Looking to the Past for a Better Future
If humans are thought to be the most innovative and adaptive species, why do our economic models and policies remain stagnant?
Modern capitalism was birthed in the early 19th century; to this day, most of the civilized world is still shackled to the chains of its core belief that exponential GDP growth and economic expansion should be an economy’s ultimate goal. Christopher Ryan, author of Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress, refers to this idea as the Narrative of Perpetual Progress (NPP) and puts it on the chopping block. Ryan argues that under the NPP, civilization has actually created as many problems as it claims to solve. He provides this illuminating statistic that best exemplifies his point: between 1990 and 2014, while global GDP increased 271%, the number of people living on less than $5 a day grew 10% and the number of people going hungry rose 9% (Ryan 12, 13). Capitalism conditions us to strive for economic growth at all costs, even though the price we pay is our own happiness and well-being. A survey on general happiness levels among US adults reveals an overall downward trend from 1973 to 2016 (Twenge). It is no wonder that the use of antidepressants in the US is up 400% since the 1990s (Ryan 236). Worse yet, adults are not alone in their struggles, as preschoolers represent the fastest growing market for antidepressants (Ryan 53).
Of course, those bleak statistics are not solely attributed to capitalism and the NPP, but there is certainly correlation. Take my experience as an example: as a USC student, I pay $80,000 in yearly tuition to attend a university that is breeding me into a skilled and competent worker bee. I will eventually be employed by a large multinational corporation and contribute to rising GDP, but I am now burdened with exorbitant amounts of student loan debt that will haunt me for a significant portion of my adulthood. Few support systems, such as social and welfare programs, exist for me to help relieve some of this stress. My story, shared by millions of other students, is a nasty symptom of a system that thrives on exploitation under the guise of economic growth. Ryan presents a compelling argument that civilization will fare better if we reconceptualize progress and discard the faulty notion that it is best measured through pure economic growth. He proposes that “When you’re lost, a step back may be a step in the right direction,” (Ryan 146) so therefore, the most sustainable, lasting forms of progress are built on an understanding of humanity’s past.
The majority of Civilized to Death is devoted to debunking widespread misconceptions about our ancestors: the hunter-gatherers (also referred to as foragers). As civilization did not arise until the more strongly defined concepts of property, ownership, and accumulated capital emerged after the Agricultural Revolution, foragers are by default considered to be uncivilized. Many modern humans wrongly picture our uncivilized ancestors as spear-wielding “savages” that were always struggling for survival in a harsh, cruel world untamed by the savior that is civilization. In a similar vein, I recall elementary school textbooks depicting European sailors as bold, daring heroes, yet the native hunter-gatherer tribes that they “discovered” were portrayed as uncouth and pitifully primitive. Ryan tells an amusing story of European sailors kidnapping three Fuegian natives to show them their civilized, obviously superior way of life in England. Upon returning to their homeland, the natives expressed zero interest in adopting the European social, political, and economic structures. They were perfectly content in Tierra del Fuego with “plenty fruits, plenty fish, and plenty birdies” (Ryan 11). Indeed, natives led more simple lives than those who lived in grand European cities with novel forms of entertainment, impressive architectural feats, and more material wealth, but perhaps foragers felt no need for anything more complex because they were content with their lives, which were seemingly happier and healthier.
In defense of the uncivilized, French anthropologist Pierre Clastres suggested, “What if the sort of people we like to imagine as simple and innocent are free of rulers, governments, bureaucracies, ruling classes and the like, not because they are lacking in imagination, but because they’re actually more imaginative than we are? We find it difficult to picture what a truly free society would be like; perhaps they have no similar trouble picturing what arbitrary power and domination would be like. Perhaps they can not only imagine it, but consciously arrange their society in such a way as to avoid it” (quoted in Graeber and Wengrow’s book). His views are validated by the fact that humans were nomadic hunter-gatherers for 95% of the time that our species has existed. From around 300,000 years ago until 12,000 years ago, Homo sapiens thrived on egalitarian values with few social inequalities and wealth disparities. Research has shown that foragers showed a “high level of conscience for others” (Besant). In the La Chapelle-aux-Saints excavation site in France, the buried body of an elderly Neanderthal man was found. He had already lost his teeth and most of his ability to walk due to injuries. Researchers determined that his peers and relatives likely went so far as to chew his food for him and deliberately buried his body rather than leaving it to be eaten by carnivores. While there were exceptions of hunter-gatherer bands that demonstrated higher levels of inequality, anthropologists agree that foragers were fiercely egalitarian and cared for each other. Hunter-gatherers saw no need for ruling classes or institutionalized systems not because they were less smart or less sophisticated. They understood that their survival did not depend on how much power, influence, and control they could exert over each other, but rather, on cooperation, selflessness, generosity, egalitarianism, and a strong sense of community.
