Dear Sir/Madam,

The activities of the injury claims industry, which are highlighted in today's Guardian ("Injury claims firm offers nurses cash to refer accident victims"), reveal an aspect of our economy, the importance of which goes largely unnoticed - surprisingly, because it is so fundamental and intrinsic to it.

Most of us can readily see that what the injury claims industry (or the tobacco industry in promoting its harmful products) is doing is wrong, but what we fail to see is that it is just the tip of an iceberg. In fact, these industries are just doing what everyone else is doing (as individuals, companies, nations, or whatever): struggling for survival and advantage (i.e. trying to make money) in the "socio-economic environment " (the local, national or global economy). It is an interesting and enlightening way of looking at crime as well. The "socio-economic environment " has replaced the natural environment, where our species struggles for advantage and survival, which is why, at terrible peril to ourselves (i.e. to our children and coming generations), we persist in giving the economy (the household of man) priority over ecology (the household of the planet).

Despite rejecting social Darwinism as a philosophy, we enthusiastically embrace economic Darwinism. In fact, our entire socio-economic order is deeply rooted in man's primitive animal nature, which is hardly surprising, considering our origins, and thus subject to Darwin's theory. It's just that - like so much else - we prefer to deny it, failing to see (or admit) the extent to which we use our large brains to rationalise and justify our irrational and irresponsible (more animal than human) behaviour. 

Homo sapiens, indeed! We are just a multi-talented and exceptionally clever ape - or so one might conclude from observing our behaviour.

Religious conservatives are mocked and criticised for refusing to accept Darwin's theory of evolution and what it tells us about human origins. But most of the critics themselves have not yet faced up to its full implications, particularly in respect to the "socio-economic environment " having replaced the natural environment as the focus of our behavioural programming, or our capitalist, free-market economy having developed and been honed to exploit our primitive, animal nature (fear, greed, competitiveness, the desire for a free or cheap lunch, for power, social status etc.). This is why, in some respects, it works so well, of course. Unfortunately, apart from being inherently unjust and inhumane, it is also fundamentally unsustainable.  

"Clampdown on claims firms" (23 March 05)

Roger Hicks

www.spaceship-earth.org