Anthropology, I have come to realise, is as important (and in fact, more central) to the problem of mankind achieving sustainability on his finite and vulnerable planet as politics, the physical sciences or technology (much favoured, understandably, by those whose areas of competence these are).

Why? Because anthropologists are best placed to understand (and teach others) that man's behaviour evolved over millions of years to serve the survival and advantage of individuals and family groups in the natural environment, but has had little or no time to adapt to the much larger social units of civilisation. Neither did it evolve to serve our survival in the artificial "socio-economic environment ", where, however, it now operates, exploited by a modern economy that developed to do just that, taking advantage of our animal fears, greed, competitiveness, our interest in sex, free or cheap lunches, in power, social status, etc.

This transference of the focus of our behavioural programming from the natural to an artificial "socio-economic environment", and its fundamental importance for the future of our (and other) species, are little understood or appreciated. Most importantly, it explains why we persist in giving priority to the economy (the household of man) rather than to ecology (the household of our planet), when it is obvious (were we not in a state of collective denial, or afraid of biting the hand that feeds us) that for human survival it has to be the other way around.

This insight is in urgent need of recognition, since it is fundamental to understanding our situation aboard Spaceship Earth, and helping us steer away from the catastrophic course we are currently on (bound by our animal nature and behavioural programming to a growth-dependent economy and grossly materialistic lifestyles that are fundamentally unsustainable) towards a sustainable socio-economic order rooted in our more enlightened human (rather then animal) nature.