GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION
OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR

Valery Kourinsky
Kiev  ~  Moscow

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Chapter 13

The Dialectical State of Mind

 

"DIALECTICS --
        the art of discussing, especially a debate which seeks to resolve the
        conflict between two opposing theories, rather than disprove any one of
        them; that branch of logic which teaches the rules and modes of
        reasoning."
                                                                            (The Chambers Dictionary)

Humans usually turn upon their own mood.  Very often such dependence leads them to a sort of too aleatory existence. This psychological addiction to comfortable enough dependence from, as it is a habit to assert, objectively "spoiled" or, vice versa, "raised" mood, is commonly evaluated as a norm.  Nobody is surprised by the allegation of at least two typical features of old-fashioned behaviour:

                      1)the mood is too elemental to be governed;
                      2)therefore we are doomed to be subordinated to it;
                      3) being "in the mean bag" or having "the blahs" pleads assertedly inevitable hibernation.  

Such position of a single individual multiplied in the societal area to the scale of grass-roots majority at present functions as an excellent decelerator of many vitally important process.   Just therefore, we may assert that humankind in the whole was during its historic time existence importantly thrown back in his development.   Many discoveries made long time ago seemed malapropos and were forgotten; understanding many insights of the genius have fallen away, and the precious particles of world-betterment were again and again lost in mistimed centuries. In an equal way one could explain also the presence of special retarding torque in social consciousness/ subconsciousness evolution.

Similar assertions we have already made many times, but now we should like to accentuate the philosophical aspect of this mood-problem.  As a rule, a philosopher must, prior to the rest, set his wits to calling things properly, before he could to do his main job, that is, to clear the new relations amidst notions. It is important to assert that philosophy in its being is moved by the one more try to make humankind more strong. The previously used methods turn out to be only something like "the shoulders of giants". Those new are to deal with the contemporary social, mental and spiritual situation.

After the rationalistic euphoria that seemingly culminated in the middle of XX-th century the world gradually turned to champion a holistic way of reasoning, in every possible direction. But at present it is still half-way to the goal. In right contrast to the previous illusion it is thrown to the opposite board of life ship. For that time its passion is likely to be irrationality. Both cases have, philosophically speaking, the same common property: they are of non-dialectical character.

Further, after step-by-step decay of world-wide enthusiasm for socialistic ideas, which first and foremost is connected with philosophy of dialectical materialism and names of C.Marx and F.Engels (and -- in some degree - V.Lenin, who specialized more in "implementing" activity), the majority of the "formers" are living through a sort of allergy for the very notion of dialectics. Thus, the whole dialectical approach happened to be guilty without blame. To proceed in such way is very human, of course, but a philosopher must be a social tool used in such special occasions to separate the sheep from the goat and the husk from the grain. To say the truth, the place of dialectics-conscious social methodologist if it is not unoccupied, yet it goes socially unmarked, or, even invisible. One cannot but wonder about the different losses caused by this circumstance. The register may include a range of "spiritual and mental injuries " (from the economic troubles to intimacies).

We live in a time of unused opportunities. There have been no epochs where in such degree were prevailing the potencies.  The proportion between the 'needed, but not brought about' and the 'possible, but not put in use' is not in benefit of ourselves as reasonable living beings. The sober voices have already begun loudly to underline today the waste of diverse potencies. It seems the majority of the latter is set off by our contemporary life, oversaturated with discoveries, technological achievements and bold ideas at large. Not a few scientific discoveries, the like of which were surely a big sensation in previous century, nowadays are not even observed, not only by the broad layers of population but by the scientists in a neighboring scientific branch.

In all, blame is to the non-dialectical state of mind. The situation resulted from becoming too long cultivated, distorted and somehow arrogant display of rationalism that in fact not rarely becomes irrational in a most pejorative sense.

The contemporary human must be educated as a virtuoso of internal dialogs.   "Virtuoso" both in two sense: as "a person with a good deal of knowledge of or interest in works of art, antiquities, curiosities and the like" and as "a master-hand of the highest technical skill".

The data about life acquired by our learning is not dead or half-dead unless and until there is intercourse among them. The life of knowledge consists in "developmental enrichment", in their dealing with each other that results in an infinite diversity of variants of a start-idea continuation. Exactly the feeling of this infiniteness generates inner
freedom, which, of course, is hardly compatible with the principles of wimps, whose attention is paid mostly to the surface of being and not to the its depth.  So far from to become relaxed wholly and "humanly" in a fullest meaning of the word, philister multiplies his inadequate psychic and physical tension. He self-righteously makes something wrong without slightest suspicion about his blunder.

Perhaps the important activities that were not performed timely are one of the main losses of humankind. They are too many, and especially today, when their quantity increases exponentially. Naturally, to the detriment of actually human evolution which is primarily mental and spiritual and then, as it seems, -- albeit with minimum minimorum of retardation -- physiological, that of carriers, already not mind but brain, not thought but cells, neurons, axons et al.

We are traitors of ourselves, in some sense.

The slightest cross puts us out of humor, but we practically depreciate -- through mistakenly oriented education, for example, -- maybe, the most important aberration in all history of humans.

VAKourinsky     

[end of chapter 13]

A conversation

Yuri Bessarab wrote:

> Dear Valeri Aleksandrovich,
> Thank you aplenty for GTHB Ch.13! I have some small questions and will appreciate if you give your answer. 
> Yuri.
>

Avec plaisir, naturellement... 

~~~~~~~~~

> > Many discoveries made long time ago as if malapropos and were forgotten, understanding many insights of
> > the genius have had fallen behind and the precious particles of world-betterment were again and again lost
> > in mistimed centuries.

(YB) How to prevent from it?

(VAK)  It must exist, evidently, a special social and scientific institutions which must fulfill the preventive actions concerning our topic. But it has appearance (and, as it seems, partly so is its inner content) of too bureaucratic sort. More humanly looks a usual educational way. To be successful we have to use interactively the both methods.

> > As a rule, a philosopher must, prior to the rest, to set his wits to calling things properly, before he could to do
> > his main job, that is to clear the new relations amidst notions.

(YB)  Thanks for making it clear!  How not to get into a misled?

(VAK) You already know saying "every objection is controversial". One is to live in dynamics of changes, variability of assessments included.

> > ... the world gradually turn into a champion of holistic way of reasoning in every possible direction. But at
> >  present it is still half-way to the goal.

(YB) Could you share your opinion on the goal?

(VAK) The point is to become a little better version of Homo Globalis so far. To stop development of one-sided "knowledgism", leading to (mental and psychic) anorexia, or bulimia, caused by rationalistic absolutism. To promote the creation of a new type of the harmonized humans. To continue intentionally and consciously the evolutionary line aiming more prevalence of humanness.

> > Contemporary human must be educated as a virtuoso of internal dialogs.

(YB)  Do you mean more than you mention behind "internal dialogs"?

(VAK)  I don't.

> > Perhaps the important activities that were not performed timely are one of the main losses of humankind.

(YB) Is it possible to catch up?

(VAK) We are to.

> > The slightest cross puts us out of humour, but we practically depreciate -- through mistakenly oriented
> > education, for example, -- maybe, the most important aberration in all history of humans.

(YB) Will it continue like that?

(VAK) If it had dawned upon us, surely it will dawn upon others. Humans mostly begin to act after having become aware of an inevitability. Somebody's persistence is sometimes decisive.

 

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