Category: Civility

What’s the Root Cause of Our Problems?: Insecurity

tomkapostasy9 Comments
Insecurities: Yes, you have them.

We have lost control of our political system and confidence in our institutions. I offer some root cause reasons for this situation in a series of posts. Sixth and final post in the series.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/647303/confidence-institutions-mostly-flat-police.aspx

In 1943, Abraham Maslow outlined a theory of human motivation that argued that some factors are so important that they must be “satisfied” in order for individuals to pursue other human needs. “Safety and security” was the second layer, just above meeting physiological needs. When I review my first five attempts to get at the “root cause” of our challenging current situation and my remaining list of important factors, I conclude that insecurity may be THE root cause. If we are truly insecure, we will do “whatever it takes” to find security.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

Let’s start at the highest level. Following the “progress” of the last 500 years, we are now expected to make important and consequential choices for ourselves in all areas of life: religion, politics, career, retirement, investing, insurance, health, recreation, leisure, marriage, parenting, sexuality, personal finance, consumption, travel, experiences, education, goals, personal expression, arts, branding, friends, community, communications, entertainment, media, social networks, privacy, tolerance, philosophy, clothing, transportation, food, hobbies, housing, banking, OMG! Today, we also have many more options within each category. We have better information and tools, but conflicting priority perspectives and uncertainty about how to find shortcuts. In total, we’re overwhelmed with no solution in sight [maybe AI]. This ongoing situation undercuts any basis for feeling deep security.

Science

Think of science as an expanding sphere or globe. The more we know, the more there is to add to our knowledge. By 1800, we had reached the limit of any man or woman “knowing everything”.

https://www.eoht.info/page/Last%20person%20to%20know%20everything

This does not trouble most people directly. Scientific advances since 1800 are estimated to have doubled every 15 years. That’s 15 more doublings or 32,768 times more knowledge since we first reached the limits of human understanding! Implicitly, this must trouble most people greatly. We are overwhelmed by a complex world that we cannot comprehend.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-021-00903-w

So … science provides us with better understanding and tools. It provides structure and some certainty. It also provides unexpected uncertainty. Modern science bears little resemblance to Newtonian classical mechanics. It is all probability, complexity, and unavoidable uncertainty. About one-third of high school students complete a basic physics course. Perhaps 5% of Americans complete a single college physics course. We tend to think of the world in simple, materialist terms, but scientists since Einstein’s 1910 results do not support this world view. We want certainty, but scientists no longer provide it.

The World is Not Atomistic, Deterministic, Materialistic
Human Progress: Accumulate and Innovate
Automobiles: Once Too Hard to Handle
Top Scientific Discoveries: Do They Promote Science (Materialism) or Religion (Supernaturalism)?
Good News: 100 Recent Technical Innovations for You!

Global Level Threats

War, pandemics, plague, nuclear war, food shortages, water pollution, air pollution, food processing contamination, cancer, thalidomide, vaccines, hexavalent chromium, sarin gas, fluoride, extinctions, global warming, sea level rise, climate extremes, solar flares, electrical outages, runaway thermonuclear reactions, ozone layer thinning, acid rain, global government agencies, multinational corporations, non-governmental organizations. So many threats, highlighted by the media and various interest groups. Great uncertainty for all.

Economic Life

Economic scale grows. Specialization increases. Everyone must engage with the system. We all become cogs in the machine. We are dehumanized.

Economic stability is weak. Greater economic competition and change. International competition. Loss of large company support for employees. Increased technological changes and disruptions. Administrative, engineering, process and legal changes. Regulatory changes.

Corporate competition. Mergers & acquisitions. Outsourcing. Work automation and obsolescence. Job insecurity.

Weakened effective safety net from government.

Meritocracy focuses the minds of parents, children and adults on careers only. We worry.

Consolidation of income and wealth leading to further power consolidation through economic, social and political channels.

Increased financial leverage through availability of credit. More individuals have high fixed payment requirements and the risk of bankruptcy in hard times.

Capitalism continues to offer diverse goods and services to meet every need and desire. The commercial mindset pervades society.

Technological innovation offers an unlimited supply of new goods and services.

Personal Life

We have generally embraced Rousseau’s perspective on life. Each individual is born with infinite potential. Our job is to help each child achieve their potential and destiny, leveraging their talents. They have the capacity to “be, all that you can be”. Unfortunately, the individual needs to be validated by someone. They don’t have direct access to a transcendent religion or philosophy or community. Hence, they have to reach out to “society” for validation. They create a personal brand. They gain clicks. It is never enough. They are insecure.

Philosophy

We live in a secular age where all belief is insecure.

What’s the Root Cause of Our Problems?: Our Secular Age

Skepticism rules.

What’s The Root Cause of Our Problems?: Skepticism

Our attempts to find a single, clear, direct, omnipotent, omniscient, perfect solution beyond religion have failed. Nationalism, fascism, socialism, romanticism, pragmatism, rationalism, utilitarianism, unitarianism, Deism, communism, globalism, environmentalism, existentialism, postmodernism, conservatism, liberalism, neo-liberalism.

What’s The Root Cause of Our Problems?: Imperfect Myths

We have a great diversity of theological and experiential religious perspectives. This helps some and undermines faith for many others.

Western society has considered “progress” as a substitute for religion for 4 centuries. The economic, political, scientific, and communications advances provide a background for the belief that there is a “pattern” to history and it is inevitably heading in the right direction. The backlash in the 20th century has been strong based upon the world wars, Great Depression and the horrors of totalitarianism and technology.

We experienced some return to faith in progress in the post – WW II period and at the end of the Cold War. However, “the end of history” marked by the permanent victory of democracy, capitalism and globalism was very short-lived.

Politics

Our political parties are fluid. The civil rights act of 1964 shattered the Democratic party. The Vietnam War, riots, the counterculture and Kent State shootings reoriented the parties. By 1981 Reagan consolidated conservatives of national, Main Street, Wall Street, philosophy. libertarianism, religious, cultural, and international flavors to form a new enduring majority to replace the previous FDR majority. By 1994 Newt Gingrich installed an oppositional view against President Clinton. The polarization of politics grew from there. A black and white, right versus wrong, good versus evil view grew upon the singular yardstick of left versus right, conservative versus liberal. The mass media splintered into politicized pundits. Politicians embraced a world where perception is reality. The ends soon justified the means. A simple “red versus blue” perspective was promoted and adopted. Civility, trust, consensus, reason, fairness, tradition, and the American way declined. The 2008 mortgage debt meltdown created the populist “tea party”. The Republican party absorbed this populist group and revised its policies, accelerating towards populist and nationalist views with candidate Trump in 2016. Some citizens find security in their political party, but a vast majority decry the polarized situation.

