We’re Saved! A Collection Of ‘Solution’ Critiques, Volume 1

 

It is with quite regular cadence that Steve publishes what are spectacular refutations to the constant stream of so-called "solutions" to the "problems" that society is suffering from. Unfortunately, if one actually does any real research, one will discover that none of these "problems" are being "solved" - they are all getting worse instead. Why is this?

 

One of the primary issues here is that none of the reductionist ideas proposed to "solve" said "problems" work holistically, meaning that only one or two qualities of each issue that is actually comprised of a multitude of parameters are targeted, leaving the rest of them untouched. Practically all of these "problems" are actually made worse through these so-called solutions, as Steve points out, through ecological destruction caused by the extraction of energy and resources in order to procure what is needed to build these "solutions."

 

Needless to say, most people refuse to see that these "problems" are actually not problems at all. They are predicaments. Predicaments don't have solutions; they have outcomes - a big difference! As such, the mindsets that we get stuck in are, as he accurately points out, entirely maladaptive. If one notices that civilization itself is unsustainable, one will also see that anything that is a subset of civilization is likewise unsustainable. That which is unsustainable cannot be sustained and is actually precisely the cause of all these predicaments, most of which are actually symptoms of the master predicament, ecological overshoot, that we suffer from.

 

Understanding overshoot comprehensively requires realizing that it is our behavior of technology use causing it - because we failed to understand what creating tools and using them causes as a result. Energy and resource use is required to build tools, the tools must be maintained, using more energy and resources in that process, and the use of said tools also requires energy use, which also requires energy and resource use in itself, and at some point in time, the tools must be retired as all tools have a limited lifetime, and their disposal and/or recycling requires yet more energy and resources. Pollution is a necessary byproduct and ecological destruction caused by the extractive process is another byproduct. In other words, we ignored the Law of Reciprocity with regard to our relationship to the rest of life and, indeed the Earth itself. The Earth and the rest of life on this planet are what sustain our very existence. Without respecting that relationship, we are undermining the very source of our existence. The next four paragraphs from Matthew Gordon explain the collective insanity of our species and why we can't think our way out of these predicaments, also known as the metacrisis.

 

"Many of us look at what is unfolding around us — climate disruption, political fracture, social unraveling, economic instability — and feel immobilized. It seems obvious that we are facing “problems,” and just as obvious that we should be thinking our way toward better solutions. But this frame is exactly what keeps us stuck.

 

Einstein reminded us that we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them. What becomes clear when we look more closely is that the idea of a “problem” is itself a product of a narrow, control-based mode of thought. In the wider living world (including ourselves!), there are no problems waiting for solutions. There are only unfolding processes in continuous relationship. When we reinterpret these processes as problems to be fixed, we distort what is happening and trap ourselves in the same patterns that produced the metacrisis.

 

This does not mean we abandon rationality. It means rationality becomes a supporting tool rather than the primary guide. What is needed now are ways of knowing and navigating life that are relational, embodied, responsive, imaginal, and emergent. From that orientation, outcomes are not engineered in advance. They arise. They are sensed together through our participation in larger processes, not designed from above through plans and intellectual fixes.

 

Letting go of the problem–solution frame is frightening because our cognitive habits and the systems built on those habits depend on prediction and control. They want a clear map before any step is taken. But what is being asked of us is something different. It is a movement into uncertainty and not knowing, into listening instead of pre-solving. This is uncomfortable for both our culture and our deeply ingrained cognitive patterns, yet it is the doorway back into alignment with how the world has always actually worked."

