Science Is Dead. Long Live Science!
By: Desiree Driesenaar
Tags: Science, Regenerative Economy, Systems Thinking, Technology

Our Western science is founded on the work of one man taken forward by many others: René Descartes. He’s the one who said:

“Cogito Ergo Sum. I think therefore I am.”

And it brought us much knowledge and wealth. We learned about DNA, we created sewage systems to prevent diseases from poo bacteria, we created medicines to cure illnesses. Live longer as human beings.

Hurray!

But it’s time to move on now. Because all this rational knowledge overshadows our true calling. To serve life. All life. Of all species. And our complete planet.

Let me explain what went wrong in my opinion:

Descartes believed that humans are like machines. He didn’t think we have an intuitive heart. A soul. He didn’t see that all the parts are connected and if you cut the cords, the end result will be different than before

“I should like you to consider that these functions (including passion, memory, and imagination) follow from the mere arrangement of the machine’s organs every bit as naturally as the movements of a clock or other automaton follow from the arrangement of its counter-weights and wheels.”

— Descartes, Treatise on Man, p.108

Descartes is at the foundation of reductionism. We understand the world in a rational, quantitative way. We invent things in a laboratory. And then adapt it to the real world. And then it never really fits because reality is complex

Later, economists built their image of the ‘homo economicus’ on Descartes’ worldview. A super-rational human being who can quantify everything and makes purely rational decisions based on self-interest

And then we lost track of LIFE . Money became the only important thing. We need jobs to fulfill needs we think we have because the advertisements tell us so

. Money became the only important thing. We need jobs to fulfill needs we think we have because the advertisements tell us so We lost track of TIME . Our time is filled with impressing others, reducing our fears with addictions, dulling our senses with distractions

. Our time is filled with impressing others, reducing our fears with addictions, dulling our senses with distractions We needed more and more adrenaline to FEEL ALIVE.

It’s sad, really.

We now build business cases around sickness instead of pursuing health. We even call health sciences ‘studying medicine’…

We build business cases around unripe, uniform food that can be packed and transported easily. Instead of ensuring it is as nutritious and healthy as can be.

We build business cases around technology products that need aggressive mining. Destroying the lungs of our planet, the rainforests, in the process.

In my search for how to do it differently, I discovered Julia Watson, She explores millennia-old human ingenuity on how to live in symbiosis with nature. She says it beautifully.

“In an era of high-tech and climate extremes, we are drowning in information while starving for wisdom.” — Julia Watson.

But.

Not all is lost.

We are gaining wisdom now.

So the rest of this story is about solutions that are real-time happening in science. It’s about systemic thinking. It’s about learning from nature. It’s about qualitative research. And quantum physics.

We’ll get there. I’m sure. We cannot be this stupid to go on following a route that is destroying our home. The planet. And us. Our souls.

Our home, planet earth. Image credit: Public Domain Pictures.

We are smart. We care. We want to survive. And build an abundant future for ourselves and our loved ones. So that many generations from now our great-great-great-grandchildren will have a good life. A life worth living.