Print no. 617 main article

No. 617, September 21, 2009

Are today’s ideologies and people compatible?

For the last 100 years many countries have tried to create the "good society". Different political ideologies claim to offer the recipe for happiness. But are today’s ideologies at all compatible with modern knowledge about the human being?

A classical example is the clash between human nature and the modern society in our experience of danger. Fear starts a body chemistry ready for physical defence. But danger today more often comes in the form of information and is best handled with knowledge and wisdom.

In the last century behavioural psychology grew strong. The human being was seen as a blank slate which could be shaped with rewards and punishments. More than one psychologist have begun their career as a passionate behaviourist, only to make a 180 degree turn at the arrival of their first child, seeing there is more to life. Abraham Maslow is the best known example.

The human being is clearly more adaptable than any other being, even if there are limitations. Within these limitations there is, however, a great potential which can mature under the right circumstances.

The following, like the threat-response, seem to be built into the hardware of mankind and therefore difficult to change:

A sense of home. Human beings need a home. We are driven to create a safe place where we can relax, revitalise our self and let our children grow to become safe and mature adults. We have strong feelings connected with the place we call home.
A need for close relationships. Stress is really about being hurt in one’s close relationships, says Gordon Neufeld. Lack of time with the near and dear, relatives being hurt or sick, change of job and co-workers – all this is stressful. But many political ideologies argue that every person is an autonomous individual who can freely be moved when needed, with little trouble.
Spirituality. We have an intense debate about spirituality and secular humanism. But regardless if there is a God or not, we know there is a spiritual dimension in our brain. How we relate to this is, of course, our own choice. We may become nature-lovers, religious, private believers, lovers of the here-and-now or atheists. No one can claim to be more right than anyone else regarding existential matters.
Are men and women the same? Individual people can demonstrate a wide variety of qualities, but statistically there are differences between men and women, differences manifested before social environment starts doing its job. The idea of the sexes being a purely social construction is actually behaviourism in a new package – man as a blank slate.

Today’s ideologies are often written by utopian thinkers of the 19th century and need to be critically examined through the lens of today’s knowledge of mankind. An update is needed if we are to learn and grow successfully together in the future.

Creative regards! Jonas Himmelstrand

Read more at www.stratletter.com/617.html