Culture

The majority of cultures through time and around the world have been “traditional”. European civilization since 1700 is the outlier, deemed WEIRD by Johnathan Haidt. Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. Traditional cultures emphasize group-oriented loyalty, authority and sanctity more than the individual-oriented care and fairness factors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_foundations_theory#:~:text=Adult%20members%20of%20so%2Dcalled,morality%20and%20violations%20of%20convention.

Home

During the 18th, 19th and first half of the 20th centuries, the common Christian cultural background allowed European and American societies to explore and embrace this individualistic dimension without abandoning the group-oriented values, traditions or Christianity. After WWII and especially after the countercultural 1960’s, the loose consensus on culture has been shattered. Many historical norms have been challenged or overturned in the areas of marriage, sexuality, gender, race, parenting, government authority, male authority, church authority, institutional authority, music, art, drugs, religious belief, history, tolerance, human rights, life, relativism, subjectivism and objective morality. The cultural changes were broad, deep and disorienting. They have been celebrated, accepted or opposed. Culture, religion and politics have become aligned in a secular versus religious, liberal versus conservative, traditional versus modern/postmodern way.

We have multiple cultures based on this major split, but also based upon age, social/professional class, and geography (rural/urban/suburban) (coastal, Midwest, Sunbelt). Some people find security in their smaller culture. Many are disoriented by the multiple options and the conflicts between the cultures. Modern media capabilities allow us to live in isolated ways or to engage in fighting to promote our culture and oppose other cultures.

The changes since WWII have reduced our participation in communities of all types while increasing our focus on the individual. Many people no longer have the support of meaningful community ties.

What’s The Root Cause of Our Problems?: Radical Individualism

Summary

Modern man is surrounded by uncertainty as he is forced to make more decisions in more areas with more choices than ever before. Most of us try to ignore the surrounding forces and live our lives day to day as best as we can. We implicitly adopt some kind of philosophy of life. We stay busy. We pursue goals. We consider the changes in our worlds. But the underlying tensions make life difficult. Economic and personal striving are a cultural norm. Polarized politics is hard to avoid. It’s difficult to relax, center and fully engage in life. We treasurer peace and certainty. We’re still looking for answers that work well in a world filled with options and choices.

What’s The Root Cause of Our Problems?: Imperfect Myths

tomkapostasy14 Comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Myth#:~:text=The%20Power%20of%20Myth%20is,1987)%20and%20journalist%20Bill%20Moyers.

We have lost control of our political system and confidence in our institutions. I offer some root cause reasons for this situation in a series of posts. Fifth post in the series.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/647303/confidence-institutions-mostly-flat-police.aspx

The modern world has largely solved the problems of science and economics. Our political and religious solutions compete to solve 4 big remaining human challenges.

  1. Facing death.
  2. Finding a purpose beyond self.
  3. Being affirmed.
  4. Living as a social being in community.

Secular Humanism / Personal Growth

  1. Be stoic, heroic, transcend through your worldly life. C-
  2. Link to humanity, universe, reach for excellence, find personal purpose. C
  3. Focus on this first, find support, promote yourself, find supporters. C-
  4. Link up with peers, communities of interest, demographic groups, limited liability. C

Populism / Common Man / Common Sense

  1. Ignore, stay busy, be stoic, accept, find a church, avoid it. C
  2. Focus on day to day, local experience, controllable, be good, craftsmanship. C+
  3. All are equal, victim, local commonality, work support, politics, reinforcing groups. B+
  4. Neighborhood, work, sports groups. Church and political groups. B

Authoritarianism / Nationalism / Traditionalism

  1. Ignore, stay busy, link to greater cause(s), embrace religion. B
  2. Link identity to nation, politics, church, culture, class, history. A-
  3. Reinforcing groups, against “others”, merge identity with group. B+
  4. Deepen ties to family, neighborhood, church, class, region, sports. B

Libertarianism / Free Market

  1. Stoicism, heroism, results, engaged, avoid. C
  2. Elevate self, hero, superman, freedom, liberty, choice principles. B
  3. Win, results, goods, status, competition, comparisons. B+
  4. Selected communities, political, career, neighbors. C-

Postmodernism

  1. Be stoic, heroic, overcome, transcend, engage. D
  2. Understand the world, oppose power, researching, criticizing, deconstructing. B
  3. Self-sufficient, knowledgeable, existential, aware, peer groups. D
  4. Artist, political, university, media, local communities. C

Religion

  1. Heaven, promises, theology, revelation, apologetics. B+
  2. Glorify God, love neighbor, golden rule, laws, spirit. A
  3. Created in God’s image, child of God, baptism, congregational support. B+
  4. Local congregation ties, ministries, activities, catholic church, ecumenicism. B

Summary

No major “solution” fully solves all of these 4 main challenges. The “science versus religion” split is deep. Some individuals combine multiple views to create a better solution. In “A Secular Age” individuals have to make choices about what to believe. They have to sort through conflicting views and information. They have to define and prioritize their goals. Without a dominant or obvious social choice, they have to determine how they will make such philosophical, political and religious choices, even if it is to not make a choice. We have an opportunity to reform our public schools and other institutions to help us make these choices and to embrace our neighbors who make different choices.

Modern Curriculum for Citizens
How (NOT) to be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor
Morality (2020) Jonathan Sacks
Community Really Matters: Index

What’s The Root Cause of Our Problems?: Skepticism

tomkapostasy8 Comments

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/oct/24/hemlock-cup-bettany-hughes-review

We have lost control of our political system and confidence in our institutions. I offer some root cause reasons for this situation in a series of posts. Fourth post in the series.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/647303/confidence-institutions-mostly-flat-police.aspx

Positive Historical Ideals

Greek democracy, citizenship, virtue

Roman empire, law, stability, character, citizenship, the state

Christendom, stability, salvation, order, community, tradition

Renaissance, enlightenment, Protestant revolution, individual liberty, human rights, progress

Scientific revolution, understanding, technical control, economic progress

Classic liberal state, individual rights, liberty, freedom, fairness, justice

No era of human history has been perfect but “Western civilization” experienced net cumulative progress in its self-understanding, capabilities, confidence, positivity, justice and use of effective institutions for several centuries.

History Undermining Total Confidence in Any Single, Simple Cultural, Religious or Political Worldview

Natural disasters, plagues, wars, evil and oppression.

Religious conflicts, denominations, global religions, secular humanism, Deism, institutional failures.

Promise and obvious experienced shortcomings of utopian solutions such as socialism, communism, fascism, globalism, romanticism, environmentalism, and eugenics.

Rise of the modern nation state as an effective context for community, government, commerce, loyalty and security, followed by its totalitarian abuse, demonization of others and splintering into smaller geographic, religious and ethnic states.

