Via Billy
Whether you believe that Western Civilization is dead, or only in a
state of irreversible entropy, it should be evident that much of our
culture no longer serves the interests of human beings. The major cause,
which may lead to the extinction of our species, is found in our
willingness to identify with abstractions which, by their very nature,
reside beyond ourselves. Whether we find our identities in our race,
gender, age, ideologies and other belief systems, nationality, economic
interests, political parties, social/political causes, or other products
of our thinking, we divide ourselves from one another and generate
conflict. My book,
Calculated Chaos: Institutional Threats to Peace and Human Survival, elaborated upon how we create
institutions,
through which we organize ourselves based upon our identities. Because
the existence of institutions depends upon these divisions, their
interests require the constant creation of conflicts that are so
destructive to the lives of human beings.
Is it possible for us to learn to live in other ways? We are social
creatures for whom organizing with others is both necessary and
beneficial. But on what basis do we organize? Because of the “division
of labor” principle, Robinson Crusoe and Friday could each live more
productive lives by
exchanging their surpluses with one
another, than if each tried to be isolated and “self-sufficient.” Why is
this so? Might there be some underlying factor that facilitates this.
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