The team calls for more interdisciplinary research into what they have dubbed the “human behavioural crisis” and concerted efforts to redefine our social norms and desires that are driving overconsumption. When asked about the ethics of such a campaign, Merz and Barnard point out that corporations fight for consumers’ attention every second of every day.
“Is it ethical to exploit our psychology to benefit an economic system destroying the planet?” asks Barnard. “Creativity and innovation are driving overconsumption. The system is driving us to suicide. It’s conquest, entitlement, misogyny, arrogance and it comes in a fetid package driving us to the abyss.”
The problem is capitalism and the individualism and consumerism it encourages. There’s already plenty of analysis of the problems of capitalism and the difficulties of moving past it. Maybe these interdisciplinary studies would help, but in the end the problem is not so much a lack of understanding of the problem, but that the ruling classes under capitalism will use all means available to obstruct what everyone with open eyes knows needs to be done.