Introduction - Towards real democracy and better global governance

Arising from a background of existential questioning as a young adult in the 1970s, the seriousness of the environmental unsustainability problem became apparent, along with the realisation that it is human-caused:

Does a human life have a meaning or purpose? It was felt that an answer to this clichéd question was fundamental to informing life choices, roles, and outward contributions.

As individuals, what can we effectively do about human-caused global problems? Provisional answers have been found through pursuing an inner journey of creative issue-engagement, analysis, and self-education lasting many years.

Reading The Doomsday Book (Taylor, 1970) as an impressionable young adult was sufficiently troubling to motivate attendance at a two day "Course for Industrialists & all interested in the Control of Waste Materials, Pollution and the Environment" in 1972. As a naive undergraduate, being a delegate in the midst of around fifty industrialists and academics seemed rather intimidating, given that the topic did not directly relate to my chosen field of study or career ideas. Another disarmingly titled book, read a few years later, was Future Shock (Toffler, 1970).

The concept that human activities, driven to excess by the economic growth paradigm are unsustainable, became a strong personal conviction.

As an understanding of world and philosophical/ spiritual issues gradually developed over the years, the question of what contribution one could/ should be making towards the alleviation of some of the problems became more troubling. At that time, although the public at large were beginning to become aware of environmental issues, there was little formal outlet for those so-concerned in terms of paid employment in the field.

Five decades on these issues are generally recognised, and there are government policies, courses, and career paths in specialist fields associated with environmental unsustainability. Nevertheless these cannot be taken as indicators of effective progress in tackling the problems, or even in establishing the prerequisite governance structure.

As a young adult concerned about issues like world peace and stewardship of the earth, the secular world appeared to have a morality deficit, and religion seemed to have a credibility deficit within mainstream science and philosophy. My understanding of religion at the time was limited to fragments of Church of England-style Christianity. It was therefore decided to embark on a more systematic study of Christianity, in order to question the basis of business ethics.

It was concluded that the status quo:

Expected that a business person will adopt a 'business as usual' ethos, and that a scientist will adopt a mainstream scientific view.

Generally accepted that individuals might hold different views in private about what their life assumptions and moral values should be.

This necessitated a degree of life compartmentalisation between work and non-work.

Notes: An example of mild work/non-work life compartmentalisation

It did not seem that the right kind of contribution could be made in the day-job. A lack of personal goal congruence was felt between understanding how the world should be, and what one was being paid to do.

One felt part of the problem, rather than part of the solution.

Following on from the business ethics questions, an attempt was made to investigate whether there was anything, in principle, which precluded a coming together of science and spirituality. Scientifically based arguments, secular philosophies, Christian and Buddhist references were consulted. Some particularly helpful books are listed in the links below.

Notes: From mainstream Christianity to Christian humanism

Notes: Towards Buddhism

The creative possibilities offered by the home personal computers of the mid-1980s inspired some preliminary work in 1989 on a project exploring experimental music composition. The main work on the project was carried out between 1994-1997, and is outlined in [Purposeful art].

Personal political engagement

Resulting from the experience of a lack of goal congruence throughout a professional career, it became necessary to resolve various internal values conflicts as a matter of individual conscience. It was later realised the underlying issues of concern which were giving rise to these internal values conflicts could not have been resolved in the workplace.

As the process of wrestling with philosophical/ spiritual issues continued, my perceptions gradually shifted during the period between the 1972 UN Environment summit in Stockholm, and the 1992 UN Environment and Development Summit in Rio at which Agenda 21 was launched. At the time I had little knowledge of (or interest in) the political process, or about the politics underlying economic growth. Ongoing concerns about the state of the world and environmental unsustainability remained intellectualised, but without any perceived means of empowerment.

A point was reached where it seemed appropriate to scale down development work on the experimental music project. It was time to learn more about: how to address important issues through the political process; how democracy is supposed to work; and how to conventionally influence political change. Several years were then spent actively engaged with activities such as: attending conferences organised by NGOs in order to learn and to network; writing documents on a range of issues including letters to MPs and government ministers, and responses to (UK) government public consultations; working as a volunteer with several organisations, members' councils etc; initiating and participating in discussion workshops; initiating minor local campaigns; and contributing to a large local campaign.

