Civilization Has Become an Uncritical Style of Life

Our toys are destined to kill us if we do not put our adolescent days behind us; and quickly. Resources are running out and the reality-principal is at hand.

‘Cabalistic’ (engaged in intrigues) is the term used to identify the characteristic of our urge for mystery, our passion for games and secrets; without it “man is just not man”. Humans have an overwhelming desire to invest life with great significance. Wo/man is not a player in society but is a player at society.

Civilization has become an uncritical style of life that sacrifices the free energies of the citizen to a self-absorbed and largely fictional pattern of social meaning.

Shakespeare’s insight, as he proclaimed that life is a stage and we are the actors on that stage of life, leaves us pitiful in nude exposure of our self to our self, and places us in a position were we can no longer ‘just pretend’. Social theory has the task of comprehending the fictions, the games, the make-believe, we humans display in our effort to integrate our self into society; sociology has not failed in illuminating the games people play.

I have been reading about mythology written by Joseph Campbell. In his attempt to make it possibly for the reader to comprehend how myth works he speaks about the human ability to ‘make-believe’.

He speaks of the universality of childhood make-believe and of how this same characteristic is exhibited in human rituals. For example he uses the Catholic Church practice of mass when the priest changes the wine and bread into the ‘body and blood of Christ’. In other words it seems to be inherent in humans to make-believe and in the process to truly believe and, in truly believing, experience a form of ecstasy.

Such is our experience of understanding. In the process of trying to understand I create a model and then somewhere in this process of creating and modifying my model I pass to the point of believing the truth of my model thus the feeling of ecstasy.

In an attempt to explain to the novice the meaning of myth Campbell says that the “grave and constant” in human suffering may, and sometimes does, lead to an experience that is the apogee of our life. This apogee experience is ineffable (not capable of expression). Campbell considers this to be true because it is verified by individuals who have had such an experience.

“And this experience, or at least an approach to it, is the ultimate aim of religion, the ultimate reference of all myth and rite…The paramount theme of mythology is not the agony of quest but the rapture of revelation.”

George Simmel was another great thinker who saw the “spirit” that was in human perception. In his essay on the matter of ‘secret’ he “showed how wo/man needed to hold things in awe, surround them with mystery”. In his great essays we can see “in precise and detailed analysis how idealism blends with materialism, how inseparable the “idea” in a world of matter”. He reveled that society itself is a game; people play not in, but at, society.

Max Weber the great sociologist showed us how power and prestige influences the division of the spoils of our economy; how war establishes our class structure; how economic considerations commodify subjects in our society; the prominent role of religion, myth, and the urge for eternal life affect our society; how we will sacrifice bread for belief and comfort for meaning; “how the whole panorama functions in a gigantic interplay of self-interest, survival, splendor and display, this-worldly waste and other worldly wonder…and yet through it all how they satisfy man’s basic urge to meaning, to ever-larger and more satisfying, evermore comprehensive meaning.”

Weber showed us “the newest social game of rational man—the game of numbers, calculations, efficiency: the uncompromising logic of modern bureaucracy.” Our whole modern system was heading toward an adaptation par excellence that might be identified as our “bitter” future.

Weber’s work was deficient in that he lacked a critical quality. Thorsten Veblen illuminated just how we use conspicuous consumption and waste for the sake of show. It required a critical mind to show the waste and destruction of the commercial-industrial bureaucratic style assembled in the name of capitalism. “How finally the most deadly mask of all could be pulled down over the commercial-industrial style of life: the mask of national survival, the mask of patriotism, the mask of unquestioned loyalty, of self-sacrifice—in a word, the destruction of men to the uncritical support of efficient waste.”

Civilization has become an uncritical style of life that sacrifices the free energies of the citizen to a self-absorbed and largely fictional pattern of social meaning.


Ideas and quotes from “Beyond Alienation” by Ernest Becker

"Our toys are destined to kill us if we do not put our adolescent days behind us; and quickly. Resources are running out and the reality-principal is at hand."

So if we stop playing with toys and trying to acquire toys then we shall live forever?


Unless you have a boat load of money you have to play the game or else you will just wither away and die.

The solution to our problem is for citizens to become Critical Thinkers.

The first step toward solving our problems is to learn CT (Critical Thinking).

CT is an acronym for Critical Thinking. Everybody considers themselves to be a critical thinker. That is why we need to differentiate among different levels of critical thinking.

Most people fall in the category that I call Reagan thinkers—trust but verify. Then there are those who have taken the basic college course taught by the philosophy dept that I call Logic 101. This is a credit course that teaches the basic principles of reasoning. Of course, a person need not take the college course and can learn the matter on their own effort, but I suspect few do that.

The third level I call CT (Critical Thinking). CT includes the knowledge of Logic 101 and also the knowledge that focuses upon the intellectual character and attitude of critical thinking. It includes knowledge regarding the ego and social centric forces that impede rational thinking.

Most decisions we have to make are judgment calls. A judgment call is made when we must make a decision when there is no “true” or “false” answers. When we make a judgment call our decision is bad, good, or better.

Many factors are involved: there are the available facts, assumptions, skills, knowledge, and especially personal experience and attitude. I think that the two most important elements in the mix are personal experience and attitude.

When we study math we learn how to use various algorithms to facilitate our skill in dealing with quantities. If we never studied math we could deal with quantity on a primary level but our quantifying ability would be minimal. Likewise with making judgments; if we study the art and science of good judgment we can make better decisions and if we never study the art and science of judgment our decision ability will remain minimal.

I am convinced that a fundamental problem we have in this country (USA) is that our citizens have never learned the art and science of good judgment. Before the recent introduction of CT into our schools and colleges our young people have been taught primarily what to think and not how to think. All of us graduated with insufficient comprehension of the knowledge, skills, and attitude necessary for the formulation of good judgment. The result of this inability to make good judgment is evident and is dangerous.

I am primarily interested in the judgment that adults exercise in regard to public issues. Of course, any improvement in judgment generally will affect both personal and community matters.

To put the matter into a nut shell:
1. Normal men and women can significantly improve their ability to make judgments.
2. CT is the domain of knowledge that delineates the knowledge, skills, and intellectual character demanded for good judgment.
3. CT has been introduced into our schools and colleges slowly in the last two or three decades.
4. Few of today’s adults were ever taught CT.
5. I suspect that at least another two generations will pass before our society reaps significant rewards resulting from teaching CT to our children.
6. Can our democracy survive that long?
7. I think that every effort must be made to convince today’s adults that they need to study and learn CT on their own. I am not suggesting that adults find a teacher but I am suggesting that adults become self-actualizing learners.
8. I am convinced that learning the art and science of Critical Thinking is an important step toward becoming a better citizen in today’s democratic society.

Questions for discussion//

Have you ever had a course in Critical Thinking in any educational institution?

Have your children ever had a course in Critical Thinking in any educational institution?

I was taught critical thinking as a mandatory subject in year 10
I pwned it IMO.