At the most fundamental level, these changes are driven by our Weltanschauung, the world view or world philosophy that determines what we believe and what we do. World views are hard issues to address because they are ''transparent'' to those who hold them. They comprise deeply internalised beliefs about what is important, right and good, and so how we should live and for what we should strive. These beliefs become unquestioned assumptions. The modern Western world view is dominated by notions of progress, of making life better, that are becoming increasingly global in their influence.
Economic growth is the driving dynamic of modern societies.
Existing government policy is underpinned by the belief that wealth creation comes first because it increases our capacity to meet other, social objectives. By this standard, Australia is doing very well. Australians are, on average and in real terms, about five times richer today than at the turn of the past century. If we maintain economic growth at more than 4 per cent a year, the Federal Government's stated ''overriding aim'', we will be twice as rich as we are now in about 20 years' time, and therefore 10 times richer than we were 100 years ago. There are several things deeply wrong with this view of growth as progress.