A radically new vision

How is this vision “radically new” to other ecological approaches?

No steps have so far sought the causes of environmentally harmful behaviour in the dysfunctions of human psyche, nor objectively sought the root causes of these dysfunctions. Common sense calls into question “faults” such as greed, selfishness, indifference to nature. Indeed, greed pushes men to seize all possible goods even though they do not really need them. Selfishness pushes them to want everything for them without taking into account neither the other nor the future representatives of the species, nor the other living beings that constitute their environment. Indifference and unconsciousness make them hide the often irreversible damage they cause in the natural environment and think only about their immediate interests.

Nevertheless, there is no point in accusing humanity of being greedy, selfish and indifferent. We must ask ourselves why it is so. A certain greed is natural, all animals seek to feed and most gather materials to build their nest. Man is not content with the necessary: the superfluous is indispensable to him. But does this particularity stem from the natural characteristics of his psychism, or rather from a drift from his primitive functioning?

If it is a natural functioning, which has always existed, linked to the hereditary characteristics of the species, the only thing that can be done is to take note of it. Knowing this, and seeing the consequences of these innate defects, action has yet to be taken to limit the damage. To do also an act of modesty, in order to admit that we lack certain abilities of self-control, self-altruism, conscience. Then to correct these innate deficiencies by an act of will, by further information, by better education.

If it is a malfunction, i.e. a disorder in relation to natural functioning, it is urgent to look for its causes. Any disorder in biological mechanisms always has a cause. Once the cause(s) is known, it is normally enough to remove the cause(s) for natural functioning to take over.

In the three examples mentioned above, and in many others, no one or science knows whether they are innate or acquired characters. The question is not even asked, so structured research is impossible. On the contrary, human ecogenetics concentrates its efforts on the search for the causes, necessarily unknown, of the psychological drifts likely to be at the origin of the present debacle.

These causes can be found in the distortions of psychological structures, especially psychosexual ones, induced by cultural constraints. It is therefore all culture and morality that must be combed fine. They may also be in some neurophysiological dysfunctions. It is known that the use of psychotropic substances can profoundly alter judgment, decisions, relationships with others. It is therefore to be feared that certain substances brought in by, inter alia, a diet ill adapted to human metabolism will be “neurotoxic”. Such molecules could dimly deregulate psychological functioning, alter the balance between greed and need, selfishness and altruism, indifference and ecological consciousness or other factors involved in the rise of consumerism. In this case, it is necessary to question eating habits and to pin the neurotoxic factors that are responsible.

Once these different factors are highlighted, a general awareness becomes possible. It may not be done very quickly, but it would at least be possible to initiate it. Go straight into the wall without knowing why the direction of a car no longer works paralyzes the efforts made to avoid shock. If we know the reason why the steering wheel refuses to turn, there are still some chances of repairing the evil and avoiding the disaster…

Let’s hope that human ecogenetics progresses fast enough so that consumerism can be restrained before falling into irreversibility…