The amazing, sustained progress of science and technology to “solve” all problems, followed by the realization that it cannot solve moral, political and social problems and that it creates many new ethical, commercial, and political challenges.

The sustained global economic progress driven by urbanization, industrialization, finance, administration, capitalism, government regulation and trade raising living standards, offering opportunity, improving health and reducing poverty, without reaching a clear consensus on how to capture the benefits of economic progress without being overwhelmed by the exploitative, unequal, monopolistic, political capture, environmental and cultural downsides.

The shock of the Great Depression and the 2 world wars to the popular, business and elite confidence that economic, social, global, military, political, educational, scientific and cultural progress was inevitable. The global successes of the post-war era and the collapse of the Soviet Union provided a very brief renewal in faith in progress and “the end of history”.

Philosophy worked very hard to keep up with the progress of science but has ultimately failed. Most of philosophy has been absorbed by science and social science. It provided some support for modern religion, science, arts and politics in the early modern period. It also offered deep skepticism about religion, objectivity, causality, and language. It didn’t solve “nature versus nurture”. It didn’t resolve idealism, essentialism, rationalism versus empiricism, pragmatism, existentialism. It provided us with several flavors of individualism, including Rousseau’s positive view of man outside of society. It served up Hegel’s historical/dynamic view, Marx’s insights and nonsense, Nietzsche’s replacement of God with Superman and the final retreat to logical positivism, materialism and postmodernism.

The expansion of individual rights has been a signature strength of the last 500 years. The true essential equality of individuals is broadly embraced. Race, gender, ethnicity, religion, class, social status, wealth, property, profession, sexuality, customs, appearance, and education are generally respected. Yet, we humans discriminate and prejudge upon such categories. Efforts by idealistic and minority groups to offset such shortcomings are hotly contested.

Major Options Today

Religious belief. The default secular worldview limits this approach to understanding the world and making important choices. Fundamentalist right to progressive left.

Personal growth. Design your life and your children’s lives to “be all that you can be”. You will have to look outside for validation of your progress. You may not find guidance by looking inward. You may find that you need community and links to eternity and the universe.

Libertarianism. Free market capitalism. Anti-government. Liberty. Freedom. Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, Friedrich Hayek, and Ludwig von Mises developed a positive version of this worldview. It is embraced by a large share of the Republican party today. It is fundamentally anti-community and anti-religion. It elevates a single dimension of philosophy and morality above all others: economic liberty.

Populism. The “little guy” is exploited by “the elites”. A victim perspective. Farmers, peasants, factory workers, and small business owners take this perspective. In our individualistic, opportunistic, competitive, meritocratic, commercial, secular world all people need to justify their progress. We all “know” that we are “above average”, like the inhabitants of Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon. If we don’t reach our goals, someone or something else must be to blame.

Authoritarianism. The world is too complex. We need a “great leader”.

Postmodernism. The powerful use every possible tool to oppress others. All minority groups are victims of the “ruling class”. Most modern philosophies, institutions and language are tools. Enlightened professors in the humanities and social sciences are waiting to lead the next revolution.

The Center Remains Missing

The Republican party has moved far right, embracing libertarianism, free markets, cultural conservatism and populism. The Democratic party and other cultural elites have been tempted by postmodernism, expected demographic trends and special interest groups. They have failed to provide a compelling mainstream alternative to the Republican party since Reagan and Gingrich. Socialists like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez win headlines. Democrats have consistently lost the framing battle, competing on shifting terms favorable to Republicans. They have failed to find a positive core message like opportunity, progress, pluralism, balance, rule of law, will of the people, decency, justice, reasonable fairness, shared winnings, sustained growth, win/win, security, or mutual interests.

I would also argue that a simple proposal to maintain the benefits of our historical political systems could be compelling and adequate for a supermajority of citizens and voters.

I return to Jonathan Haidt’s work on the moral foundations of politics and religion. The BIG change in human history is from a broad portfolio of factors in most historical and global societies to the WEIRD perspectives supported in part of the Western world: care, fairness and equality alone. “Liberals” now mostly ignore loyalty, authority, purity, proportionality, liberty, honor and ownership while “conservatives” wisely appeal to all of these moral flavors.

Home

Summary

Western civilization has embraced rationality, science, and individualism. It has gone too far, forgetting about community and eternity/universality. Skepticism has grown as we have learned that no single, simple perspective is adequate to explain our world. There is now a risk that we reject all structured knowledge. There is also a risk that we embrace intuitive world views and leave rationality and criticism behind. The Republican party has managed to keep the various flavors of conservatism aligned in a far-right view. Democrats are unable to offer a compelling alternative to the general public.

What’s the Root Cause of Our Problems?: Our Secular Age

tomkapostasy13 Comments

https://karsh.org/kurt-vonnegut-2/

The United States maintained a strong religious worldview among its people and its elites for generations longer than Europe. The U.S. saw a surge in religious belief, membership and participation as the baby boomers left behind WWII and the Great Depression and formed new families. The supermajority consensus allowed the country to be nominally secular but effectively Christian. Most individuals did not have to make religious choices. They followed their parents’ choices and adjusted their degree of engagement.

The mid-century counterculture, birth control, liberal theology, higher education experience, arts, music, jazz, women’s rights, war protests, civil rights, abortion rights, sexual revolution, films, globalization, rejection of authority, individual expression, riots, child rearing beliefs, therapeutic psychology, personal growth, commercialism, advertising, drugs, divorce laws, urbanization, anonymity, health, medicine, drive-ins, car access, mass media, common experiences, etc. provided and validated many new options for most life decisions, including religious beliefs and activities.

As Charles Taylor documented in his “A Secular Age”, the possibility of non-belief became possible, then plausible and then the default option among some highly educated people. The “none of the above” option spread throughout society. Religious belief became one choice among many. Each succeeding generation, allowed to choose, became less religious.

How (NOT) to be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor

https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx

Congregational Strategy: Presbyterian Church (USA) Membership
Presbyterian Church Decline and Recovery

Societies, cultures and civilizations work best when citizens hold common beliefs unconsciously. When the default worldview is shared, “life is good”. Religious and philosophical beliefs matter greatly, even if most people don’t consciously address them. The breakdown of a shared worldview triggers several actions. Many “double down” on the historical choices, validating, refining, formalizing, justifying and supporting them. Others search for alternatives. Some look to modify their beliefs to preserve the past and address the new challenges or situation. Others simply “check out”.