Ryan contends that those hunter-gatherer values must be at the forefront of how we conceptualize progress to make it more sustainable and supportive of civilization’s collective well-being. He advocates for an agenda that “…aligns with forager values: a more equitable distribution of resources, assistance for the vulnerable, respect and autonomy for women (including equal pay and reproductive rights), increased funding for health care and educational programs, [and] acceptance of all religions…” (Ryan 314). To achieve this, he does not explicitly call for an abolishment of capitalism as a whole, but suggests replacing top-down corporate structures with peer networks and horizontally organized businesses. He shows support for an increasingly decentralized market, naming Airbnb as an example of a company that diverts power from corporations into the hands of citizens. Civilized to Death also praises Kickstarter for being a proponent of peer networks and the gift economy. Ryan accredits the internet, declaring, “This kind of egalitarian, horizontal network is made possible by the internet and its associated gadgetry. The potential implications are exciting and include voting and campaign contributions via smartphone, more dispersed independent publishing and journalism, crypto-banking and currency exchange, rapid response disaster relief organizations, remote medicine, and inexpensive education” (Ryan 314, 315). He calls the gift economy a viable alternative to capitalism and its propensity of promoting a wildly unequal access to resources, encouraging people to leverage technology to facilitate resource sharing and strengthen community ties.
Another promising alternative to capitalism that promotes a more equal distribution and the sharing of resources is Kate Raworth’s model of donut economics. Infinite growth is not feasible in a world with finite resources. Therefore, donut economics seeks to replace the pursuit of never-ending GDP growth with a circular economy based on sustainable practices. Many of Raworth and Ryan’s ideas actually align, as Raworth believes that a healthy economy is designed to thrive, not grow. Ryan believes we need to take steps backwards in order to move forward; in a circle, taking steps backwards also means moving forwards. In the inner ring of her donut model, Raworth places the social foundation containing twelve life essentials that no one in society should be deprived of. In the outer ring is the ecological ceiling consisting of nine ecological limits that humanity should not overshoot. Her theory is highly adaptable, as she does not proclaim any specific policies or goals for countries to follow. Instead, it requires leaders to determine what their countries need and set personalized benchmarks to succeed in staying above the social foundation and below the ecological ceiling. Flexibility for different contexts is a highly important feature as economics is not a one-size-fits-all approach, making the donut practical in a constantly changing world.
Most critically, unlike Ryan, Raworth acknowledges that significant GDP growth is necessary for less developed countries to better provide for its citizens. She does not criticize all economic growth and development, asserting, “…[E]conomic growth needs to be viewed as a means to reach social goals within ecological limits … and not as an indicator of success in itself, or a goal for rich countries. In a doughnut world, the economy would sometimes be growing and sometimes shrinking” (Raworth in Nugent’s article). For example, take an underdeveloped country with a per capita income of $100 and a developed country with a per capita income of $1,000 — their initial income gap is $900. Assuming incomes in both countries grow 5% annually, after one year, the underdeveloped country’s income is $105, and the developed country’s is $1,050. The gap has now widened to $945. The underdeveloped country would have to grow by 50 percent to maintain the same absolute gap of $900 (Myint, Krueger). Ideally, the underdeveloped country would prioritize economic growth to climb above the donut’s social foundation, while the developed country might focus on sustaining growth to stay below the donut’s ecological ceiling.
Raworth’s model is rightfully gaining traction. Amsterdam launched the Amsterdam Doughnut Coalition, creating policies to protect the environment by reusing, reducing, and recycling materials across consumer goods, food, and building materials. Ryan suggested building an infrastructure of nonpolluting locally generated energy, an idea echoed by Amsterdam’s practice of laying the foundations of a construction project using processes that do not hurt local wildlife, as well as reusing old parts from buildings that have been torn down. Citizen-led groups in Germany, Malaysia, Brazil, and the United States are also forming in support of donut economics, inspiring each other to take action. California’s CalDEC seeks to promote the creation of a regenerative and distributive economy by collaborating with like-minded groups and individuals aligned with Donut Economic principles. They demonstrate the power of peer networks emphasized by Ryan, hoping to influence more regions around the world.
Civilized to Death sets forth the worthy argument that sustainable progress is based on an understanding of our ancestral values. The principles of donut economics supplement Ryan’s ideas as his and Raworth’s fundamental ideas align: perpetual growth is not always the answer. Humans are capable of extreme adaptation, so our economic models should follow suit. After all, economics is a social science — it’s invented by people, and can be changed by people. There is no reason for civilization to continue down the dark path that looms before us as we have the power to adapt and realign our values as humans. Collectively exerting our efforts into designing and implementing more sustainable practices may lead us to a brighter future, one in which children do not ever need to take antidepressants.
Works Cited
18, Oct. “Study Finds Internet Economy Grew Seven Times Faster than Total U.S. Economy, Created over 7 Million Jobs in the Last Four Years.” IAB, 29 Oct. 2021, https://www.iab.com/news/study-finds-internet-economy-grew-seven-times-faster/.
Besant, Alexander. “Neanderthals Cared for Their Elderly, Researchers Say.” The World
from PRX, 17 Dec. 2013, https://theworld.org/stories/2013-12-17/neanderthals-cared-their-elderly-researchers-say.
Graeber, David, and D. Wengrow. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. Signal, 2023.
Myint, Hla, and Anne O. Krueger. “Economic Development as an Objective of Policy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/economic-development/Economic-development-as-an-objective-of-policy.
Nugent, Ciara. “Could Amsterdam’s New Economic Theory Replace Capitalism?” Time, Time, 22 Jan. 2021, https://time.com/5930093/amsterdam-doughnut-economics/.
Ryan, Christopher. Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress. 2020.
“The Sad State of Happiness in the United States and the Role of Digital Media.” The World Happiness Report, https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2019/the-sad-state-of-happiness-in-the-united-states-and-the-role-of-digital-media/.