The extent of entrenchment of so-called business as usual (BAU) became very apparent as a result of some direct personal experiences [Inference]. It soon became clear that the power structure driving economic growth has such a grip over the traditional democratic process that many individuals feel largely disempowered and unrepresented.

It wasn't until some years later that the reality behind the phrase 'sustainable development ' became apparent.

The geopolitics of 'development' [Issues]

Economic growth is the key driver of the most significant Anthropogenic risks. Environmental and sociological unsustainability have been driven by relentless economic growth, which is underpinned by corporate law.

Some important corporate law concepts [Power structure]

Commercial corporate legislation evolved over a period of hundreds of years. A very helpful brief history of corporate development is provided in (Bennett, 2004). The early concept of a corporation was created as a not-for-profit entity for charities, intended to advance the common public good. Incremental unlawful initiatives by a succession of members of various corporations were allowed to proceed, with challenges from the public largely inhibited by the magnitude of Court costs. The eventual outcome of this progressive erosion of our democratic rights is chilling:

"Corporations have achieved this 'liberation' by breaking the law until the Courts and the Government gave up trying to control them" (Ibid., p.6).

This resulted in the insane governance position that Corporations have the legal right to make profits without any legal responsibility for any adverse consequences. Not content with this, the relentless pressure for yet more economic growth still continues to drive even further deregulation. Unsurprisingly, the outcome is that we now live in a globalised networked world of powerful corporations; corruption; lack of transparency; weakened democracy; and increasing globalisation of organised crime.

The original process of necessary productive activity has become increasingly corrupted by those who relentlessly pursue money, largely for their benefit, by whatever means they choose, with little or no regard for any long term sociological or environmental consequences for other people, or for the planet.

Bottom line profit maximisation requires externalisation of such consequences.

Such people behave as if they are entitled to act in this way;

they are assuming rights without societal or environmental responsibilities.

"The corporation is an ingenious device for acquiring rights and shedding responsibilities"
(Monbiot, 2000, page 11).

With great power should go great responsibility, but the sheer scale of unresolved major global problems provides ample evidence of systemic failure. If the objective was to meet the needs of the global population in an equitable way, without damaging the biosphere, then in economic parlance, the outcome could only be viewed as a massive market failure. But the primary objective of those having great power is to feed their greed; at the expense of the global population and the state of the biosphere.

Despite countless excellent initiatives by dedicated citizens and campaigners, these have not been sufficient to counter the shameful greed and collective might of those with vested interests (TwVI).

First impressions from personal engagement with the political system were of a vast interconnecting political/ economic/ financial/ legal process, whose complexity masked outrageous and ruthless behaviours. Money and the right contacts appeared to be essential in order to stand any chance of influencing the status quo; especially in the United States. Short of gaining a legitimate platform by entering electoral politics, it appeared that there was not much an ordinary law-abiding non-wealthy citizen could actually do without significant personal risk.

Those courageous enough to stand up to challenge the status quo, such as whistleblowers, rarely emerge personally unscathed, even if they succeed in eventually getting things changed. The system is well protected against dissenters; the rules are set up to that end. It seemed that to achieve any personal sense of goal congruence between one's views about how the world should be, and what one might do about it, was highly problematic. Faced with such overwhelming constraints, frustrations, and difficulties, a rethink of approach was clearly called for.

While looking for a constructive way of facing this harsh reality, and investigating other ways to address the issues, I had the idea of producing non-commercial artworks. If it could be argued that the status quo, with all its imperfections, including the unsustainable economic growth paradigm, is a manifestation of the power of thought and ideas, then so is political reform. Work on the experimental music project had revealed that issue-engagement through producing art can encourage deeper insight into the core of an issue. Such insights are much longer lasting than the day-to-day news generated by the political press, which is soon literally perceived as yesterday's news.

In principle, the major human-caused problems must be capable of human-devised solutions. But how? In the quotation below the author is referring to corporations, but in the present context her point that any human-made institution can be changed is especially pertinent:

"But the briefest look at their legal and internal structures shows that they are in fact merely a legal and ideological construct, organised to advance vested interests. As such, they are as vulnerable to change as any other human-made institution. The more people recognise this, the sooner we can move on" (Spencer, 2004, p.26).