We’re living in one of those transition periods. These responses to changes in religion and philosophy play out in all other areas of life: careers, family, interests, leisure, education, arts, community, volunteering, trust, confidence, interactions, dialogue, civics, politics, dress, socialization, health, communications, sports, games, participation, risk-taking, creativity, exploration, myths, history, commitments, lifestyles, experimentation, conformity, skepticism, certainty, ethnicity, nationalism, patriotism, language, the list continues.

https://genius.com/The-5th-dimension-aquarius-let-the-sunshine-in-lyrics

Everything becomes fluid and relative or fixed, static and fundamental. Some embrace change and possibilities. Others fight, fight, fight. “Things fall apart, the center cannot hold”. Ouch.

As much as we praise the individual and individual choice as the best expression of human experience, most people are not made for so many choices.

In the US this challenge is exacerbated by the availability of new options for religious belief. Many non-Christian options are available in my community. Is this an opportunity or a threat?

Humans have a strong preference for certainty. “Cognitive consistency” is essential. We look for evidence to confirm our beliefs and ignore conflicting evidence. Radical skepticism and serious relativism are quite unwelcome. We “know we are right”. Yet, we need to be validated by our neighbors and our peers. We need to live our lives based upon our habits. We simply can’t be pursuing the “5 why’s” technique every minute. We have lives to lead. As Jonathan Haidt says, the elephant leads, the rider occasionally influences the elephant.

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion – 2012 (Part 1)
The Righteous Mind – Part 2
Moral Foundations Theory of Politics

Daniel Kahneman has the same insight. Our conscious mind simply cannot address everything “logically”. It must use shortcuts, habits and heuristics. It can only rationally address a very small portion of life.

We don’t know what to believe, if we’re honest with ourselves. Kierkegaard’s “leap of faith” still applies but does not satisfy. Skepticism and subjectivism have undermined us. The “rational” Enlightenment and the advances of science have reinforced the expectation of certainty. A perfectly materialistic worldview is deemed possible and promoted by some. The philosophers rejected any supernatural belief, pursued positive, analytical philosophy, saw it was a dead-end, pursued existentialism, saw it was a dead-end, considered postmodernism, saw it was a dead-end.

The scientists continue to move ahead with their highly effective techniques. The philosophers of science and the “science and religion” experts have undermined any proof of materialism or scientism. Science cannot replace religion. They overlap. They work in different dimensions. Oh boy!

Scientists, mathematicians and philosophers have “proved” that we cannot have a deterministic description of the world supported by facts and logic. Ouch! Probability, mystery, uncertainty, perspectives, paradigms, infinities, dimensions, indeterminacy, descriptions, measures, fractal dimensions, imaginary numbers, duality, quantum uncertainty, and artificial intelligence.

The World is Not Atomistic, Deterministic, Materialistic

We are grasping for a new form of certainty. It has not arrived. [Waiting for Godot?] Red and blue politics are trying to fill the gap, quite poorly. We’re looking for a religious, cultural or artistic break-through. Science alone is clearly inadequate.

We’re looking for a “both/and” solution. Yin/Yang. A toroidal field that supports nuclear fusion. Bittersweet. Sweet and sour. Some new version of Hegel’s thesis, antithesis, synthesis, repeat process. Some version of Hofstadter’s eternal golden braid. Practical/analog and mystical/eternal at the same time.

A double helix that provides a new 3-dimensional structure. A bootstrapping theory that creates life from chemicals. A mechanical or other “explanation” of consciousness.

This ultimate exhaustion of alternatives may lead us back to Christianity!

A Religious Perspective (Index)

What’s the Root Cause of Our Problems?: Human Nature

tomkapostasy7 Comments

We have lost control of our political system and confidence in our institutions. I offer some root cause reasons for this situation in a series of posts. Second post in the series.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/647303/confidence-institutions-mostly-flat-police.aspx

Non-stop Growth of Economic Prosperity

Real, inflation adjusted, gross domestic product (GDP) is up 4 and 1/2 times since WWII when the American economy was the savior of Western Civilization and about to invest in the recovery of Europe and Japan. In this long-term perspective, growth is very constant. Critics can point to the capture of a greater share by the wealthy. Optimists can point to the radical improvement in quality not captured by GDP, increased consumer choices available and a larger share of retirees in the population.

Economic Satisfaction Stagnates

Consumer confidence rises with the economy and declines with recessions and polarized politics, but it has no upward trend to match real incomes!

Unlimited Wants, Limited Satisfactions

Economists assume that people have unlimited wants. Most research and common-sense experience show that this is true.

http://www2.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/eco211/lectures/microch1-17.htm

Post-war economists have persistently claimed that Americans “now” have everything they need materially to be happy, but they have been persistently wrong.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Affluent_Society

Other research shows that beyond a certain level of income, more money doesn’t make people happier.

https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/does-more-money-correlate-greater-happiness-Penn-Princeton-research

Real people, at all levels of income, report that they would be happy, satisfied and secure if they only earned 50% more.

Behavioral Economists Say That Human Nature is at Fault

Our happiness often is based on our perceptions of comparative social and economic status. There is always someone with more.

https://www.neuroscienceof.com/human-nature-blog/social-comparison-social-media-status-wealth-happiness-psychology

We focus on our most recent experience rather than seeing the big picture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recency_bias

Once we have an idea in mind, we tend to consume information that confirms the idea and avoid or deny challenges. Positive, constructive people will be optimists. Others will be pessimists and follow the bad news media.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias

When we do try to rationally assess our current situation, we compare it with something obvious. It’s usually something prominent, recent, large, and shiny. We compare today with our best ever experience or situation. We reset our expectations to compare with something prominent in our experience. We don’t plot graphs of our real annual earnings, wealth and leisure. Our expectations are anchored in our best experiences. Current expectations tend to move back to a neutral evaluation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_effect

Reference Point

Summary

Humans want more. We are rarely satisfied. That means we are easily distracted in the modern world by marketers, influencers, journalists, bloggers and politicians. Human nature has not changed. Our true economic condition has improved with little impact. Our access to information, education, knowledge and wisdom has increased with minor impact. The ability of communicators to influence our perceptions of the world has greatly increased and we have generally not improved our defenses. “We have much, much work to do today” – Mr. Thoburn Dunlap, 1970, Fairport Harbor, Ohio high school teacher.

P.S. Focus on how the media works.

Why We’re Polarized 2020
One Page: Why We’re Polarized – Klein (2020)

P.S.S. Positive view of economic and social progress.

Index of 100 Good News Posts

What’s The Root Cause of Our Problems?: Radical Individualism

tomkapostasy9 Comments
View at Medium.com

‘https://medium.com/for-everyone/the-dark-art-of-individualism-the-rise-of-the-individual-and-the-decline-of-the-collective-905d3e3afd72

We have lost control of our political system and confidence in our institutions. I offer some root cause reasons for this situation in this series of posts.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/647303/confidence-institutions-mostly-flat-police.aspx

We have embraced radical individualism.

