Oldal 130 [130]
128 | THe Puttosopuy or Eco-Potitics
a cultural community where the members can engage in meaningful
dialogue about their goals? (The latter does not require shared values,
but rather merely a common frame of reference, within which they can
share their experiences as experiences of a shared reality. For those
incapable of this, coexistence involves continuous frustration and mutual
offence, so that sooner or later they will be at one another’s throats.) The
two demands can be met simultaneously if we put all our strength to
ensuring that the victims of migration can live a good life in their
homeland instead. It is undeniable that for the overwhelming majority,
this solution would be much more preferable to migration full of risks
and vicissitudes.
For this, however, tolerable living conditions would have to be created
in the Middle East and Africa and, among the achievements of our
civilisation, conscious family planning and the human dignity of women
should be popularised on other continents instead of our technological
novelties and consumerist ideal of life. Above all, the final and chief
reason of migration needs to be addressed, namely the ecological
catastrophe, the victims of which are currently flooding Europe. Until
we commit ourselves to this, the flood of humanity will remain
unstoppable. No material sacrifice can be too much in service of this
goal, once we have recognised our shared interest: that in the long term
“we” can survive only if “they” can live in their country of origin. The
curbing of decay and the spread of life strategies and technologies that
adapt to the changed natural conditions naturally requires widespread
cooperation. By comparison, the efforts of the international community
have so far proved pitifully inadequate. Before us stands the greatest
mutual enterprise in the history of humanity — or the collapse of our
civilisation.
5. Why am I not an “anticapitalist”? Is there a Third Way?
I am not an anticapitalist, because for that or even its opposite, say, an
enthusiastic proponent of capitalism, I would first have to accept the
assumption of historical materialism, according to which existence
determines consciousness; moreover, that this existence is identical with
economic activity, i.e., the production and distribution of goods. Only
in this case could I believe that the soul of social systems is the “mode
of production”, in this case, reproduction of capital.