Several times in the past, I have come back to the blog by writing about books I had read during the summer vacation. I hope I will have something to say about the books of this past summer, but right now I find myself staring at the books I keep on my desk and I have the feeling they are staring back at me pleading to be heard.
They are books that speak of human progress, of renewal, of fear of what we may be losing or of what we should pursue. Factfulness is a book from 2018 that made a convincing case that in spite of all the world problems, humanity is making progress in the social, economic, educational and health fronts. Given what followed: a menacing pandemic and the war in Ukraine, we would be excused to feel otherwise. Then there is Upswing that described the remarkable period of progressive policy victories that still define many aspects of life in the US. Here too, though, things have been turned around toward inequality and social anomie with a new upswing struggling to gain traction. Then I hear the voices of worry and dismay from Liberalism and Its Discontents and Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure. Contrary to what, at least, the historians expected thirty years ago at the end of the Cold War, the two great offspring of Enlightenment, liberalism, and democratic government, show signs of serious weakness in inspiring people around the world.
And then there are the books that keep me focused on the two facts that matter the most. First, that we are all members of one species. We the sapiens that have come to rule planet earth but also in full ownership (no matter how much we wish to avoid it) of all its problems. You must have guessed I am talking about Sapiens by Yuval Harari. If Sapiens reminds us of our common history as the last surviving hominin species, it is in the books of Frans De Waal we are reminded that far from being entirely unique, we are also part of the animal kingdom that lies with us on the wide spectrum of intelligence, emotions, and even feelings. If commonness with other fellow sapiens and other animals makes us uncomfortable is because of the obligations and challenges such realizations raise for each one of us. Namely, how to coexist with one another and the rest of nature in a sustainable world.
The significance of looking at the world with full awareness that we humans are all part of the same species and that we cohabitate this planet with other forms of life within a fragile ecosystem should, I believe, be enough to stir us into a serious reconsideration of ideas we inherited from the Enlightenment and the industrial revolution.
When historians lament the decline and corruption of liberalism and then propose remedies for its reinvigoration, we would also like to know how this restored and rehabilitated liberalism can address the current challenges from climate change and ecological deterioration, extreme economic and social inequality with its consequent migration waves, and, of course, the prospect of superintelligent AI machines. I am afraid that in the presence of these grave challenges, talking within the original framework of liberalism and conservativism or of any variant of each, falls short of helping us tackle the new challenges recent realities have imposed upon us. These challenges do not appear, at least thus far, to be adequately served by the institutions trusted by both liberalism and conservativism, that is, individual sovereignty, free markets, and nationalism.
The liberating ideas that emerged three centuries ago with either a liberal or conservative flavor sought to unshackle the individual from political, ecclesiastical, and economic subjugation. The new social order was supposed to be based on the consent of the governed, individual rights, and free markets. At the same time, the thinkers that raised those ideas expected that people would use their new liberties responsibly and with moral restraints. Similarly, nationalism aimed to give people with common cultural, religious, and historical bonds the right of self-rule.
These ideals of individual sovereignty, economic freedom, and national self-rule were supposed to be the instrumental goals for an ultimate objective, that is, enable people to gain control over their lives and fate through personal choices. Three centuries later we have, or should have, come to realize that upholding these ideals has led us down to a path that threatens our future as a species.
For example, the prerogative of property rights weaponized, so to speak, by free markets has been used to elevate wealth maximization and unfettered consumption to a level of unquestioned legitimacy devoid of any restraint. The result is inordinate wealth concentration and overconsumption. Neither of these, however, serves the interests of ecological and climatic sustainability. Nor do these pursuits serve the interests of social cohesion and equitable political and economic rights for all.
Nationalism also often morphs into chauvinism, and ethnic and religious fundamentalism that spawn xenophobia, ethnic cleansing, and countless inter-state frictions and wars. Although founding the United Nations had the noble and ambitious objective to bring nations into cooperation and peaceful coexistence, the UN assembly – as this year’s meetings also demonstrate – is mostly used to air grievances and threats, often very vehement in their content and delivery.
Meanwhile the dangers of climate change (potentially life threatening) and AI going rogue know no national borders and as such they should concern us all. To address these threats, we need to harness the presumed freedom to pursue profits and consumption without limits and we need to be willing to cede some national sovereignty so that we have a unified front in the fight for a life-sustainable climate and averting machines from transforming our human nature or eventually overtaking us.
In recent centuries, philosophical and political thought as well as open rebellion and warfare have been used to secure or expand freedoms for individuals and nations. Now, however, is the time to strive for the fate of our whole species and its freedom from the fear of catastrophe.
Let's Reason 