 

There is no way to "unwind" these predicaments because they are being caused by WHO and WHAT we are as a species. It is our very nature of innovation caused by our biological and psychological imperatives combined with the systems we are embedded within that fuel all of this. Aldo Leopold wrote, "The penalty of having an ecological education is knowing that you live alone in a world of wounds." Understanding overshoot like I do, I came to realize that not only was there no solution, but that the likelihood of even being able to voluntarily mitigate it was pretty close to zero. Elisabeth Robson explains:

 

"The most sobering reality is that much of the ecological breakdown and chemical pollution we have already caused is irreversible on human timescales. The forests we’ve clearcut, the wetlands we’ve drained, the species we’ve annihilated, the soils we’ve eroded, the oceans we’ve acidified, the viruses we’ve unleashed, and the persistent synthetic chemicals we’ve invented and dispersed are not problems that can be “fixed” in decades or even centuries.

 

In this context, peak demand will not be a cause but a symptom: it will emerge not from scarcity of energy or materials alone, but from the systemic incapacity of populations and institutions to function under the weight of ecological collapse, pollution, and declining public health.

 

No machine, no fuel, no technology can replace the gift of intact ecosystems, the staggering beauty of their complexity, the rhythms of life they sustain, and the astonishing web of organisms of which we are only one thread. Human health is not produced by hospitals, pharmaceuticals, or technology; it is created and built from clean air, clean water, fertile soils, and a thriving natural world. Humanity cannot manufacture what life itself has perfected over millennia, and recognizing this is the first step toward understanding the limits we face."

 

I have great respect and reverence for Steve's articles because, like my own, he goes to great lengths to explain the issues we face and how intractable they are. May you discover these facts as you read this collection of Contemplations!

Author’s Prologue 

This collection of ‘essays’ from my recent series of Today’s Contemplations subtitled ‘We’re Saved!’ is the result of years of learning through research, reflection, writing, and conversations with others. Each of these Contemplations challenges a rather mainstream belief system regarding the ongoing attempts by our species to sustain our societal complexities, mostly via technology and human ‘ingenuity’. 

What began as pushback against a meme (that suggested/implied sustainable living arrangements for humanity were there for the taking but we were missing the opportunity Nature was providing for us), morphed into a series of arguments challenging common beliefs of a similar kind: salvation for humanity, the planet’s ecosystems, and all the non-human species is possible–if only we pursue the correct ‘solutions’. If you are at all familiar with my Contemplations, you will know that many of them reflect this same approach: an attempt to challenge reductionist beliefs regarding purported ‘solutions’ to our fundamental predicament of ecological overshoot–perhaps the most common being that of ‘renewable’ energy and the ‘electrification of everything’. 

A common thread appears to be that the ‘solutions’ offered tend to be ones that enrich and empower an already wealthy, advantaged, and powerful minority of our species while the negative consequences of these ‘solutions’ (particularly the ecological devastation) are hidden/ignored/denied/rationalised away or, at best, paid some lip service with ‘promises’ of ‘responsible’ destruction, er, I mean industrial production. This leads many/most to accept such claims/marketing/narrative management/propaganda without question or critical evaluation. Our ‘leaders’ tell us that these ‘investments’ will help us, so it must be true. That most societal institutions (including our governing ones) are part and parcel of this ongoing situation is not surprising given the pre/history of them.

Another commonality appears to be that each and every ‘solution’ offered tends to exacerbate our overshoot predicament rather than address the ‘problem’ it is supposedly ‘solving’. From expanding the destruction of our ecosystems to adding to our energy and material consumption, these approaches are the antithesis of what they claim to be. That our societies in general are pursuing these destructive avenues says a lot about human psychology, particularly our tendencies of deferring to ‘authority’ ‘and engaging in ‘denial’ and ‘justification/rationalisation/bargaining’ via maladaptive behaviours. Overlooking the complexity of the issues and negative aspects of the ‘solutions’ contributes to all of this as well. 

As a (retired) educator, one of my long-held beliefs is that helping to clear up ‘misunderstandings’ aids others in their learning and expands their comprehension of topics. Even just providing an alternative perspective from which to view things helps in this regard. It is with this in mind that I offer these Contemplations in a compilation format. And a BIG thank you to Erik Michaels for his time in offering to pen the introduction. 

As several people have been credited with stating: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure but just ain’t so.” 

Steve Bull

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