Diamond and Potter: a discussion about the future of humanity

Abstract

This theoretical-reflective essay promotes an unprecedented dialogue between Jared Diamond and
Van Rensselaer Potter to analyze the collapse of the Rapa Nui civilization on Easter Island as a case
study of the relationship between societies and the environment. From an exploratory literature
review, environmental bioethics is discussed as a tool for sustainable decision-making. The idealized
meeting between Diamond and Potter addresses five central themes: the collapse of the Rapa Nui,
overpopulation, the imminence of ecocide, the risks of unethical technology, and learning from past
collapses. The essay explores how socio-environmental disorganization and a lack of ethics can lead
societies to collapse. Both authors stress the need to overcome anthropocentrism and recognize human
beings as part of the ecosystem. The essay concludes with a call for education and collective ethics to
prevent globalized civilization from repeating the mistakes of Easter Island.