Republicans have driven economic individual extremism, and Democrats have driven social individual extremism. We are unable to balance the individual with the community, morality, culture or religion.

Only the Individual?

The Rolling Stones in 1969: “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need.”

https://genius.com/The-rolling-stones-you-cant-always-get-what-you-want-lyrics

Queen in 1989: “I want it all, and I want it now”.

https://genius.com/Queen-i-want-it-all-lyrics

Summary

After WWII our leaders worried greatly about the extinguishment of the individual by our culture, religion, businesses, government and universities. These large organizations were so large, effective and results-oriented that they could not encourage or allow individual freedom. They would necessarily enforce social conformity, even in a capitalist democracy. The 20th century’s totalitarian societies, George Orwell’s 1984 and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World greatly disturbed thought leaders. Liberals and conservatives worried about different aspects, but the core concern was universal. Consider The Organization Man, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, The Hidden Persuaders, The Road to Serfdom, Atlas Shrugged and The Lonely Crowd. Very surprisingly, the “individual” was unleashed in the next half century and became God.

Mick Jagger struggled with the conflict between competing powers. He embraced the tension and moved ahead. Freddie Mercury simply declared victory. Complete victory.

The individual alone as God is not a solid base for our society or any society.

We are polarized because we all “know” that we are right. We don’t have solid experience working with others in community or government to resolve differences. We don’t reach our goals, and then we look to blame someone else or claim victim status. We lock into media sources that reinforce our views. We only connect with individuals just like ourselves. We pursue only individual goals and are frustrated they are not affirmed. We emphasize consumer and producer goals and complain about “the rat race”. We don’t participate in civic life, complain that politics is ineffective and look for someone to solve our problems. We are not experienced managing complex situations, so we look for simple answers to complex questions about politics and the meaning of life.

Community Really Matters: Index

tomkapostasy9 Comments

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Side_Market

I believe that “community” really matters in our modern world. Ten articles promoting my view. Just like the neighbors who have visited the Cleveland “West Side Market” for 175 years.

Community Articles Index
Our American Community
Taking Back Our Government: Candidate Appraisal Boards (CAB)
Civility Pledges
Critical Role for Community in American History
We Have More in Common Than You Think
Only the Individual?
Liberal Concerns; Community Solutions
Embracing Community: Overcoming Roadblocks on the Left
Civility: Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Community Organizations

Civility: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

tomkapostasy10 Comments
CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2019/05/on-this-day-in-1992-rodney-king-asked-cant-we-all-just-get-along.html

Rodney King was an imperfect human being, just like me. His question resonates today, 30 years later. I want to argue, following Jonathan Haidt and his Moral Foundations colleagues, that we are, indeed, hard wired with various deep intuitions about morality, religion and politics. Our biological selves have inherited 9, at latest count, sets of wiring that make each of us see the world as a moral place.

Unfortunately, there are 9 different intuitions. Too many to reduce to one. Inherently in tension. We each favor a different set of moral intuitions. By age 15 we have preferences. By age 25 they are largely fixed for life. Like the Gallup Strengthsfinder “talents”. They tend to cluster into left and right, liberal and conservative frameworks.

Home

Quick Summary of Moral Foundations Theory

Care – protection of children and the weak.

Proportionality – good behavior, effort and results should be rewarded.

Equality – all individuals should be treated equally, even those who are somewhat different.

Loyalty – members of a group are responsible to be loyal to the group and its leaders.

Authority – members of a group should respect the authority of duly positioned leaders.

Purity – individuals should reject impure things, situations, acts and people.

Liberty – Enlightenment, Protestant Reformation, American and French revolutions.

Honor – Individuals are devoted to a moral code larger than themselves and should be duty bound to enforce it at all costs.

Ownership – Property is essential. What’s mine is mine.

A Comprehensive Summary

The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion – 2012 (Part 1)
The Righteous Mind – Part 2

The Inherent Conflict

Moral, religious and political views are shaped by biology, experience, history and culture. Western culture has moved from an integrated “Christendom” in 1500 to pluralism and secularism. Individuals and groups of individuals have different views about what is fundamental about life. The last 600 years are a history of these differences. We have learned to embrace a tolerant “classical liberal” view of politics, economics and culture not because we like or emotionally embrace it as an ideal, but because it is necessary to keep us from fighting with each other. Deep divisions about moral, political and religious views are the norm. They don’t go away with progress, science, modernity, trade, globalization, education, or experience. Why?

Liberals Think

Care is first. Equality (maybe equality of results, not just opportunity) is second. Liberty is third.

Proportionality is pretty logical. Some sorts of purity are important.

Not so sure about loyalty, authority, honor and ownership. Not just absent, but maybe these are not really virtues at all.

Conservatives Think

Liberty and Authority duel for first place. Ownership/Property and Loyalty are tied for third. Proportional fairness is very important. Purity and honor are sometimes very important. Basic equality and caring are also important. Everyone knows this.

Summary

We see the moral world differently. We prioritize these factors differently. There is enough consistency on the “left versus right” dimension to see individuals as one or the other, but our lived experience rejects this oversimplification. There are very different versions of liberals and conservatives. We try to simplify this as center-left versus new left or center-right versus extreme right to stay on the single simplifying dimension, but this is inadequate. There are many dimensions. Domestic versus international. Economic versus social/cultural. Universal versus local. Personal versus groups. Thinking versus feeling. Intuitive versus logical. Individual versus community. Secular versus religious.

In general, liberals are willing to take social risks, experiment, try new options. Conservatives are reluctant to take risks, preferring to stay with what is known. Liberals are optimistic and wear their feelings on their sleeves. Conservatives are careful and quietly calculate results. In general, on average, in aggregate, social scientists present data to confirm this view. But real people don’t neatly fall into the two categories. Entrepreneurs take huge risks. Many social conservatives are now radically trying to transform the US into a society that fits their views. Some liberals are trying to define what is “acceptable” and limit free speech. Many liberals now see that the preservation of their FDR era social and political institutions and norms are critical as they are threatened by a populist leader.

The US was founded with a political system that tries to moderate the extremes and find a common ground in the middle of competing political, moral and religious views. We have lost sight of this ideal, this vision, this necessary reality. We are stuck with each other. We have different versions of the perfect world. They are not going to be miraculously overturned through education or experience.

Are those who see the world differently from me Evil? Wrong? Unworthy? Shunned? Ignorant? Clueless? Selfish? Childish? Possessed? Confused? Stunted? Misguided? Immoral? Greedy? Irrational? Emotional? Small-minded? Provincial? Utopian? Idealistic? Shortsighted? Prejudiced? Reactive? Limited? Deluded? Suckers? Hubristic? Elitist?

