Some interesting points. I do not agree that "mental training" should reach schools before we apply it to an active social context, and find that we broadly love the result. But, such training --“mental gymnasiums” the author calls it-- sounds much like brainwashing.



If what the author says is true (which I believe), lectures on the subject of solidarity, cooperation, etc. Nevertheless, I really doubt that the mechanisms, to activate "pro-social preferences" in humans, have been studied enough and have substantial results to demonstrate, yet.



It is most likely that global challenges require us to rise beyond the (undelivered) promise of capitalism's economic determinism that "free markets result in all of us being better off". This notion has not taken into account any degree of inequality, or resources and the environment, and it is clear we need to do much better than aiming for "better off". We need to bring specific achieve global targets above just "better off".



More importantly, if we do not frame the general notion of growth as ill-suited for the environment and sustainability, ideas in the context the author targets cannot find fertile ground and become main-stream, or even influential.



When the largest volume of growth is expected from trade and a large volume of that trade is about exchanging the same kind of products among producing countries, without any seasonal shortage but to gain competitive advantage, global and local resources are wasted. Such growth needs to be restricted, and growth should be guided towards increasing (cost-relative) product and service quality and durability.



Forced by the current monetary system of an interest-bearing money supply, the overarching "necessity" of growth without limitations prevails. This renders all egalitarian and environmental concerns infeasible, and limits the scope of public dialogue about them. The false "necessities" of unconstrained growth and a private-risk based monetary system need to be moderated, if we are to address *or even discuss* sustainability, environmental, and inequality concerns seriously.