Letter to humanity

Report on Survival and Altruism. Especially for Thinkers and Leaders

 

Dear relatives of the human species:

This report attempts to make explicit two biological laws that are implicit in our nature and that have been, and still are, the main causes of our behaviour as human living beings. These laws are important tools for thinkers, and they should guide leaders in the governance of humanity and its collectives.

First, these laws highlight, for all of us, our vital duties. We speak a lot about our rights, but we have obligations to fulfil in the first place, especially those who think and lead us. Ignorance of these ideas may have been the cause of many individual and collective problems, including serious ones from which our misguided humanity suffers.

I briefly outline these laws and what could be done about it.

First law (survival law): “Like all other species of living beings, the primary purpose of Homo sapiens is its own survival”. All human beings have had, and continue to have, this same purpose of ensuring the survival of our species. This is our first obligation as living beings.

Second law (broad altruism law): “Broad altruism is the primary means that our species has adopted as the most effective and efficient strategy to achieve the primary purpose of life”. These two laws are complementary, and the first cannot be understood without the second and vice versa.

Broad altruism includes everything that benefits others: productive work, cooperation, solidarity, and mutual support, for example. Whatever its motivation: instinctive, reciprocal, gratuitous, onerous… This altruism is always rewarded materially as appreciation coming from the group or as self-esteem.

These laws are implicit and operate in all living beings. They have been, and continue to be, the basis of their behaviour. And they are what have caused more than two million known species to be alive today. The existence of these living beings confirms that there is a trend, or vital imperative, that ordered and still orders their ancestors to live and reproduce continuously to preserve and transmit life.

In the case of Man, these laws can be made explicit as a basic norm of behaviour or universal ethical principle that says: “It is good/better what, done altruistically, is good/better for the survival of our species”. Where “done altruistically” could be removed as the idea is implicit in the rest of the sentence, but it seems worth emphasising.

 

Things to do

It´s rather surprising that these important laws haven´t already been seen and shared. Although once understood, they have practical and theoretical uses of undeniable importance (see the appendix at the end of this letter).

Below, I summarize some possible actions/tasks for each of the three groups, to whom this letter is addressed. These summaries are extended in the annexes, books, and documentation that you can find at www.supervivenciayaltruismo.org.

Things to do for thinkers (see Annex A)

I am addressing to the managers of universities and foundations and to the managers of public and private bodies and organizations engaged in thinking about the welfare and governance of humanity and its groups. Both secular and religious managers, environmentalists, humanists, think-tanks…

These ideas are developed in the annex, presenting different arguments, for and against, because of my conversations with different thinkers. For those thinkers who find them interesting, my call to action is to contribute to the discussion and dissemination of these ideas.

Tasks for leaders (lay or religious) (see Annex B)

This letter is an appeal to those who manage things in the world to look at my ideas and to take them into account in their work. I address myself to the leaders and officials of global and group bodies, governments of nations, communicators, managers of public and private enterprises, leaders of religions and political parties, opinion leaders, powers that be…

These natural, biological, and moral laws are necessary for the governance of the world because they raise to the level of all humanity, and underlie, all the good objectives of the various human collectives: both vertical (cities, regions, nations…) and horizontal (political parties, religions, humanisms…).

The first thing would be to have a permanent assessment of the existential risks that threaten our species, both natural risks and human risks. And the means and values to confront them. And for this it seems necessary and urgent to create a World Ethical Council to lead these tasks. And to promote and control the best policies and actions to try to ensure human survival with the greatest possible well-being.

Considering these basic laws and a global vision, the world and group leaders can already do many things: review and adapt laws and customs related to economic and social policies, the number and quality of life of the population, the treatment of the marginalized, genetic engineering, environmental and social engineering, universal virtues, and crimes…

Tasks for all people, present and future (see Annex C)

Finally, I am addressing all human beings to say that all this should start as soon as possible, and it can be done without trauma and without abrupt changes. With our current and foreseeable capacities and means, such global change can take 20 to 50 years, achieving early and incremental partial or group results.

Individually, the change can be made immediately. Once the universal ethical principle has been appreciated and accepted, those who have a happy and meaningful life do not need to change anything. Whoever needs to, can review what needs to be changed and act accordingly.

My thanks, and that of the whole human family as well, to whoever has come this far and do what he or she can do to apply and spread these ideas.

José Corral Lope.

Background:

Former CEO and banking advisor. Born in Zaragoza, 1941. Married. Living in Madrid. (See CV)

In 1985 I wrote a brief note on the work of men (See). And in 2000 I enunciated my basic idea about a first law or vital imperative: (See).  Since 2015 I have published three books, included with other documentation on the bilingual website which can be accessed with the link www.supervivenciayaltruismo.org.

Annex: How these ideas can be useful? (Read the Annex here)

Preliminary note: For those of you who have a little time, I recommend that you read these applied-uses of the ideas carefully and think about it. Specially in the case any of them affect you more directly because of your business activity or circumstances.  They are enough to write several books if someone wants to work on them seen through the glasses of the basic idea. I am sorry to warn that they change many current beliefs, norms, uses and customs.

• The first thing to bear in mind is that these commandments are not mere ideas or advice. They are vital duties of all human beings of all times
• They should serve as guidance to our humanity on the way forward.
• They are universal and neutral. They can and should be assumed by believers and non-believers alike.
• They should be used by people of different ideologies to work together to agree on common ethical principles that underpin group ethics.
• They confirm and complement the ideas about evolution, its origin, and its purpose.
• They provide a basic criterion to guide the scope of human freedom and its use.
• They reduce the relativism, abuses, and injustices of the creators of ethics and laws.
• They reinforce the good ideas of religions and science about altruism/love as the optimal means for the survival and well-being of individuals and their groups.
• They advocate the fraternity of people as members of the same family with a common goal and with the same element, love, to live together.
• They are based on the equality of people in terms of rights and obligations.
• They define our primary obligation as human beings, prior to our rights.
• They confirm that, as human persons, we have the right to live as well as possible to best fulfil our obligations.
• They urge wise men and leaders to work towards these goals, and everyone to be good.

 

J.C. Madrid, October 2022