At the time the only constructive personal response to the perceived intransigence of the status quo seemed to be to continue with a creative issue-engagement approach. Certainly there seemed nothing to lose, but it would require learning more about art.

A creative approach

Producing and exhibiting a purposeful art or audio project for no commercial purpose can be viewed as a form of peaceful protest or passive resistance against oppression. It is a constructive way of moving forward when faced with a sense of disempowerment, and can provide a shared sense of community solidarity and a rightness of endeavour with other similarly engaged citizens.

Expressing deep concerns about an issue by making an artwork rather than by direct political engagement is less risky; less personally disruptive; it doesn't do anyone any harm; it has a small environmental footprint, and it is therapeutic without adverse side-effects. Forming such an artwork, in whatever seems to be best medium, results in a tangible artefact which can therefore be described. This allows the feelings underlying the deep concerns to become better understood and articulated. Ideally a purposeful artwork can be used to express aspects of both problems and solutions. Somehow this seems meaningful and worthwhile, and that personal progress is being made. But it is recognised that regarding a process of trying to articulate feelings as worthwhile might be ridiculed by some hardcore rationalists.

Abraham Maslow's pioneering work on human values [Moral compass]

In The Principles of Art Collingwood (1937, pp.279-280) states that an artist who has strong political views and who intends to convey these in his/her work may be doing good service to politics, but bad service to art. This could now be regarded as a modernist view and that current art, that some say needs an ideology, is known as postmodernism. In The Meaning of Art Herbert Read (1961, pp.195-196) states that the task of an artist is to express feeling in order to transmit understanding. The viewer should experience a sense of recognition. The artist should have solved the emotional problems of the viewer (!).

In Wittgenstein, Ethics and Aesthetics (Tilghman, 1991, pp.172-176) Tilghman says that the important thing is that a painting should show something which cannot be said. He says 'We do not have to go as far as the Tractatus implies and declare that art is the only way to show the meaning of life; it is enough to understand that one way of serving the ends of life, that is of reflecting upon and showing something about the human condition, is through art'... 'The problem for art is not how to make the unpleasant pleasant, but is really how to make the serious, that is the ethical, aspect of life a proper object of contemplation and reflection' (Ibid., p.176).

Notes

In the late 1970s, a lunchtime seminar series on business ethics for work colleagues was initiated. While some of the colleagues were interested in discussing such topics, they weren't prepared to risk challenging their employers' practices - presumably because they wanted to keep their jobs.

A few years later a similar idea was proposed in another location, this time to a Christian group which was already established. However the proposal was not taken up because these religious colleagues preferred to have such discussions within their local church communities, and not in their workplace. It was also apparent that, while people enjoyed the fellowship their church communities provided, they did not see political outreach as forming part of their activities. Also at that time, some of them were pre-occupied with so-called 'spiritual renewal' programmes, albeit that these appeared to have more to do with church fundraising.

These experiences reinforced some personal views about the church as an institution, and contributed towards a recognition of potential implications of compartmentalisation between work and non-work.

Internal-values conflicts arising from work/ non-work compartmentalisation are addressed further in the webpage [Life choices].

Some already existing difficulties with certain theological issues were reinforced by books such as The Sea of Faith: Christianity in Change (Cupitt, 1984).

(Eigen et al., 1982, pp.251-258) presented a concise view of the implications of Karl Popper's Three Worlds model for survival, ethics, freedom, theology, democracy and power which remains very relevant to this day.

The physicist Paul Davies addressed "the impact of the new physics on what were formerly religious issues" in his book God and the New Physics (Davies, 1983), continuing in The Mind of God (Davies, 1992).

Three books found to be very helpful at the time were: The White Hole in Time (Russell, 1992), The Perennial Philosophy (Huxley, 1970), and The Self-Aware Universe (Goswami, 1995).

In 1994 a subscription was taken out for the newly launched Journal of Consciousness Studies. The editor at the time was Anthony Freeman, author of the book God in Us - A Case for Christian Humanism (Freeman, 1993). A paper An Integral Theory of Consciousness (Wilber, 1997) in a later issue led to the subsequent acquisition and reading of many of Ken Wilber's books.

In 2004 it was decided that it would be a good idea to learn how to meditate. Meditation is discussed further in the webpage [Being].

How did the quest lead to doing artworks?

Personal political engagement

A creative approach

Notes