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Sun Jan 17 01:13:10 CET 2016

Igor.Matutinovic at gfk.com</a>&gt;<br>
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Following Paul Ray and Richard Wilk&#39;s comments, I would like to support=
 a view that our behaviors, including those that relate to personal consump=
tion, are to a great extent socially constructed. Social construction of re=
ality and social imprinting shapes and ordinates individual values and beli=
efs about the world at large or its particular aspects, like the natural en=
vironment. We can call this social construction of reality a dominant world=
view - a set of beliefs, symbols, values, and segments of objective knowled=
ge that are widely shared in a given society in a given period of time. Usi=
ng subsumptive hierarchy relationship we can wrap it up as: {dominant world=
view {individual values and beliefs {attitudes {intentions {behavior}}}}} m=
eaning that individual behavior is to a great extent constrained by a domin=
ant worldview. In that sense many of us have the propensity to =E2=80=9Ccom=
pulsively=E2=80=9D consume because our culture shapes us in that particular=
 way.<br>
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But this does not exclude the impact of our neural wiring and primary rewar=
ds mechanisms on our behaviors, as Peter argued in his text. We are chemica=
l 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}}}.<br>
<br>
In that sense, I see the connection between the constraints that arise from=
 our biochemistry and our worldviews, which is well expressed in Peter&#39;=
s text: =E2=80=9C... as capitalist social organization shrinks the diversit=
y of primary rewards to the realm of material consumption, they become pred=
ictable and less satisfying. Limited to a few sources of primary reward, we=
 consume them more intensely as the circuit adapts, and eventually they bec=
ome 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 a=
lienated under capitalism=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94in my view is a call to reexamin=
e and change our dominant worldview.<br>
<br>
Igor Matutinovi=C4=87<br>
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Original Message<br>
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=C2=A0Transition Network [mailto:<a href=3D"mailto:gtnetwork at greattransitio=
n.org">gtnetwork at greattransition.org</a>]<br>
Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2016 5:08 AM<br>
=C2=A0Igor (GfK)<br>
=C2=A0We Consume: Neural Design and Sustainability (GTN Discussion)<br>
<br>