There is a fundamental human need to organize our world into a meaningful whole, worldview, perspective, vision and reality. There is a fundamental principle of biology that embraces sexual reproduction and the diversity/variety of genes in order to “have our cake and eat it too”. We combine genes and genetic variety in order to produce individuals who are different. This provides a species level advantage. We don’t want to go “all in”. We want to have options to face a changing environment. Probabilistic beats deterministic. Period.

The Meyers-Briggs personality dimensions are good examples. We want to preserve BOTH introversion and extraversion, intuitive/abstract and specific/analog/local, thinking and feeling, judging and perceiving. As a species, we need both. We are wired to use both ends of each spectrum, but each of us tend to favor one end or the other. A very few people learn about these options and develop the skills to be equally productive on both ends of each dimension, despite their genetic wiring.

We are intrinsically different regarding moral, political and religious views. This is unavoidable. This is good. We OUGHT to recognize and embrace these differences, not demonize others. This is an inherently “liberal”, optimistic, complex, dynamic, grey, soft worldview. I understand why others may disagree.

I’m a math major, economist, finance MBA, CPA, CMA, process engineer, COO, CFO, financial analyst, statistician, supply chain manager, risk manager, cradle Catholic, adult Presbyterian, small-town child. Put me in the box. I ought to be a highly structured person that supports the philosophical conservative world view, but I don’t. Historically, I experienced the systemic challenges of poor people. Care, fairness and equality became most important for me. I also appreciate proportionality, authority, property/ownership and loyalty.

My personal journey has many influences. I see that others have varied experiences. I respect these differences even when they lead to different moral conclusions. I’m a child of the enlightenment and the Protestant Reformation. I embrace the freedom, liberty and opportunity of the free-standing individual. Yet I try not to elevate it to an extreme. I am not God, the eternal, universal, transcendent, omnipotent. I have received both “child of God” and “inherently broken” messages. Both/and. Complicated. Dynamic. Bittersweet. Sweet and salty.

We all want to believe that “we are right”. In moral, religious and political matters, we need to accept that others see the world differently. Despite these differences, we have proven that we can work together to manage our society “well enough”. This is not an obviously inspirational message, but it is very, very important. This is as good as it gets. IMHO!

All Things Shining: A Secular Age Solution?

tomkapostasy4 Comments

In 2011, professors Dreyfus and Kelly responded to Charles Taylor’s 2007 claim in “A Secular Age” that the Christian world view is most convincing with a history of philosophy and a proposal to return to the Homeric Greek polytheistic view of engaging with the pantheon of the “gods”: not literally but essentially. I’ll do my best to summarize their proposal which attracted great intellectual attention.

Most Important

They don’t buy into Taylor’s view that you must have either a fully materialistic or a traditional supernaturalist system. They argue, like Taylor and his “articulator” James K. A. Smith, that receptive individuals do indeed experience some version or impression of the supernatural. We all experience situations of awe, beauty, love, meaning, purpose, divine, sacred, transcendence, and “the good”. The authors see the critical importance of these experiences for living a “good life” or for simply avoiding despair in a postmodern world after Nietzsche’s “death of God”. They don’t see these experiences automatically pointing towards a monotheistic god, universal principles, certainty or an integrated, explainable universe. These experiences are essential but should only be interpreted as the “best way” that humans can interface with the universe.

We cannot bottle or control the supernatural, divine, eternal, transcendent. We can’t really understand it. Yet, we experience it repeatedly. We approach it. It moves away. We seek it. It hides. We apply philosophy, but it fails to reduce the experience. We live a natural, analog life but also experience something more. We feel and sense “something else”. We desire to “know”. We desire to “connect”. We sense the eternal, infinite and universal. We cannot capture it outside of myths and art. Our connections are indirect, dreamlike, intuitive, speculative, indescribable, brief, fuzzy but undeniable.

Main Principles

The key to life is to engage in a “right relationship” with the world as it is experienced.

No reductionistic view of the universe can account for human experience or nature.

The inner view of the subjective individual must be balanced with his connections with external reality. Community matters.

There are multiple truths, insights, perspectives, dimensions, approaches, patterns, models, feelings, and intuitions. Light is a rainbow and white.

The world is dynamic. Everything changes, even truths and the transcendent.

Live in the present. Be present in each moment as you can. But not to a crazy extreme where you try to transform boredom into mysticism.

We can’t know “ends” with fixed certainty, so focus on optimizing the “means”.

Morality flows naturally from aligning yourself with experience. (Not Christian “natural law”, per se). It is simple, naive, pragmatic, obvious. It doesn’t require a connection with God.

Principles Rejected

Monotheism, universal, integrated, fully defined reality.

Certainty.

Simple materialism. Reductionism.

Strictly fixed scientific, religious or metaphysical views (even theirs!)

Control, self-control, possibility of control.

Technology, rationality as a guide to life and meaning.

A solely subjective, internal, individual world view.

We have a version of romanticism, organicism, dynamism, existentialism, experientialism, essentialism, pragmatism. Christian and scientific modernity don’t work. Empty postmodernism fails. Let’s try to create a romantic version of existentialism.

Goals in Life

Experience all of life, broad and deep.

Seek hope, joy and comfort.

Align with reality. Respond to reality. Honor, respect and revere reality.

Focus, prioritize life on experiencing the “best stuff”: transcendent, community, beauty, art, nature, peak experiences, excellence, perfection, insights, flow. Although we are material creatures, the immaterial, spiritual?, supernatural?, indescribable, infinite, approached but not reached, transient, ephemeral, mystery, paradoxical, organic, complex, dynamic, irreducible is the key!

Be guided by the experience of life. Focus on the relationship between the world and the subjective individual. Verbs, adverbs and adjectives, not nouns.

Respect the experience of life. It’s feedback. It’s goals. It’s beauty. Art. Align and resonate with this experienced reality.

Always seek to employ your full human capacity.

Connect with communities. Experience their ineffable essence and possible transcendence.

Morality matters. It is defined by your interactions. It is obvious. Pursue the best. Reject the opposite.

Accumulate wisdom and morality from your experiences.

Ride the waves. Reality provides fleeting opportunities. This is as good as it gets.

Best Practices

Respond, follow, resonate, hope, appreciate, revere, awe, participate, engage, interact, flow, craft, judge, sense, be aware, create, share, fullness, alive, align.

Reality is always there for you. Develop the skills, habits, sensitivities, and perspectives to extract the most possible from every situation.

Domains of Practice

Sports, work, crafts, art, production, navigation, communication, community, nature, people. The opportunity to fully, deeply and meaningfully engage is nearly unlimited once you adopt the proper perspective.

