It’s time to forget the hypothetical state of nature. We now know that humankind is a product of the evolutionary process, not some imagined past history. We evolved over several million years in small, closely cooperating, egalitarian societies, and every modern society represents an extension of this pre-history. From an evolutionary perspective, the basic, continuing, inescapable challenge for all living systems is survival and reproduction. Life is quintessentially a contingent “survival enterprise,” and any organized society, whether it be in leaf cutter ants or humankind, is fundamentally a “collective survival enterprise.” Whatever may be our aspirations, or our illusions, the underlying purpose of a human society is to provide for the basic needs of its members, and of the society as a whole over time. Survival is a prerequisite for any other, more exalted objectives.
In my 2011 book, The Fair Society: The Science of Human Nature and the Pursuit of Social Justice, I proposed a new “biosocial contract” based on three biologically grounded normative principles that play a vitally important role in our social relationships. These principles represent the “goal posts,” so to speak, for achieving a fair and harmonious society. They are (1) equality with respect to our basic survival needs; (2) equity with respect to “merit”; and (3) reciprocity, or giving back for the benefits we receive from others and society. As I explain in my book, these three fairness principles – equality, equity and reciprocity -- must be bundled together and balanced in order to achieve a stable and relatively harmonious social order – a social contract.
Given the underlying biological purpose of human societies, the biosocial contract must be grounded in a universal “basic needs guarantee” – a form of economic equality with a concrete but limited political agenda. This fundamental requirement is based on four key propositions: (1) our basic needs are increasingly well-understood and documented; (2) although our individual needs vary somewhat, in general they are equally shared by all of us; (3) we are dependent upon many others, and our economy as a whole, for the satisfaction of these needs; and (4) more or less severe harm will result if any of these needs is not satisfied. Indeed, desperate men do not care about the rule of law, or any social contract obligations.
Our basic needs must take priority, but it is also important to recognize the many differences in merit among us and to reward (or punish) them accordingly. It is well documented that the principle of “just deserts” also plays a fundamental role in our social relationships. Our capitalist system at its best does a good job of providing rewards for merit, but this goal is often distorted or even subverted under the doctrine of “shareholder capitalism.” The reformist concept of “stakeholder capitalism,” in contrast, imposes the requirement that the interests of all the stakeholders, including society as a whole, must be included in corporate behavior and governance.
In addition, there must be reciprocity – an unequivocal commitment on the part of all of us (with some obvious exceptions) to help support the collective survival enterprise. We must all contribute a fair share toward balancing the scale of benefits and costs, for no society can long exist on a diet of pure altruism (or ever-increasing debt, for that matter). We must reciprocate for the benefits that we receive from society through such things as our labor, the taxes we pay, and public service.
The bottom line here is that, yes, we absolutely need a social contract – one that insures that the basic needs of the population are provided for (no small task), while personal initiative, enterprise, and achievements are also appropriately rewarded, and everyone contributes a fair share toward sustaining the collective survival enterprise. A “legitimate” and consensually acceptable social contract over the long term depends on these three fairness principles. It could be likened to a three-legged-stool; all three legs are equally important to the common good. Various alternatives have been tried, many times, but they tend to have a short life-expectancy. In the present era of extreme economic inequality, coupled with widespread global poverty, endemic political corruption, and the growing challenge of climate change, the biosocial contract is the only viable way forward.
About Peter Corning
Peter Corning is currently the Director of the Institute for the Study of Complex Systems in Seattle, Washington. He was also once a science writer at Newsweek and a professor for many years in the Human Biology Program at Stanford University, along with holding a research appointment in Stanford’s Behavior Genetics Laboratory.
Peter Corning News
At the International Conference on Complex Systems at MIT, July 22-27 Peter Corning will be doing a presentation (and paper) on “Synergistic Selection: A Bioeconomic Theory of Complexity in Evolution.”
During the 30th Annual Meeting of The International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics in Baden-Baden Germany, July 30th to August 3rd, Peter Corning will be the keynote speaker with a speech on “Synergy in Evolution and the Fate of Humankind.” He will also be receiving their “book of the year” award for Synergistic Selection and an honorary doctorate for my 30 years of work and contributions to the systems sciences.