ABSTRACT. This paper takes a look at the concept of sustainability. Darwin’s work on reefs is re-examined pointing to the importance of co-dependence rather than competition as the key to evolution. The concept of sustainability is then reconsidered using this heuristic based on dependent origination. Finally sustainability is simply defined as the perpetuation of a self organizing system where the different elements of the environment that are relevant to our sustainability are identified and briefly discussed. pp. 53–111
JEL Classification: Q01, Q56, P5

Keywords: sustainability, self organizing system, dependent origination, culture, Darwinism, heuristic, co-dependence, natural selection