| I start by recognizing that conspicuous | | | | invent tools and discover the use of |
| consumption, buying to show off not to | | | | |
| | | | fire and become hunters themselves. By then |
| meet needs, is the result of the "dominator | | | | the basic human need for "belonging" |
| paradigm" on which EuroAmerican | | | | |
| | | | and "community" were built into their genes. |
| cultures are built. It is almost unknown | | | | The niche into which they evolved |
| in other cultures that were based on | | | | |
| | | | was one in which most cooperative |
| 'reciprocity' and not 'money' or | | | | individuals survived. This basic human |
| 'exchange.'THE DOMINATOR PARADIGMThe | | | | nature |
| "Dominator Paradigm" was inherent in the | | | | |
| Jewish creation myth. It holds that | | | | has been overridden in the EuroAmerican |
| | | | cultures by the unnatural values of |
| the Earth was made for the use of man (and I | | | | |
| do mean "man"). The man centered | | | | competition, violence, greed, and material |
| | | | ownership, exemplified by immoral |
| philosophy was emphasized by the Greeks in | | | | |
| the tenet that "man is the measure of | | | | consumption. The key value of these culture |
| | | | is what you have not what you are or |
| all things." The early Christian church | | | | |
| amplified the belief that man is the purpose | | | | what you contribute to society.Of course, |
| of | | | | other cultures were not immune for the evils |
| | | | of self-interest even before |
| the Earth, and the Earth is the center of | | | | |
| the universe. Following Aquinas, the Church | | | | the advent of the EuroAmerican dominator |
| | | | paradigm. But violence, robbery and |
| taught the "chain of being." Man is at the | | | | |
| top of the chain with only a few celestial | | | | warfare in other cultures was primarily |
| | | | confined to struggles between cultures it |
| being above. Below man in decending order | | | | |
| are woman, children, other races, | | | | was not a norm of the internal cultural |
| | | | relationships as it is now. Few cultures, as |
| animals, plants and the Earth itself. The | | | | |
| purpose of each rung in the chain is to | | | | |
| | | | Margaret Mead, Malinowski, Boas and others |
| serve, and be dominated by, the ones | | | | have shown, taught their children |
| above.This dominator paradigm was made the | | | | |
| law of Europe by the Inquisition and the | | | | competition, self-interest, and greed.THE |
| | | | GAIAN PARADIGMIn the last few decades Chaos, |
| burning at the stake of over one million so | | | | Complexity, and Gaian theories and other |
| called heretics, mostly women, who | | | | scientific |
| | | | |
| worshiped the Earth. It was spread world | | | | research have brought humanity most radical |
| wide by the sword (technology), the flag | | | | new and different understanding of |
| | | | |
| (nationalism), and the cross (Christianity). | | | | the cosmos and of human nature. These |
| The right to dominate all other people, | | | | theories, in different ways, show that the |
| | | | |
| cultures, and land was inherent in the | | | | cosmos is one and evolves as a unity. It is |
| divine right of Christian kings, and the | | | | composed of whole systems embedded |
| power | | | | |
| | | | in whole systems, and composed of whose |
| of the church. The Age of Discovery and | | | | systems, or holons all the way up and all |
| Colonization not only made Europe | | | | |
| | | | the way down -- atoms to molecules to cells, |
| dominant throughout the world, but also | | | | to life-forms, to humans. to social |
| carried the doctrine of the dominator | | | | |
| | | | systems. All thins from quarks to are |
| paradigm to all other countries.The final | | | | interlocked and interdependent. The whole |
| control of EuroAmerican dominator paradigm | | | | |
| was voiced in Adam Smith's | | | | holonistic system evolves as a unit. Nor |
| | | | part can change without all others being |
| economic theory. The anointing of | | | | |
| "self-Interest" as a logical, if not | | | | involved.Gaia (the Earth and all of life) is |
| necessary, | | | | a prime example. All the physical |
| | | | attributes that |
| extention of the religious concept moved the | | | | |
| dominator paradigm beyond the | | | | make life possible, the amount of oxygen in |
| | | | the air -- the temperature of the |
| church and into the hands of government, the | | | | |
| capitalistic elite, and secular society. | | | | planet, the salt in the ocean, the |
| | | | radiation reaching the earth, and others -- |
| With this birth of "homo econimicus" | | | | are |
| material accumulation in self-interest became | | | | |
| | | | kept within life supporting bounds by |
| | | | biological processes. Life makes life |
| a new morality that put competition and | | | | |
| personal greed above all other human | | | | possible. Gaia is like a living system |
| | | | itself. |
| moral attributes. The measure of | | | | |
| EuroAmerican man is what he has, not what he | | | | Applied to humanity and its societies Gaia |
| is.Consumption is thereby not immoral within | | | | suggests that no individual can exist |
| the norms of the EuroAmerican | | | | |
| | | | without the support of all others. |
| Cultures.HUMAN NATURE & CULTURAL | | | | Self-interest, competition, and material |
| NORMSAnthropological, social, psychological, | | | | |
| biological and other sciences are showing | | | | consumption are |
| | | | self-defeating.------------------ |
| that there is nothing natural about the | | | | |
| EuroAmerican socioeconomic system. Most | | | | Bill Ellis, of Rangely, ME retired early |
| | | | from his working life |
| other cultures were based on the | | | | |
| understanding that humans and all of Gaia | | | | as a science policy consultant in agencies |
| (the | | | | such as the National |
| | | | |
| Earth and all its life forms) are | | | | Science Foundation, Unesco and The World |
| interdependent. Most cultures recognized | | | | Bank. For the last |
| that only | | | | |
| | | | 30 years he has work voluntarily to promote |
| cooperation for the good of the whole could | | | | the broad range of |
| provide good for the individual. They | | | | |
| | | | social innovations that empower people at |
| existed on "reciprocity economics." That | | | | the grass roots and |
| is, by the religious. if not common sense, | | | | |
| | | | promote community self-reliance. One of |
| belief that each individual should produced | | | | these is as General |
| for and serve the good of society. The | | | | |
| | | | Coordinator, of 'A Coalition for |
| more one gave to others the more others gave | | | | Self-Learning. With which he |
| to the giver. Owning anything that | | | | |
| | | | facilitated the drafting an online book, |
| someone else needed more was taboo. Many | | | | "Creating Learning |
| cultures had now word for | | | | |
| | | | Communities," and, the White Paper, |
| "ownership." Self-poverty rather than | | | | "Life-Long Self-Learning," |
| self-interest was the rule.This concept of | | | | |
| cooperation is built into our genes. When | | | | that promotes the recognition of the vast |
| humanids first came | | | | array of learning |
| | | | |
| down from the trees they were small, weak | | | | modalities in addition to public schooling |
| and without tools or fire. For some 5 | | | | -- e.g. learning |
| | | | |
| million years they were the prey of hyenas, | | | | co-ops, public schools, private schools, |
| saber tooth tigers, and other large | | | | unschooling, charter |
| | | | |
| carnivors including some primates. There | | | | schools. His mantra is "everyone should have |
| defense was cooperation. They lived in | | | | the right, the |
| | | | |
| large communities. They used their larger | | | | freedom, the resources and the opportunity |
| brains to manage to exist. Only with in | | | | to learn what |
| | | | |
| the last few hundred thousand years did they | | | | they want, when they want and how they want. |