“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?” [Job 38:4-7, NRSV]
The world as we see it is fast and furious with all the incredible creativity and inventions of contemporary technology. Sadly, it is also shrouded in captivity by this powerful force of technology, endlessly bleeding and disintegrating it. In Laudato Si’, Pope Francis takes the reflection a step further, clarifying the dehumanizing effect of an unbridled capitalism that is armed with contemporary technology. Addressing the spiritual roots of environmental problems, he invites all to serious contemplation as he unequivocally names human attitude and behaviour as a major cause of global climate change and ecological destruction. He urges all sectors of society to examine our actions, policies and behaviours in light of this urgent situation. He speaks of how the cry of the earth and the cry of the Poor are one, pointing out the interconnection of all forms of poverty – environmental and human – and the need to address them in an integral way.
What we need is a “bold cultural revolution”, Pope Francis insists. Nobody is calling for a return to the Stone Age. But, at the rate and on the scale of destruction of the ecology, and the apparent captivity of humanity by technology and its associated mind set,
- “we do need to slow down and look at reality in a different way, to appropriate the positive and sustainable progress which has been made, but also to recover the values and the great goals swept away by our unrestrained delusions of grandeur” [N0.114].
The issues are complex. In chapter 3 of the encyclical, he examines the human roots of the ecological crisis. His analysis on three points, amongst other points, are particularly helpful for our contemplation at this time.
1. First, a domineering technology
Heading the list of human problems is identified as the “technocratic paradigm”. Citing Romano Guardini, this means the method and aims of science and technology, which are objective and impersonal, have been unconsciously adopted as the dominating basis of knowledge to shape personal lives as well as the workings of society. Far from being neutral, technological products have so conditioned our lifestyles that society is dictated by the interests of certain powerful groups [No.107]. As the technocratic paradigm dominates economic and political life [No.109], life as a whole “gradually becomes a surrender to situations conditioned by technology, itself viewed as the principal key to the meaning of existence” [No.110].
This is why Pope Francis is especially critical of an undifferentiated and one-dimensional vision in this paradigm.
- “This paradigm exalts the concept of a subject who, using logical and rational procedures, progressively approaches and gains control over an external object. This subject makes every effort to establish the scientific and experimental method, which in itself is already a technique of possession, mastery and transformation” [No.106].
Of course technology itself is not the problem – in fact, the achievements of science and technology are praised throughout the document. We are, after all, the beneficiaries of two centuries of technological advances which have “remedied countless evils that used to harm and limit human beings” [No.102]. We need no reminder that, well directed, technoscience improves the quality of life all round [No.103]. But, we are equally convinced that “the tremendous power” technology has yielded, can be tapped by “those with knowledge and economic resources to dominate humanity and the entire world” [No.104]. History is replete with actual illustrations of the incalculable risks to humanity when nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction are in the hands of insane individuals and totalitarian regimes.
In this regard, Pope Francis questions the modern myth of progress. Quoting Guardini, he laments the “tendency to believe that every increase in power means ‘an increase of ‘progress’ itself” or that “goodness and truth automatically flow from technological and economic power as such” [No.105].
Naming real world problems from a moral and spiritual perspective, the saddest part of reality as he sees it is that “contemporary man has not been trained to use power well”. On this, we suspect people around the world can wholeheartedly agree. However, just as this assessment is accurate on the use of technology in the world, it is even more blindingly true of the Church as an institution. Again, we suspect that Pope Francis’ words on the ecology are “believable” – just as people of Jesus’ time accepted Him as teaching “with authority” – principally because he calls the clergy to account in words and action, in work and lifestyle. Specifically in regard to human reliance on technological inventions, Pope Francis’ analysis deserves special attention in various respects, including:
- that “our immense technological development has not been accompanied by a development in human responsibility, values and conscience”,
- that humanity does not use its power as it should,
- that “power is never considered in terms of the responsibility of choice which is inherent in freedom”,
- that our freedom has been “handed over to the blind forces of the unconscious, of immediate needs, of self-interest, and of violence”,
- and that we lack “a sound ethics, a culture and spirituality genuinely capable of setting limits and teaching clear-minded self-restraint” [No.105].
What is lamentable is a lack of consciousness of these issues. Our consciousness, be it individual or collective, evolves in a developmental way. As our consciousness increases, it has the tendency to spiral. Beginning in small tentative steps, it may soon blossom across a wide terrain. So Pope Francis urges us to take a long hard look at reality – the state the world is in, the dominant technocratic worldview, values, and assumptions that have shaped our modern thinking and the modern industrialized society. We have all but shifted to a “technocratic paradigm”, the downside of which is that it is also a worldview that sees things as separate and disconnected. Such a paradigm is no longer adequate:
- “The fragmentation of knowledge proves helpful for concrete applications, and yet it often leads to a loss of appreciation for the whole, for the relationships between things, and for the broader horizon, which then becomes irrelevant. This very fact makes it hard to find adequate ways of solving the more complex problems of today’s world, particularly those regarding the environment and the poor; these problems cannot be dealt with from a single perspective or from a single set of interests” [No. 110].
