No subject

-------------------------------------------------------
Following Paul Ray and Richard Wilk's comments, I would like to support a
view that our behaviors, including those that relate to personal
consumption, are to a great extent socially constructed. Social
construction of reality and social imprinting shapes and ordinates
individual values and beliefs about the world at large or its particular
aspects, like the natural environment. We can call this social construction
of reality a dominant worldview - a set of beliefs, symbols, values, and
segments of objective knowledge that are widely shared in a given society
in a given period of time. Using subsumptive hierarchy relationship we can
wrap it up as: {dominant worldview {individual values and beliefs
{attitudes {intentions {behavior}}}}} meaning that individual behavior is
to a great extent constrained by a dominant worldview. In that sense many
of us have the propensity to =E2=80=9Ccompulsively=E2=80=9D consume because=
 our culture
shapes us in that particular way.

But this does not exclude the impact of our neural wiring and primary
rewards mechanisms on our behaviors, as Peter argued in his text. We are
chemical and biological entities, and therefore, constraints to our
behavior arise at lower levels as well: {material world {biological world
{social world}}} =E2=86=92 {chemical dynamics {organism dynamics {social
dynamics}}}.

In that sense, I see the connection between the constraints that arise from
our biochemistry and our worldviews, which is well expressed in Peter's
text: =E2=80=9C... as capitalist social organization shrinks the diversity =
of
primary rewards to the realm of material consumption, they become
predictable and less satisfying. Limited to a few sources of primary
reward, we consume them more intensely as the circuit adapts, and
eventually they become addictions.=E2=80=9D And his final inference=E2=80=
=94=E2=80=9CTherefore,
social policies should follow the precept =E2=80=9CExpand satisfactions!=E2=
=80=9D We should
re-examine and enumerate the myriad sources that were alienated under
capitalism=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94in my view is a call to reexamine and change ou=
r dominant
worldview.

Igor Matutinovi=C4=87

-----
Original Message
-----
 Transition Network [mailto:gtnetwork at greattransition.org]
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 5:08 AM
 Igor (GfK)
 We Consume: Neural Design and Sustainability (GTN Discussion)