Titelaufnahme

Aseries ofcrises, culminating with COVID-19, shows that going "Beyond GDP" isurgently necessary. Socialandenvironmental degradation are consequencesof emphasizing GDP as a measure of progress. This degradation created the conditionsfor theCOVID-19 pandemic and limitedthe efficacy of counter-measures. Additionally, rich countries did not fare muchbetter during the pandemic than poor ones.COVID-19thrived on inequalities and lack of cooperation. In this article, weleverage ondefensive growth theoryto explain the relationships between these factors, and we put forward the idea ofneo-humanism, a culturalmovement grounded on evidence from quality-of-life studies. The movement proposes a new culture leading towards a socially and environmentally sustainable future. Specifically, neo-humanism suggests that prioritizing well-being by, for instance promoting social relations, would benefit the environment, and enable collective action to address public issues. This, in turn, would positively affect productivity and health -- among other behavioral outcomes -- and thereby instill a virtuous cycle. Such a society would have been better endowed to cope with COVID-19, and possibly even prevented the pandemic. Neo-humanism proposes a world in which the well-being of people comes before the well-being of markets, in which promoting cooperation and social relations represents the starting point for better lives, and a peaceful and respectful coexistence with other species on Earth.