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Balancing the egoistic and empathic tendencies while seeking agrobiodiversity: Testing metaeconomics theory

Abstract Metaeconomics theory offers an alternative way to frame the environmental economics problem. Itbuilds on biological tendencies for humans to seek a dynamic balance in both egoistic and empathicmotivations, and on thermodynamics that highlights the fundamental interdependence among people andenvironment, leading to the justice problem. A natural tension and conflict persists among the forces,with an individual seeking new ways to achieve balance in a unique state of existence. Metaeconomicsthinking facilitates the meta-economic value decision called for by Sollner(1997). Intergenerational(and contemporary) justice is addressed through empathy. Macro-economic limits on micro-behaviorsbecome largely unnecessary subsequent to balancing the motivations toward the empathic side. Thetheory is tested for a sample of western Corn Belt, USA, farmers regarding their intentions to moveaway from monocropping and bicropping toward higher crop diversity. The results lend support to thetheory that empathic commitment to others and the norms they represent along with profit-seekingjointly motivates economic actions and plans. We propose a metaeconomics that incorporates boththermodynamic and empathic realities, and can potentially yield valuable new understandings andsolutions to environmental problems.