“When we talk about sustainability, I believe that we talk too much about what we owe to future generations. I would argue that we ourselves need the prospect of a flourishing future in order to live a meaningful life. After all, everything that gives the most meaning to our lives – such as family, contributions to science or traditions – presupposes that these activities continue into the future. Our lives span generations, like a baton that we pass on to our children and grandchildren. This awareness has been suppressed in neoliberal society, which glorifies individual competition rather than values that transcend the individual.”
“In a meaningful life you realise that it’s not about all the stuff you own, but about a connection with something bigger than yourself. That can be something as simple as membership in a football club. You want things to continue to thrive even after your own contribution has stopped. You are leaving something to a future that is still open. You realise that a liveable earth must remain behind when you are no longer there yourself. Without such a perspective, also for the distant future, everything we do now becomes a lot more pointless.”
Freedom degenerated
“Due to the enlightenment, we as individuals can decide for ourselves what we consider valuable and how we want to live our lives, as long as we do not harm others. But this concept of individual freedom has degenerated into the idea that everything of value is also limited to the individual, that life is all about personal identity and accomplishment. In the end, that won't make you happy, and the earth won't be any better. This is primarily because we derive identity from increasing consumption, and also because individualism provides little motivation to think about the future. On the other hand, those who feel connected to the future not only do their best for the earth, but also for themselves, because that connection makes you happier.”
“How can you make people understand that they need to look to the future? I do this by converting my scientific insights into opinions. I would like to be able to translate those insights to the arts or cinema, because values that can resonate in these domains have more transformative power than anything a philosopher can ever do.”
Tip: A thought experiment
“I regularly do this exercise in my lectures. I ask students to imagine how they, as centenarians, would look back on their lives: what makes you look back with satisfaction, what would you regret not to have done? Many then look back with the most satisfaction on things like caring for their loved ones, and are shocked to realise that they are now mainly occupied with things that play no role when they look at their lives in retrospect, such as buying every new iPhone.”
Marc Davidson (Amsterdam, 1966) was trained as a physicist (University of Amsterdam) and has held the chair of Philosophy of Sustainability and the Environment at Radboud University since 2020.
Photo: Bermix Studio via Unsplash