the "spiritual handshake": toward a metaphysical sustainability metrics

abstract

tis it feasible and appropriate to develop a sustainability metrics which cap- tures cosmological-spiritual dimensions of un/sustainability? departing from the supposition that the crisis of unsustainability is a crisis of world- view and misguided cosmology which needs redirection on a cultural and global scale, this essay introduces the notion of a diagnostic instrument with which metaphysical aspects of un/sustainability may be assessed. using the ecological footprint as a template, the essay proposes the "spiritu- al handshake" as a complementary analysis tool to ascertain the im/balance of personal self-interest versus goodwill and service to the common good. the paper outlines the conceptual foundations and metaphorical content of the spiritual handshake, suggests a set of assessment indicators, and applies the tool to a case study: that of the terminator gene.