Storytelling and Science

The power of Storytelling in Science

Any educator will be aware of the importance of capturing the imagination of one’s audience when trying to share an insight. Science is a way of trying to share perceived reality by using a discipline that attempts to prevent our imagination, and our preconceived ideas, from tricking us into unwise and unhelpful conclusions. Science is an attempt to tell a story built upon consensus about our collective reality and perception.

Science can only ever be an approximation of our collective understanding. Humans are not all knowing or all seeing. Furthermore, from childhood, we are influenced by previous generations. When we all lived by hunting and gathering, parents used to teach their children the common sense required for survival. Nowadays, offspring are taught the dominant cultures in their parents lives or their surrounding society. Right now, pronatalism and growth economics have become globally popular cultures. They are now deeply embedded in our education and most of our religious institutions. Even where these cultures do not feature in the teachings of a particular religion, religious institutions have often succumbed to growth economics in particular, and embraced the money-lending principles upon which the global economy is constructed. Therefore, at this point in time, although we are deep into man-made ecosystems collapse, it still takes considerable courage for any individual to step out of the herd and suggest that, in terms of wise cultural models, perhaps both pronatalism and growth economics are now long past their sell-by date.

Science represents our collective attempt to build a consensus about reality. It operates by comparing notes and experiments in a carefully documented manner. A similar process goes on with our collective mindset which is exposed to numerous sources of information, some are regarded more reliable than others. In this process 'scientific' information is often skewed and seen out of context, to suit the preferences of the audience. This will happen more often when the scientific story that is unfolding is formidable, and comes with even more scary predictions.

Often, different branches of science work in their silos, ignoring the insights from other branches. Furthermore, science has been corrupted by the power that money wields in today’s society. If you try to publish something that is not popular, then you are liable to find your path blocked. This was Jem Bendell’s experience when he tried to publish his ‘Deep Adaptation’ paper.

The reality painted by environmental science, is currently at odds with the stories of flourishing and successful futures that we tell ourselves within much of the new science of sustainability, For example, the popular belief that we are implementing a technical solution to climate and ecosystems collapse, is a belief that ignores the insights from the I=PAT equation. The IPAT drivers ensure that while that we persist with the cultural norms of pronatalism and growth economics, the energy transition to net-zero will continue to exacerbate the climate and ecosystems collapse that arise from our overconsumption and overpopulation.

The Tragic Story that Science is Telling Us

Climate and environmental science tells us that we are in the final stages of climate breakdown and ecosystems collapse. The I=PAT insights point to the reality that we are causing that tragedy with our cultural norms of pronatalism and growth economics. I=PAT is just one scientific insight among many. It is not as easy to observe as Newton’s law of gravity. Those who work in sustainability sciences and who are aware of the I=PAT insights, usually choose to ignore these insights, because they challenge our dominant culture of exploiting Nature to make a financial profit and support our families.

Our modern education system is designed to perpetuate and encourage both pronatalism and growth economics. In the current context of ecological overshoot and collapse, both of these cultures are ecocidal. Academics, teachers, and the general public have all been brought up to trust in the concept of the nuclear family and growth economics to guide our progress. Neither of these social guidelines are helpful in a world undergoing escalating ecosystems collapse.

The reality that our problems are exacerbated by our deeply embedded cultural norms of pronatalism and growth economics, is therefore overlooked in the many scientific papers that attempt to fix our problems with technology. Our education system is designed to produce commercial entrepreneurs who will go out and make money and raise families, regardless of the eco-destruction involved. Thus, the educators of today are not willing to tell a story of voluntary restraint and contraction of human enterprise until we return within the carrying capacity of Earth.

Losing Our Free Speech to the Control of the Very Rich

In the final section of this analysis of Elon Musk's trajectory, it is revealed that the Twitter algorithms were altered to amplify Musk's own voice after he purchased the company. This shows how an affluent person can lead us away from free speech and towards domination and control over other humans. All Musk's ambitions ignore the carrying capacity of Earth. Nevertheless, he is greatly admired because of his technical ingenuity and financial wealth. However, his amplified voice is starting to reduce his influence. Musk’s recent chat with Trump, revealed that his understanding of greenhouse gases does not extend beyond the possibility of asphyxiation from too much CO2!

Storytelling About Overshoot

A few individuals and organisations are beginning to spread the story about ecological overshoot, and to make the connection with overpopulation and overconsumption. They still fail to challenge growth economics; but they are challenging pronatalism. I recently learned, through an organisation called Population Matters, of some work in Kenya by an organisation called ‘Critical Conversations’ that uses storytelling to start a conversation about pressure on the environment that results from the traditional culture of having large families. The presenter, Monique Oliff showed a slide some of the comments that arose as a result.

I was particularly encouraged by the last comment from the religious leader. Despite the arrogant framing of ‘God created Earth for mankind’, his conclusion was nevertheless helpful. Unfortunately, Pope Francis is not being helpful by failing to acknowledge the link between economic and environmental constraints. The Pope recently urged Italians to have more children; most unwise advice at this time when the Earth is stretched far beyond its carrying capacity.

Problematic Storytelling from the Mainstream Media

Unfortunately, the mainstream media are financed by the most affluent, and they strive to appease this small section of the population in the way they present reality to their readers. Those in power have long worked on the principle of ‘divide and rule’. The concept of ‘us’ versus ‘them’ drives any war. We are in an explosive situation where we have overburdened Earth with excessive consumption and population. We cannot afford any military activities, for they are always ecologically destructive. We must learn to coexist peacefully.

The work by John Mearsheimer and the journalist Matt Kennard is all helping to uncover how the Israel lobby is controlling US politics, and its involvement in the smear campaign against Jeremy Corbyn in the UK. The Israel lobby is only powerful because of its affluence. The financial wealth that the Israel lobby spends, purchases the continued financial support that Israel enjoys.

There is now a possibility that some media channels will be prosecuted for the part that they are playing in facilitating the genocide in Gaza. In this interview with human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber, we learn of the complicity by mainstream media in that genocide.

Helpful Storytelling from the Alternative Media

There is a steady migration of journalists with greater integrity and/or awareness moving away from mainstream media into the alternative media. Peter Oborne is one worthy example, formerly a journalist with the Telegraph. He writes a political column for Declassified UK, Double Down News, openDemocracy, Middle East Eye and a diary column for the Byline Times. In this video he reveals how the mainstream media are increasingly complicit in perpetuating the Gaza genocide, by providing impunity to Israel.

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Learn more about Degrowth and my other work from my website Poems for Parliament. My unpublished science paper is available from SSRN 'Scientists Warning Proposes a Roadmap to Ecological Justice'. My book is free to download as a pdf ‘Saving Us From Ourselves’.

If you would like to support the concept of a voluntary and peaceful society working to shrink the global economy back within the carrying capacity of Earth, you might like to sign the petition for the UN Charter for Ecological Justice.