IN SUMMARY

A human evolutionary (i.e. Darwinian) explanation for the development and present state of our civilisation and the political, social, economic and environmental problems now threatening to put a premature end to it

Human nature and behaviour evolved in and are thus adapted to life, and the Darwinian struggle for survival and (reproductive) success, in essentially TWO different environments: the individual's extended family group (with which he identified and cooperated, developing strong bonds of affection, loyalty and commitment) and the environment external to it (including other, rival, groups of humans) which he feared and, with members of his own group, one way or the other, sought to exploit.

With the advent of civilization, these two environments were conflated and confounded, the nation state and free-market capitalism developing in more recent times to exploit, with great efficiency and self-deception, the confusion created and the artificial environment of human society itself, where, perverted and fatally misplaced, but blinded by familiarity, "success" and dependency, the "individual " continues his struggle for survival and advantage - now reduced largely to a struggle for POWER (especially in the form of MONEY, but also as social or professional status), which, of course, has the potential, at least, to greatly enhance, especially male, reproductive success.

Assuming that I am right (something which urgently needs to be checked out, at the very least), this means that our civilization, as it has developed and is currently structured, represents an "evolutionary cul-de-sac", where the intensity of its self-exploitation (together with its exploitation of the natural environment) is rapidly driving it towards self-destruction (the evidence for which, for those with eyes to see, is becoming ever more apparent).

Although there are a lot of details still to be worked out, this basically is the situation I believe we are in, but has yet to be recognised and faced up to (for understandable reasons). Once it is recognised, there is much that we can do, if not to avoid entirely the approaching catastrophe (for which it is now almost certainly too late), at least to reduce its impact and increase our (children's) chances of survival and recovery.