Rising Tide: Beyond Good and Evil

Increasingly, biology sees the history of life as guided by two opposing “forces”, neither of which is “good” or “evil” – but one has been missing from textbooks. Competitive forces we’ve heard about. But cooperative forces explain how formerly separate organisms have fused together permanently, such that they “lose their selves” totally and together form things like… us. Groups of lifeforms survive better when they cooperate, and cooperative groups of organisms outcompete uncooperative groups. And still, within groups competitive creatures tend to win out at the expense of cooperative ones.

Liam Kavanagh, co-director of the Climate Majority Project will discuss how these principles allow us to make sense of our disturbed world without falling into good versus evil stories. For instance, tribalism can be seen as glue that binds people (like cells) together into a “super organism” like a tribe or a nation, allowing them to compete with other such organisms. The cooperative unifying force is cast in the role of “good” and the “selfish” competitive force is caste in the role of “evil” but life is healthiest when both forces are present. An over-cooperative organism is exploited, and cannot help anybody, an overly-selfish one finds itself at odds with other life. This perspective can help us not to ask the impossible of ourselves, and see current affairs like the return of Trump with both love and urgency.

These are times of crisis and possibilities: we need to find a sense of meaning and direction for ourselves, in our communities, and as part of a larger movement. We are gathering online to meet others who are seeking inner and outer resilience in these times, and want to share in a wider effort to convene and build community in the UK. Each month, we have a guest presenter who will offer us insights and guide us in a process, followed by time for discussion as a group.

While this event is free or on a donation basis, there are a limited number of spots. If you want to attend, book yours today and invite a friend to come along!

If you would like to read something before hand by Liam, take a look at his essay on The Equality Complex!