We need to see how seriously injurious these are to both the environmental as well as the social ecology. A transformation of our consciousness is badly needed. What is authentic development? What is the goal of our pursuits in science and technology? Is technological and economic development not skewed if it creates an economy of exclusion, failing to serve human beings, to enhance human dignity and to ensure access to all what is needed for authentic human development? To counter a blind technocratic mentality, this encyclical arouses our consciousness to an urgent need:
- “There needs to be a distinctive way of looking at things, a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance to the assault of the technocratic paradigm” [No.111].
Humanity has the capacity to broaden our vision and the authentic freedom to limit and direct technology in ways that are healthier and more human. Technology must serve humanity and not just the market, the Poor and not just the rich.
- What is needed is a broader vision where “technology is directed primarily to resolving people’s concrete problems, truly helping them live with more dignity and less suffering” [No.112].
As we acknowledge the strengths and limits of science and technology, we seek also to include that which is of value to genuine integral human development. This encyclical is thus a call to a new way of being. It is a call to contemplation, to see the ecological crisis clearly, and to respect God’s creation. Humanity can create structures, policies, and systems that support a shift in consciousness. We see the strength of this encyclical in its opening of a space for transformation so necessary to respond to the cries of the earth and the cries of the Poor. But it all starts with a new consciousness which is
- “an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone. This basic awareness would enable the development of new convictions, attitudes and forms of life. A great cultural, spiritual and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal” [No.202].
Our duty is to keep widening that consciousness and transformation.
2. Second, a single-minded focus on profit
Technology is fundamentally something good and desirable. The problem is, technology has been corrupted by our greed. In the technocratic paradigm, the world is seen in its givenness, and nature is something to be overcome, to be rendered completely open to manipulation for quick profit. The Pope saves his harshest words for such unmitigated greed which “accepts every advance in technology with a view to profit, without concern for its potentially negative impact on human beings” [No.109].
When maximizing profits is the singular goal, we see the myth of progress as an idea, in sharp contrast to the phenomena of environmental and social ruin as a reality. Paragraph 109 of the encyclical highlights many woes:
- When technology is put in service of greed, without concern for its potential impact on human beings, the market will show “no interest in more balanced level of production, a better distribution of wealth, concern for the environment and the rights of future generations”.
- When maximizing profits is the only goal, what we end up with is “a sort of ‘superdevelopment’ of a wasteful and consumerist kind” which results in dehumanizing deprivation.
- We have all but failed to give the Poor regular access to even basic resources.
- We have failed to “see the deepest roots of our present failures, which have to do with the direction, goals, meaning and social implications of technological and economic growth.”
A profit-driven business also serves the singularly destructive goal of extracting everything possible from the material world, and from other human beings, while ignoring the ruinous reality in front of us. Economists, financiers and experts in technology too easily “accept the idea of infinite and unlimited growth… based on the lie that there is an infinite supply of the earth’s goods, and this leads to the planet being squeezed dry beyond every limit” [No.106].
When technology serves the market rather than humanity, the rich instead of the Poor, then he who has the knowledge and the financial resources wins. Truly, the rich get richer, and the Poor get poorer. In recent months, in Italy and in Latin America, the Pope repeatedly raised his moral voice against business profiteers with a harshness that was clearly calculated to shock and quite unequalled in recent papacies. Citing the fourth century saint, Basil of Caesarea, he described indifference, greed and a profit-mentality at all costs – in a word, “the unfettered pursuit of money” – the “dung of the devil”!
Pope Francis is not anti-business by any stretch of imagination. On the contrary, he exalts business as “a noble vocation” – a remarkable elevation in official documents that have only recently begun to recognize the work of business leaders as a vocation. While business is directed to producing wealth and improving the world, it can also be a fruitful source of prosperity and human dignity, “especially if it sees the creation of jobs as an essential part of its service to the common good.” [No.129]
A meaningful future for humanity cannot depend on technical abilities alone. The creation of newer and higher-tech toys may only exalt a superficiality in life. Science and technology, like capitalism, are not innately evil. Created by humans, they can be put to use for good or evil. Science and technology and capitalism can free us or enslave us; we make our choice. Consciousness is the key.
The goal of Pope Francis’ work is clear:
- He seeks to draw our attention to “the ethical and spiritual roots of environmental problems, which require that we look for solutions not only in technology but in a change of humanity; otherwise we would be dealing merely with symptoms.”
- He makes a plea for replacing “consumption with sacrifice, greed with generosity, wastefulness with a spirit of sharing, an asceticism which entails learning to give, and not simply to give up. It is a way of loving, of moving gradually away from what I want to what God’s world needs. It is liberation from fear, greed and compulsion.” [No.9]
And as we continue to wonder about the purpose and meaning of everything, Pope Francis points to the Holy Trinity as the key to reading reality. He suggests to us all to recapture an imagination of the Trinity in its generous, overflowing love and the ontological depths of its relationships.
