From performance to the utility of the economy

Neuroscientific materialism and global warming

 Interests of this research:

• Understanding the psychic architecture at the root of global warming
• Understanding the mechanisms behind the economic performance failure of the dominant paradigm
• Laying the groundwork for an economic model, adapted to the epigenetic identity of tropical areas, as a lever against global warming

Fields of study (interdisciplinary fields):

biology, epigenetics, anthropology (naturalism), cognitive sciences, political economy

Host university: UCAD (Université Cheikh Anta Diop), Dakar, Senegal

Associated Universities: King's College London (epigenetics laboratory), University of Edinburgh (Cognitive Sciences) 

object of the research:

Can we effectively fight against global warming without questioning neuroscientific materialism? A priori, establishing a causal link between both seems unlikely. And yet, it is precisely in this causality that one of the most objective explanations for global warming can be found.

Analyzing neuroscientific materialism as a structural cause of global warming is a long, arduous, and extremely complex intellectual process. It is an interdisciplinary process involving, mainly, the philosophy of cognitive sciences, naturalism, epigenetics and political economy. Drawing particularly on the philosophy of cognitive science, we can methodically illustrate and describe the architecture of the psyche according to the doctrine of neuroscientific materialism. This architecture reflects a specific psychic system, based exclusively on biological dynamics. We can show how this system closes all doors to the emergence of free will, responsibility and reason; we can demonstrate that this system subordinates the conscious to the unconscious and radically confines all human and social dynamics within an egocentrism. This radical egocentrism, combined with the inhibition of reason, is counterproductive for society and, in the long term, for humanity, or even for all living beings. We can show that this radical egocentrism is transmitted, biologically, to the consciousness by dynamics of the unconscious in the form of pressure (we will see later how to calculate the value of this pressure.); the level of this pressure depends on the circumstances.

This setting being planted, we must establish the links between the psychic system illustrating the psychic configuration according to neuroscientific materialism and the dominant paradigm of economics.

The main credible argument for creating bridges between the system illustrating psychic architecture according to neuroscientific materialism and the paradigm of post-neoclassical economics (Arnsperger, Full-Spectrum Economics, 2010)[1] is the principle of economic rationality (Stiglitz, Walsh & Lafay, Principes d'économie moderne, 2004)[2]. Recall that the paradigm of post-neoclassical economics, commonly called the paradigm of neoliberal economics, is the dominant paradigm propagated around the world since the early 1990s with globalization.

Consequently, from the perspective of the psyche, if neuroscientific materialism tends to reflect the paradigm of the post-neoclassical (PNC) economy, then, based on biological dynamics, we can easily draw the psychic portrait of Homo economicus. This portrait will help to understand why the current concept of economic performance is connoted and is subject to normative constraints; it will help to understand why these normative constraints undermine the fundamental mission of the economy by disregarding the optimality of performance; in this wake, it will help to understand why this performance is counterproductive for the well-being, even for the survival of the living; it will help to understand why, instead of this performance, we must consider the utility of the economy. Seeking utility, in this context, means returning to the optimality of performance (generic sense) of the economy. This return to optimality corresponds exactly to Degrowth. Furthermore, this portrait will also help to establish the causal link between consumerism and global warming; it will help to understand the difficulties linked to a behavioral inflexion nowadays; it will help to understand why the choice of the epigenetic identity of populations belonging to tropical areas is a credible option for returning to optimality; it will make it possible to define the criteria of economic optimality; it will help to understand why returning to optimality is not a handicap to well-being, but an asset; etc.

Finally, to answer the initial question, we will show that neuroscientific materialism is tacitly the crucible of the dominant economic paradigm; the former legitimizes the latter. Thus, to technically understand the structural causes of global warming and, at the same time, the difficulties in dealing with it, one must understand the psychic architecture of homo economicus. And the best tools to do this are provided by the vision of neuroscientific materialism. Consequently, if it can be shown that this vision perverts or distorts the reality of the psychic system, then the principle of economic rationality will collapse on itself. This collapse will open up realistic and structural pathways to promoting behaviors adapted to the fight against global warming.

Methodology

The methodology is subdivided into four steps.

Step 1: Highlighting the realistic psychic system

From the etymology of the concept of soul, we establish the architecture of the psychic system of the human being. This architecture is based on the interactions between two distinct and autonomous psychic instances (a dynamic of the unconscious and one of the conscious); these instances interact to ensure the conservation (survival and well-being) of the human being. We highlight the existence of a biological determinism; we demonstrate that this determinism is not absolute, but relative. This relative nature reflects the autonomy of the conscious. This observation is fundamental, as it allows us to show precisely how free will, responsibility, and reason emerge in human beings.

The diagram of the psychic system below represents the model derived from these reflections.

Architecture of the psychic system

Step 2: Highlighting the psychic system according to materialism

According to the logic of neuroscientific materialism, "the psyche is corporeal." This logic reflects a radical biological determinism that confines the dynamic of the conscious within that of the unconscious. Specifically, biological dynamics are the sole sources of information for consciousness. Consequently, it leads to the theoretical advent of a system preventing the emergence of free will, responsibility, and reason. We methodically demonstrate that this logic is, at best, an error in the interpretation of related experiments (Libet, 2004; Wegner, 2002). Thus, since the psychic system consists of two autonomous entities, neuroscientific materialism is an artifice; it distorts reality; It's an illusion.

The following diagram illustrates the psychic system according to neuroscientific materialism:

[…]

Step 3: Highlighting the psychic system of homo economicus

Starting from the principle of economic rationality, we establish links between the doctrine of the post-neoclassical paradigm and the logic of neuroscientific materialism. These links provide all the indications to determine the behavioral bases of homo economicus; they allow us to establish a portrait of his psychic system. The dynamic of this portrait illustrates a liberation of the potential of human desire which, concomitantly, liberates the power of the authority of the unconscious. It is these successive liberations that make possible consumerism and, therefore, perpetual growth, the essential intermediate objectives of economic society. These liberations radicalize egocentrism into homo economicus. Combined with this radicalization, consumerism and the inhibition of reason structure and perpetuate global warming.

The following diagram represents the psychic system of homo economicus:

[…]

Step 4: Propose a return model to the economic optimum based on an epigenetic identity

From the climatic conditions, we will draw up the epigenetic identities of the peoples by zone. These identities help to understand the factors causing the point of optimality to be exceeded and, therefore, the detrimental nature of economic performance of the PCN paradigm. To do this, we will show how the climate has shaped in a differentiated way the psychic system of peoples in autarky over time. The psychic system of each people, shaped through epigenetics, represents a specific model. Among these models, some are more suitable to allow a return to the optimality of economic performance.

[1] Christian Arnsperger, Full-Spectrum Economics, p.3, Routledge, 2010.

[2] Joseph Stiglitz, Carl Walsh & Jean-D Lafay, Principes d'économie moderne, 2e édition, p.28, 2004.