ABSTRACT
It seems likely that, if things go on as at present, many of the raw materials on which societies depend will be consumed in at most a few generations and our planet will become irreversibly polluted with the by-products of exploitation. Furthermore, the gap between rich and poor will widen. There are likely to be cultural clashes as nations jockey for position and there may be great suffering as the resources on which we all depend are eroded. There is some uncertainty as to which are the critical issues and the time-scales involved, but it is clear that the time available for change is limited. The question is, can change occur soon enough? It is easy to advocate a scenario of universal restraint and cooperation for the common good, but what precisely must be achieved and can it be achieved in time? We evolved slowly, a long time ago and in a quite different world, and natural selection operated to fit us to that world. The propensities acquired then, interacting with the cultures of the societies they produced, have given rise to the behaviour which produced the present situation. That situation requires radical and rapid changes in many of our attitudes, especially in the industrial societies. How can such changes be brought about?
