Too often the discussion around the concept of sustainability is linked to the environment, the economy and the social issues however achieving a sustainable development must be supported by specific values. What are these?
I highly recommend the following:
solidarity with other people and creatures – companions, victims, and allies – in earth community, reflecting deep respect for diverse creation;
ecological sustainability – environmentally fitting habits of living and working that enable life to flourish, and utilize ecologically and socially appropriate technology;
sufficiency as a standard of organized sharing, Which requires basic floors and definite ceilings for equitable or “fair” consumption;
• socially just participation in decisions about how to obtain sustenance and to manage community life for the good in common and the good of the commons.(Martusewicz, 2015)
It all boils down to this:
"There's enough for everyman's NEED, but not for everyman's GREED" Gandhi...
Hi Bruno,
that is an interesting question - and one that opens up a lot of possibilities for interdisciplinary research. I recommend taking a look at philosophy in order to provide an answer.
On a very basic level you have the "Golden Rule" which states that one should treat others like he wishes to be treated himself. This works very well in the field of sustainability as resources are always limited and spatially distributed, which means that there will often be relations between different people/parties/regions/countries. One example for this would be the upstream-downstream relations in a river catchment. The actions taken by the upstream water users will directly influence the downstream water users - so the upstream water users should consider how they would want to be treated if the situation was reversed and they were downstream. If they consider this, their resulting management of the resource water will follow the sustainability principles. With other rescources the relations might not be as direct (e.g. CO2 emissions and the impacts of global warming), but the "Golden Rule" will work here as well.
The "Golden Rule" can be found in all major religious texts and thus is part of different cultures worldwide, and has been discussed in economics as well (reciprocal altruism).
A more scientific approach would be to look at Immanuel Kant's "Categorial Imperative" which is, on some level, quite similar to the "Golden Rule", but is more in-depth.
Combining such philosophical concepts with ecological and economic ideas of sustainability and ecosystem services would no only be an interesting scientific project, it might also provide the answers you are looking for.
From a biological perspective I am afraid that the persisting barriers to accept concepts and principles of evolutionary theory impact an acceptance and/or understanding of values like the "Golden Rule", or Kant's Categorical Imperative concept. On a different note, Rudolph Steiner's anthroposophy could fit beautifully in this narrative. What do you think Michael?
interdisciplinary research is the only option for sustainable development
I think anthroposophy can provide answers, but not on the level required for an actual implementation of sustainability principles. Decisions people make - be it poltical agendas or the daily choices everybody makes - are strongly motivated by economics gains (this is the concept of the Homo economicus) and something like Steiner's anthroposophy is not strong enough to convey an economic benefit for sustainable choices. But the more clear cut "Golden Rule" or Kant have a better chance of being combined with economic motivation (like fiscal incentives or ecosystem services) which makes it easier to steer policies and daily routines towards more sustainability.
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