In an op-ed contribution to last Friday's NYT, "Evolution's Bottom Line", Prof. Holden Thorp defends Darwin's theory on the basis of its commercial value. Hmmm, I thought to myself, only an American would attempt that kind of an approach. Perhaps he reckoned that apart from the Bible, making money is the other main thing Christian fundamentalists are interested in, and might thus win some of them over.

Personally, I would not want to base the credibility of evolutionary theory on its commercial value. Instead, I would like to offer some very strong, but much neglected, observational evidence for its validity. The evidence I have in mind is not just neglected, but actively suppressed and denied, because it undermines the received economic wisdom and assumptions upon which our civilisation is based. So take a deep breath before continuing.

The most profound implication of Darwin's theory of evolution for us is that of our own animal origins, an understanding of which is applied in biological and medical research, as Prof. Thorp points out, but hardly at all (or very patchily) in the social sciences, where it would force us to recognise that ALL aspects of human behaviour and society (including the economy and academic institutions) are deeply rooted in and influenced by our animal nature. How, in the light of man's animal origins, could it possibly be otherwise?

This is not just an academic point, but one with profound and urgent consequences for mankind's future - indeed for whether or not we have a future at all, since a society and economy rooted in and driven by man's animal nature must necessarily be inherently unsustainable on a finite and vulnerable planet such as our own.

Any population, whether of bacteria or mice, will take advantage of the opportunities available to it, expanding and increasing in size blindly where it is able to do so, with no consideration whatsoever of sustainability. If not kept in check by natural predators, other limiting factors will come into play (exhaustion of food supply or accumulation of toxins/pollutants, for example) and the population will eventually, due to adverse environmental conditions, cease to grow and subsequently collapse. As evidence of our own animal nature and origins, although complicated a little by the application of science and technology, Earth's human population is following exactly the same pattern. We are currently experiencing a phase of exponential growth, which will soon flatten off before crashing downwards (no doubt, a number of dedicated scientists will remain at their posts, monitoring, analysing and recording the whole tragic process, providing conclusive proof of my thesis that I would rather do without).

In contrast to all other species, however (as far as we know), we have the mental capacity to become aware of the situation and give it some conscious consideration, which we are in fact doing. Unfortunately, so far, it is having precious little effect on our behaviour, so that effectively we are acting no differently to a population of bacteria or mice. Eventually, the unsustainable drain and strain we are placing on our planet's finite resources and carrying capacity will bring population and economic growth to an end, followed by a precipitous reduction in both.

Although I am offering this as evidence of mankind's animal origins, and thus also of Darwin's theory of evolution, my main intention is to stimulate awareness and understanding of the perilous situation we are in. It is not difficult to understand, but there is a huge obstacle in the way, which I am desperately trying to overcome: the profound implications that such an understanding has for our economy and way of life, which we are totally familiar with and dependent upon, and thus very reluctant even to question, but which are fundamentally unsustainable.

We (or rather, our blind, animal nature) do not want to know the truth, but carry on as we are. Only that will not be possible for much longer. If we fail to achieve sustainability ourselves (i.e. create a sustainable economy and way of life for 7-9 billion! people), a ruthless mother nature (who is already "warming up" for the job) will impose it on us, just as she would on a population of bacteria or mice. It won't be a pretty sight, either, but cause the tragedies and horrors of the 20th Century to pale by comparison.

We like to think that human intelligence will enable us to find solutions to the problem of sustainability, which indeed it is capable of doing - but only if guided by wisdom and understanding, something which is certainly not happening at the moment. Instead, we use our prodigious, but unenlightened, intelligence to rationalise the irrational and keep ourselves in denial of a situation, which although very comfortable for many of us at the moment, is taking our civilisation towards a tragic end.

Submitted 17/05/06