Reductionism

A powerful new form of reductionism is spreading through the intellectual community. Whereas the earlier form sought to reduce explanations of nature to a form based purely on mechanistic insights, the new form seeks explanations in terms of computer-like patterns of behaviour and logical functioning. In this way evolution is explained in cybernetic terms, providing an updated rationale for humanity's continued manipulation of the environment and for humanity's privileged position in the evolutionary scheme of things. In this framework emotions are decision-making programmes developed through evolution, the future is programmable in advance, and nature is reconceived as coded information.

The increased perspective offered by science through reductionism has been used to secure increased use of power. Wisdom has been sacrificed for violence. Linking perspective and power in this way has caused the world to be viewed in very narrow terms, with humanity severed from its participatory union with the rest of creation. The world's phenomena have been turned into objects for manipulation and expropriation.

Unidimensional theoretical solutions, such as the competing economic paradigms of sheer free market capitalism and socialism, have been shown in practice to be ineffective in dealing with contexts of underdevelopment.