History teaches that the poor and marginalized always suffer when too much power and wealth are placed in the hands of too few.
3. Third, a culture of reductionism and relativism
Consumerism cartoon by Polyp.
Modernity is marked by an excessive anthropocentrism [No.116] that prizes technical thought over reality. It is a misguided anthropocentrism that tends towards compromising the intrinsic dignity of the world [No.115]. When fundamental human dignity is neglected, it becomes difficult to hear the cry of nature itself [No.117].
The effects of imposing the technocratic paradigm on reality as a whole, human and social, are seen in the deterioration of the environment both natural and social. This is, for Pope Francis, a sign of “a reductionism which affects every aspect of human and social life” [No. 107]. But, in failing to cooperate with God in the work of creation, declaring independence from reality and behaving with absolute dominion over nature, humanity experiences the crumbling of the very foundations of our life as well as a punishing rebellion on the part of nature [No.117].
In our present ecological crisis, Pope Francis sees the echo of the ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity. At the heart of this crisis of modernity is a culture of relativism. He sees a direct link between the modern misguided anthropocentrism and the rise of a relativistic mindset and hence a misguided lifestyle [No.121]. Our broken relationship with nature and the environment, he insists, cannot possibly be healed without healing all fundamental human relationships, including our relationships with others and God [No.119].
Unlike his predecessors, Pope Francis believes that “practical relativism” typical of our age is even more dangerous than doctrinal relativism. In practical relativism, human beings place themselves at the center, give absolute priority to immediate convenience, and make all else relative. Relativism sees everything as irrelevant unless it serves one’s own immediate interests. Linking this with the dominant technocratic paradigm and “the cult of unlimited human power” [No.122], Pope Francis sees the disorders in society as resulting from this relativistic logic:
- It drives one person to take advantage of another, to treat others as mere objects rather than subjects of intrinsic God-given dignity;
- It creates forced labour and enslaves individuals and nations to pay so-called “debts”;
- It manifests in the sexual exploitation of children, abandonment of the elderly, human trafficking, organized crime, drug smuggling, commerce in human organs of the Poor, blood diamond and fur of endangered species;
- It chooses to “allow the invisible forces of the market to regulate the economy, and consider their impact on society and nature as collateral damage”; and
- It is a “use and throw away” logic that “generates so much waste, because of the disordered desire to consume more than what is really necessary” [No.123].
In the later chapters of Laudato Si’, he will lay out his response to the environmental crisis, but right here in chapter three, he shows his support for an economy that favors productive diversity and small scale producers. “For example, there is a great variety of small-scale food production systems which feed the greater part of the world’s peoples, using a modest amount of land and producing less waste, be it in small agricultural parcels, in orchards and gardens, hunting and wild harvesting or local fishing.” But he also recognizes that small farmers and producers are threatened by economies of scale and by the difficulty they face in linking to regional and global markets because the infrastructure for sales and transport is geared to larger businesses.
He calls for government support of such small producers. “To ensure economic freedom from which all can effectively benefit,” he asserts, “restraints occasionally have to be imposed on those possessing greater resources and financial power.” He thinks a great deal of calls for “economic freedom” to be bogus when “real conditions bar many people from actual access to it.”
Pope Francis’ thoughts on domineering technology, a single-minded focus on profit, and practical relativism are prophetic and challenging. They fly in the face of many of our contemporary cultural presuppositions. Pope Francis does not believe that technology and the market will magically provide the solution to social and environmental issues, rather they are part of the problem. On the other hand, he believes that technology can and should be used to improve the lot of humanity and that business people are called to a noble vocation that is in service to the common good.
As Albert Einstein has said, we cannot solve the problems at the same level of consciousness that created them. Pope Francis wants to awaken the world to a new and heightened consciousness that something is wrong with our world, with ourselves. He is inviting us to see beyond the usual atomistic worldview and to adopt a new way of looking, thinking, and policy-making that will address these complex problems out of a new consciousness. Centred on an integral ecological vision [see Nos.137-162], Pope Francis sees everyone and everything connected: all the numerous problems facing us are part of the environmental poverty and human poverty. His is a call to contemplation, to transform our consciousness, so we may begin to do something helpful.
Leading the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation recently, Pope Francis prayed that people would learn to contemplate God in the beauty of the universe, give thanks and protect all life. He prayed that God would “enlighten the lords of power and money so they would not fall into indifference, but would love the common good, encourage the weak and care for the world in which we live.” He had earlier announced that the Catholic Church would join the Orthodox Church in marking the prayer day September 1 each year.
Copyright © Dr. Jeffrey & Angie Goh, September, 2015. All rights reserved.
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