Summary

The authors severely criticize the history of individualistic, enlightened, progressive, monotheistic, scientific, technological progress as a basis for living a good life. We have reached a “dead end” from Nietzsche through existentialism to postmodernism. The historical God may be dead, but we certainly don’t want to conclude that all life is meaningless. There is clearly “something” beyond reductionism or pure materialism. It is undeniable. We should relentlessly pursue and embrace this valuable and saving “something”.

Criticism

I think the authors have described a plausible purely secular path to pursuing a good life, overcoming existentialist angst, anxiety, dread and hopelessness. There is “something”. It cannot be reduced to a religious, scientific or philosophical certainty, but I cannot deny its existence or importance. I will dance with it.

I don’t think that this approach will satisfy many people. We deeply want to know “where’s the beef?”. What is the point? What is the “end game”? “How is it we are here; on this path we walk?”. The desire to resolve “matters of ultimate concern” seems to be intrinsic to human experience. This may be an evolutionary error or bug, or it may reflect our true essence.

How (NOT) to be Secular: Reading Charles Taylor
https://www.amazon.com/Secular-Age-Charles-Taylor/dp/0674986911/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26HTP6F79V521&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Av6BmguydTscgNBfEfGg0IbJrW67ZGdfaF_sra5VwN-NvgxwCRWpPgNSTy4OOZa8qILobTnZqE7eoOGz5ZiaPwTIQxscUhFEqTRek5OAEdWLg-PcsTX6IAJDu99X0zOg8UhhMZaFdey4zlv2KFTCqBzur8ul3wicbOhMZoehvl65f0f70fIruZTAt_lB3XIJuLq_JLkCj4TRp305hNVmMWt9QYVs8HzG_nUMWyZhU68.lvMq476OqmKLBX8CwPAuuY-9N8xha1gY0QKvjmpd-JU&dib_tag=se&keywords=a+secular+age&qid=1736482539&s=books&sprefix=a+secular+age%2Cstripbooks%2C233&sr=1-1
Only the Individual?
Top Scientific Discoveries: Do They Promote Science (Materialism) or Religion (Supernaturalism)?
The World is Not Atomistic, Deterministic, Materialistic

https://theinvisiblementor.com/you-cannot-step-into-the-same-river-twice/

We Have More in Common Than You Think

tomkapostasy10 Comments
“Vasily Kandinsky: Around the Circle” at The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York City

Just Clicks and Eyeballs?

Journalists, artists, pundits, entertainers and politicians all scheme for our attention. Once upon a time … we briefly thought that the internet and social media might usher in a new age of information, selection, objectivity, useful filtering, wisdom and cooperation!!!! Unfortunately, we are now deluged by “least common denominator” communications skillfully targeted to lure us into a non-stop cycle of clicking on marketable links. These communications very effectively use every trick and technique to appeal to our emotions, prejudices, weak attention, surface thinking, fears, hopes, exaggerations, etc.

Politicians of all flavors have conspired to convince us that the whole world is comprised of “good versus evil” people, politicians, parties, religions, states, policies and institutions. Everything is “win/lose”. Disagreement is motivated by bad ideas and motives rather than differences of opinion or interests. Compromise is a sign of weakness. Every political actor is purely motivated by self-interest.

We each have a moral, political, social, religious and personal responsibility to evaluate these “conclusions”. Let’s start with overturning the idea that we have nothing in common, that we must rely upon politicians to define opposing policies, parties and philosophies and fight to the death for one or the other to finally win.

Human Nature

Biologically we are all the same.

We intuitively and rationally combine thinking, feeling and doing; conscious and unconscious drives.

We each think that we are “right”. As in Lake Wobegon, we are all “above average”. We struggle to maintain self-awareness, to consider the needs of others, to even pursue our own goals consistently and effectively. We are functionally and morally imperfect.

We have a variety of needs and desires that cannot be fully met. Safety, acceptance, achievement, agency, transcendence, control, familiarity, influence, consistency, love, health, growth, expression, authenticity, loyalty.

We are primarily “analog” beings.

Human Experience

We face death, evil, suffering, disappointments, violations, violence and pain. Random, irrational, unavoidable experiences. We often respond with fear, anxiety, cautiousness, anger and victimhood. We search for ways to “manage”.

We experience life through time, learning, relationships, lessons, goals, planning, dreams, hope, commitments, doing, feeling, thinking, feedback, taking risks, managing risks and opportunities, engaging, disengaging, focusing, relaxing, looking outward, looking inward. The journey is complex and the perspective changes.

We balance and prioritize. Limited resources. Unlimited desires. Personal, family, social, community, religious, financial, and health dimensions compete. At best, we fight the many demands to a “draw”.

We struggle to keep up in a world that becomes more complex every decade: personal choices, goods and services available, information available, technical complexity, political complexity, social choices, religious choices, communications options, philosophical choices, scientific results, business complexity, international options, cultural options. More options, more choices, greater expectations.

We live in a culture that prioritizes the economic dimension of production and consumption. We have embraced a meritocracy that offers great rewards to the winners and a modest “safety net” to those who are not winning. Economic and status anxiety are very high in the most economically successful nation in history. We promote an extreme personal responsibility that undermines those who don’t always achieve and sustain their highest goals.

We live in a world that has been labelled the “therapeutic society” or the world of “expressive individualism”, summarized by the US Army slogan of “Be all that you can be”. The individual is responsible for living and achieving a great life of personal expression reflecting their talents and possibilities. The individual has many coaches, advisors, mentors and therapists, but is alone in choosing their “destiny”. They cannot rely upon tradition, religion, culture, nation, village, parents, personality profiles, or skills assessments. This radical secular humanism view places the responsibility for identifying and achieving a “world changing” destiny upon each person. Wise individuals find some way to “balance” this personal responsibility with other influences, refusing to adopt a godlike stance. They avoid becoming like Icarus and flying too close to the sun.

We live in a world that highlights the individual above nature, community, culture or religion. Complete individual liberty, freedom and opportunity are desired. No trade-offs with the other dimensions of life. “Natural consequences” frustrate those who embrace this libertarian ideal.

Life is hard. So many advances in society, business, education and technology. The challenges to “living a good life” are greater than ever. The progressive promise is undermined. All individuals must now make choices that were once reserved for kings, priests, princes, monks, scientists, philosophers, artists, governors, generals, financiers, industrialists, explorers, entrepreneurs, and presidents.

