol, we first see a denial phase, where it is often the fear of letting go of ingrained and 'comfortable' patterns. There is absolutely no idea of what life would be like without that alcohol. Until that person falls into a deep valley (‘rock bottom’) and from that literally hopeless phase, that person comes to the realization and understanding that his or her life needs to be rearranged. A new arrangement or a new reality is characteristically not predictable or imaginable.

Alcohol Anonymous has a therapeutic 12-step plan for this that can help such a person. The first two are remarkable: admit that addiction has made you powerless and vulnerable, and accept that you can be healed by a higher power in whatever form, a kind of trust that an unseen entity or intelligence is supporting you. This is a spiritual, inner and profound experience and necessitates letting go of your free will and accepting that the future is uncertain. The following steps deal with reflection, contemplation and giving meaning to life. The whole process leads to an inner transformation and a new lifestyle. During such a healing process, emergence occurs: the induced conditions, feelings and insights result in a completely different behavior. Typical for those conditions is the abandonment of the old rational and logical thinking with all its beliefs and judgements.

Every major change in roles, situations, organizations, etc., has an intermediate phase. It turns out that this is a valuable and instructive phase provided one gives it enough space, time and attention. Such an intermediate phase is also called liminality: the transitional phase in which the old is abandoned and the new is yet to be formed [8].

The 12-step plan is similarly applicable to and can be adopted to treat other forms of addiction such as gambling, gaming, smoking, fashion, smartphones and other compulsive behaviors. This can also be applied to persons who have been healed from mental suffering (depression, burnout) or serious illness. But there are other forms of addiction too. The obsessive urge to control and manipulate everything to our liking, having, expressing and being fixated with one’s own strong opinions and judgements, and refusing to be open to others’ views. These are all are ingrained patterns that can lead to cramping and rigidity.

Since the essence of a living system is the same on both the micro- and macro-scale, we can project the same healing process to addicted humanity. In the reference section [9] there are some links to known authors who refer to addicted humanity. Also, the method by Otto Scharmer in his TheoryU, addresses the 12-step plan through Open Mind – Open Heart – Open Will (here).

The collective concept of Global Addiction has been widely researched. Bruce Alexander, psychiatrist and author of the book The Globalization of Addiction writes:

“Overcoming the tidal wave of addiction (power, status, greed, control, etc.) ultimately requires a reform of society to end a vicious cycle that fragments society, dislocates people, causes addictions and lifestyle diseases, and destroys the environment on a massive scale.... In the darkest times, mass addiction was seen as a factor causing the downfall of cultures, states and empires.”

Alexander claims that "capitalism is a major cause of addiction and environmental problems" and called for a necessary restructuring that he coined "Deep Cultural Therapy". Robert Costanza, Professor of Ecological Economics, wrote the book Addicted to Growth. And David Courtwright, Professor of Addiction, talks about Limbic Capitalism in his book The Age of Addiction – How Bad Habits Became Big Business. He writes:

“The technologically advanced but socially regressive business systems of global industries encourage excessive consumption and addiction – often with the help of complicit governments and criminal organizations. Since the 17^th century, our Western science has been obsessed with the idea of control, of man dominating nature. This obsession has led to disasters.”

So, humanity is addicted not only to fossil fuels, but also to all sorts of things like products, services, beliefs and ideologies.

Up or Down

We may assume that a tipping point is essential and imminent for humanity. However, humanity – in its comfort bubble – is in a state of denial. Will more wars then have to break out? Or will a global virus outbreak get us down again?

For instance, the corona epidemic, which broke out in the early 2020s and gave our economy a huge shock, was a mild form of intervention for such a blow. In 2020, in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, formal bodies such as United Nations and the World Economic Forum (WEF) issued the book COVID-19: The Great Reset and presented the initiative entitled The Great Reset, Transforming Our World and Building Back Better. Here is a quote:

“The main goal of The Great Reset is to use the corona crisis as an opportunity to make significant global changes in the areas of economy, climate, equality, technology and politics.”

