About the Statement

To avoid extinction or enduring degradation humankind will have to reach a planetary civilisation which ensures as basic necessities:

• environmental and climatic conditions for human survival;
• a stable sustainable population;
• a non-exhausting use of natural resources;
• a just distribution of human need satisfaction;
• a full social and community life as a fundamental human right;
• an efficient allocation of happiness as supreme political goal;
• education, health and satisfying activity (work and leisure) as standards of individual and collective success;
• effective peace-keeping by global to local power institutions and anti-aggression NGOs.

The future development will be decisively influenced by social action – on the micro, meso and macro level (small groups, personal networks, organisations and movements). But social action is highly dependent on large orientations und believes, on grand cultures.

Three large cultures of a fundamentally different spirit might be useful for a future model: Main Stream, High Tech, Alternative.

Main Stream is the now predominant economic-liberal-democratic belief in the positive self regulation in an “open society”. It is spreading rapidly into all continents. It tackles the menacing problems by concentrating on technology and economic growth. The big goals are handled top-down, by force and welfare. Its symbol of hope are wealth and innovation. People have to conform and to restrain their self expression, but are well fed and cared for in return. Main Stream culture, however, seems incapable or too slow to cope with rapidly evolving dysfunctions as climate change or terrorism, power concentration or the dissolution of social cohesion (social capital). Distrust and disbelief in religions and ideologies is growing. Nevertheless is the Main Stream culture very alive and dominant.

High Tech, using the full power of science and technology in physics and chemistry as well as in biology and medicine, neurology and genetics to push and direct efficiency in engines, men and nature, could affect major changes and innovations – and stabilise the planetary system. But human subordination to the functioning of the machine-man-world would be finite. There might be a point of no return, from where on the lust for life (and cooperation) would be waning, even if endorphins would be provided amply. Or the mega-machine would become too complex, less and less efficient by defaults and the additive load of controls and corrections. The fate of bureaucracies should be a warning. However, there is still a large space for High-Tech expansion into new areas without overtaxing the control powers. And in the face of catastrophe and suffering helpful High-Tech would not meet reluctance even if it suppressed human self expression and authenticity. Nevertheless it would stifle motivation and creativity.

The Alternative Culture, allowing and furthering full expression of strong emotions and spontaneous creativity in a tightly knitted network of social relations would build and gather more and more communities. As far as it succeeds to avoid egotistic non-social individualism – the ruin of any society – and to combine the force of natural emotions and instincts with the strength of cooperative morality it will gain ground. The crucial task is to reconcile and fuse “wildness” and “sanctity” to create the “holy wilds”. Taming the Mega-Machine and High-Tech, but not being domesticated and swallowed by them would open up the future Evolution for the Alternative culture.