ECO PHILOSOPHY
Our DNA is telling us to Destroy Earth
But it doesn’t have to be this way
As a biologist, I have struggled with this philosophical question: are we, humans, inherently evil and selfish while we destroy the Earth, or have we simply been following our natural destiny? Is there any way that we can forgive ourselves simply for being “human”, doing what humans are supposed to do? And if destruction is part of our destiny, should we just become at peace with that?
Every species is naturally “selfish”
All species on the planet are “selfish” i.e. they care about their own survival first and foremost. One can argue that humans are no different in that respect. So while we can advocate in ethical terms that climate change is a moral issue and a crime, one of selfishness and greed, at the same time one can argue that in biological terms “morality” and ethics do not exist. Selfishness is the right of every organism’s struggle to survive. You can even argue that we have not done anything “wrong” fundamentally to the planet. We are simply following the evolution of our species, the natural instinct each species has inscribed in its DNA: to appropriate as much resource as possible from its environment, for itself, at the expense of other species. We are simply following this natural path.
But we have rigged the game. We have disabled Nature’s “High Court”
Until recently, our role in the ecosystem was moderated and limited by Nature, who held all species “in check” and found a predator for everyone. The balance between the species is decided by Nature’s High Court, the Ecosystem. It is a wise system, ensuring everyone’s ultimate survival.
Humans, by advancing their intelligence and civilisation, have managed to disable all the population controls that Nature’s High Court had in place. We are now above the law. We have no predator.
We are in fact, the only species that is above the law. You can say we are some kind of a mutant, an aberration in the Ecosystem.
This comes with new responsibilities
Our new role changes the moral argument. It basically means that now, there is a moral argument. We have too much power, and being above the law comes with a new set of responsibilities and accountabilities.
It means for example that we now are responsible in setting our own population control. We need to be the ones who control how much we eat, how much we destroy. In fact, we are now responsible for the survival of every single species on the planet, because our impact is so huge. This is a massive responsibility towards which we are failing to deliver. In fact, I don’t think anyone has realised this.
But can we do it? Can we change our Biological Destiny?
This is the big question for humans. What is being asked of us is to override what one can argue is our biological destiny: to keep eating our way through the planet until we are eating each other.
For an intelligent species that has managed to rise above Nature’s Law, to even be able to manipulate its own DNA, you would think that the answer is easy. You would hope that we can use the same intelligence that got our civilisation where it is today, towards putting limits on ourselves.
But so far, we are not giving out positive signs. In fact with every action and inaction we are proving that we can’t do it, despite having both the technological tools and the knowledge that this must happen. It seems that our survival instinct, the need to appropriate resources, is as strong as ever. Our intelligence may have reached new heights, but the instincts are holding it back.
Intelligence alone won’t help us?
It seems that there is another piece missing, a piece that is powerful enough to override our survival instincts. A “force” that could be the antidote to the “fight or flight” instinctive responses that all animals have, and which lead to conflict, destruction, as well as apathy.
While we still wait for that force to emerge, it is clear what values this force would need to inspire in us: awareness, empathy, compassion for starters. A new values system away from consumerism and towards respect for the planet’s finite resources. Our challenge here is truly existential. We need to prove that we can actually overcome our own Biology. We need to become the first species on the planet that is not selfish, and that is able to curb itself.
No other species has ever achieved this in the 3.5 billion years Earth has existed. Perhaps realising the difficulty of this challenge is a first start. Is it a new emotional intelligence that we need? A new power structure? A new social organisation? All of the above?
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