In 2022, the WEF came out with the book The Great Narrative to follow this up [10].

WEF has also mentioned that we are entering the age of transhumanism: an age where humanity is controlled and manipulated by Artificial Intelligence. They have alluded to this with their slogan You will own nothing and be happy.

Therefore, we need to ask ourselves the following question: How do we create willingness for a 'voluntary' transformation so that the blow is perceived as 'positive'? Another big question is whether local governments can manage this. These are difficult questions given that democratic and political systems are dependent on voters raised and conditioned in a hedonistic era with sophisticated marketing techniques.

Some social scientists are already preparing for this. An instance is this scientific report on Societal Collapse. I would also like to refer to Lisa Doeland in her Dutch book Apocalypsophy (here a recent article) and to Jem Bendell's books Deep Adaption and Breaking Together. These three works, however, do not address the need for inner transformation at the individual level that nature is forcing upon us. Do note that Apocalypse means 'revelation' and I see that reflected nicely in the AA steps.

Conclusion: spiritual awakening

This essay is written with the intention to philosophize on how to cope with the blow in these uncertain times. It is not meant to project the remaining AA steps into the humanity’s healing process. But encouraging acts do emerge. For instance, we see spontaneous and collective and united actions in the events of major disasters which make us more tolerant and humbler towards each other. We also see small communities (‘commons’) emerging as part of a broader ‘commons.’

Fortunately, there are plenty of such examples and initiatives with the greatest characteristic: self-organization without direction from anyone.

"When a complex system is far from equilibrium, small islands of coherence in a sea of chaos have the ability to shift the whole system to a higher order.” – Ilya Prigogine

For me it is evident that nature forces us to adopt a different perspective on life and behavior and seduces us into introspection, meaning or spiritual development. Embrace chaos, as Jan Rotmans says [11]: Accept that chaos and meta-crisis (the crisis of crises) is a necessary condition for transformation [12]. See the meta-crisis as blessing in disguise and let us embrace the unpredictable and unimaginable future [13].

Let us take seriously the message of David Attenborough at his speech at GOP26  and which he expressed in his latest film A life on our planet.

" This is not about saving our planet, it is about saving ourselves. The truth is that with or without us, the natural world will renew itself."

References

Must see: in 2009, filmmaker and ecologist Yann Arthus-Bertrand made this superb documentary Home: here.

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[1] British philosopher David Pearce talks about ‘paradise engineering’ in his book The Hedonistic Imperative: here.

[2] With reference to Introducing the Anthropocene: The human epoch, here.

[3] See here for SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance).

[4] Recently this video (here) was released, which clearly explains how our linear economic system (metabolism: from raw material to waste) is causing the current metacrisis; it also provides a possible solution approach.

[5] See Fritjof Capra on his book Systems View of Life: here (youtube).

[6] In his books Order Out of Chaos (1988) and End of Certainty (1997), Ilya Prigogine describes the irreversibility and non-deterministic nature of natural processes (jargon: entropy increases). This is: complexity leads to chaos that is not (anymore) controllable, but from which creative (emergent) forces create a new paradigm.

[7] See António Guterres in his speech at COP26 Climate Summit: “We're digging our own graves”: here.

[8] See this instructive youtube by Jitske Kramer on liminality: here.

[9] See Kate Raworth: A healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow: here. See Charles Eisenstein: The role of addiction in environmental issues: here; and his book The Ascent of Humanity: here. See the Degrowth-pioneer Jason Hickel ‘Our addiction to economic growth is killing us’, here.

[10] See WEF site here and the book Covid-19: The Great Reset (here) and the book The Great Narative (here).

[11] See Jan Rotman’s book Embracing Chaos: here. Also famous for this quote: “We do not live in an era of change, but a change of era”.

[12] See for example this article The 3 Hidden Meanings of Crisis: What We Can Learn From Them: here – “It is humbling for us to understand that crisis is an inevitable part of life.”

[13] Listen to Jonathan Rowson Living in the Metacrisis: here.