Culture

We digest the beliefs, norms and values of our culture subconsciously. The legacy of Christian Western Civilization continues. The legacy of secular humanism continues. We live in a “secular age” where deep faith and unskeptical religious commitment is unusual for the highly educated one-third. We’re “neither fish nor fowl”. Culture really matters but is today a blend of two streams like “oil and vinegar”. There is much in common. There are some big differences. We generally share the political, economic, social, religious, scientific and literary history of Western Europe, even though parts of the intellectual community have promoted disturbing alternate views for almost 200 years.

Despite living in a “secular age” and an “individualistic age”, we all need to be connected to various communities. Although community participation frequency, manner and depth vary greatly across the decades, humans always need to be connected.

We share a legacy and currency of art, media, design, architecture, music and entertainment. High-brow and low-brow. Mass market and specialized. Push versus pull connectivity. We are connected.

The US remains an unusual Western society where the not-for-profit, religious, social, volunteer world performs major social welfare functions. We share our experiences of funding, volunteering, leading and consuming from these organizations. The individual and community experience of managing these organizations shapes our world view. Our individualistic bias combines with our social/religious obligations to create and support these organizations.

We share our experiences in pre-K, elementary, high school and college education. Mainly public schools. The content shapes our perspectives.

We have moved from 6 to 4 to 3 to 2 to 1.X children per family. We invest like never before in the growth, education, experiences, guidance, mentoring, support and direction of our children. Helicopter parents. Summer programs. Internships. International experiences. The youth orientation reigns supreme.

We continue to value the “social esteem” provided by others. We comply with social norms in every dimension of life. We seek approval. We consume good and services to signal our social status. We achieve, perform and consume based on social influences.

We adopt “tolerance” as a supreme moral value. We don’t advise, influence or interfere with others, even when we strongly disagree.

We continue to struggle with the idea of a “class structure” in America despite the obvious growth in economic, social and political influence of the wealthy (top 1%) and the professional class (top 10%).

Communications

We share the American “English language”. It dominates the whole world.

We share the mass media, local newspapers, industry and professional journals, scientific and academic journals, the entertainment industry, social media platforms, community forums and the internet.

We share modern communications and information technology. A “smart-phone” is in every pocket, instantly accessing the cumulative knowledge and information of mankind.

Religion

Americans are much more “religious” than “Europeans”. We mostly believe in God and spirituality and Christianity. We have seen that shared cultural/religious beliefs can be maintained in a religiously pluralistic society. We believe in objective “right and wrong”. We intuitively accept “the golden rule”. We see “America” as part of God’s plan and history. A place for the pilgrims. A land of religious diversity. The overturning of slavery. American victories in the 2 world wars and the cold war. The moral dimension of life matters.

Economy

We still live in the world that Adam Smith described in 1776. The degree of specialization is only limited by the extent of the market. Our world is extremely specialized. A bewildering variety of products are available. Outsourcing of many functions. Regional, national and international sourcing.

We all specialize in our most productive functions today. Profession, sub-profession and industry. We all have talents. There are most highly rewarded in their professional roles.

We are producers and consumers, investors and suppliers, professionals and managers, entrepreneurs and directors. We are deeply engaged in the financial system, markets for labor, money, trade, property, goods and services. We sometimes elevate this role to be “everything”, to our detriment.

We are interdependent. We rely upon “essential workers”, universities, governments, builders, contractors, consultants, bankers, utilities, media, lobbyists, politicians, unions, secondary markets, employment firms, lawyers, engineers, IT and communications folks, etc.

We rely upon the US macroeconomy. Budget deficits. Fiscal policy. The Federal Reserve Bank. Monetary policy. Federal banking and industry regulators. The bond markets. The credit rating agencies. Animal spirits. Wall Street. Mutual funds. Municipal bonds. Mortgage bonds.

We rely upon our commitment to the capitalist, free market, free enterprise system. Laissez faire. Limited government regulation. There are specific situations and metrics that warrant government intervention, but we lean towards allowing the natural incentives of the market to police the behavior of great firms.

We believe that economic growth provides the opportunity for the political system to effectively “redistribute income”, ensuring that the economic value added by scientific and business innovation through time does not all accrue to the owners.

Globe

The benefits from international trade are well understood and have been demonstrated for 75 years.

There are opportunities to engage all nations to manage diseases, food supplies, hunger, human rights, refugees, public health, travel, immigrants, trade, communications, and ocean resources.

There are global threats that must be managed: climate change, nuclear war, chemical and biological weapons, computer hacking, artificial intelligence, species loss, food production, energy production.

Philosophy

An objective physical reality exists. An objective moral reality exists.

The individual really, really matters. Human rights.

The scientific method applied to technical issues is great. It is not everything.

Instrumental logic is a tremendous asset for science, business and life.

Pragmatism is always worth considering. “Show me the money”. Does this theory produce measurable results?

We reject anarchy, atheism, pure commercialism, communism, fascism, necessary progress, libertarianism, national socialism, racism, sexism, totalitarianism, utopian socialism, white nationalism, Christian nationalism. In essence, we reject extreme views. We’re comfortable with a “checks and balances” political system that slows changes until they’re embraced by a solid majority.

Politics

The US is a world of skeptical politics. Less is more. Trust no one. Engage the local community to find a solution. Accept the individual bias in economic and social laws. America is a special place, worthy of patriotic respect.

Political participation is a sacred duty.

Despite the structural constraints on change, the US has generally been a positive, constructive, progressive supporter of political changes through time.

Americans are willing to sacrifice for the good of the nation.

The US constitution is framed by the rationalist enlightenment. We deeply believe in “the rule of law”.

Differences can be resolved, technically, rationally, politically.

We are comfortable with “suboptimal” results from our political system. We accept that the federal, bicameral, functionally divided system is designed to prevent the “worst case” outcomes of raw democracy or concentrated power.

In general, we strongly support our government institutions, especially at the state and local levels. Judges do their jobs. Political parties hold each other accountable. Citizens participate in the democratic process as voters, poll workers, jurors, donors, and volunteers.

Summary

We live as individuals in a complex, interdependent world. We have more opportunities but less authoritative guidance for our lives. We worry about our freedom and liberty. We make many choices. We do the best that we can. We agree on many things yet disagree on many others.

Today, we understand the world better than ever. We also understand ourselves better, our strengths and weaknesses, our possibilities and limits. We manage complex technology and institutions very effectively. We know that some political and economic options don’t work or pose unacceptable risks or threats. The U.S. and Europe developed “limited government” systems apart from religious authority because disagreements were inevitable. We need to relearn those lessons today. We’re going to have a “mixed” capitalist/government economic system. We’re not going to empower any religious denomination or secular group to impose its views on society. We can delegate issues to the states and learn from their experiences. We can compromise. We can “agree to disagree”. Ideally, we can accept that there are some intractable political differences in our society and focus on those areas where we can find agreement.