Where we differ
The least convincing aspect of Quinn's whole outlook is the apocalyptic overtone of everything he writes. He thinks that population will continue growing until we simply outgrow the planet. As long as we produce food, we'll increase our population until the earth becomes full.
We now know this most likely will not happen. As many know, demographic trends througout the world are showing slowed growth. The hole in Quinn's theory is that in a society that is growing ever-more complex, the inputs into raising children become less and less about food and more and more about education, which is almost guaranteed to stay increasingly expensive. That trend is keeping popluation growth down, both in industrialized countries and industrializing countries. In addition, birth control is getting better, women's reproductive rights are getting stronger (everywhere but here and Iran, anyway), and families are getting smaller. Some estimates are that we will stabilize at 9 Billion People in about 20 or 30 years.
So the apocalyptic piece of Quinn's message is probably off.
What is not off, though, is that we are living in a society that is fundamentally different from the one we evolved in and that has mental and emotional consequences for us. That, to me, is the much more profound part of his message and the part that I want to address with my work, whatever it is. I wrote several months ago in this journal about how much I believed in creating work environments that were healthy and productive for people existing in them. What better area to try to improve people's lives than in the workplace, where they have the least amount of control over their surroundings and are least autonomous? I believe work is where we feel the negative effects of our civilized world most strongly. Therefore that is where the change should take place.
The only problem with that is that tribes are a lot like cults at heart, and maybe society would frown on a company that functions like a cult? Hmmm.... more to follow.
We now know this most likely will not happen. As many know, demographic trends througout the world are showing slowed growth. The hole in Quinn's theory is that in a society that is growing ever-more complex, the inputs into raising children become less and less about food and more and more about education, which is almost guaranteed to stay increasingly expensive. That trend is keeping popluation growth down, both in industrialized countries and industrializing countries. In addition, birth control is getting better, women's reproductive rights are getting stronger (everywhere but here and Iran, anyway), and families are getting smaller. Some estimates are that we will stabilize at 9 Billion People in about 20 or 30 years.
So the apocalyptic piece of Quinn's message is probably off.
What is not off, though, is that we are living in a society that is fundamentally different from the one we evolved in and that has mental and emotional consequences for us. That, to me, is the much more profound part of his message and the part that I want to address with my work, whatever it is. I wrote several months ago in this journal about how much I believed in creating work environments that were healthy and productive for people existing in them. What better area to try to improve people's lives than in the workplace, where they have the least amount of control over their surroundings and are least autonomous? I believe work is where we feel the negative effects of our civilized world most strongly. Therefore that is where the change should take place.
The only problem with that is that tribes are a lot like cults at heart, and maybe society would frown on a company that functions like a cult? Hmmm.... more to follow.