DarwinianJihadi
July 26th 2004, 11:35 PM
In some historical circles, there's a concept called "Climates of Opinon" made popular by Carl Becker some 70 years ago. This assumes that at any time there are commonalities in a society. These commonalities relate to what society believes that people should think. This isn't necessarily a conscious imposition. This is what the great majority of people believe and follow, and what society at almost every level - family, Church, the community - tries to subconsciously impose on every one.
Up until "modern" times, the predominant CoO of the West can be termed "Christianity." This is what that CoO said. That the existence of God was an unquestioned FACT. That the world was created for an ultimate, but to humans, unknowable purpose. This CoO also maintained that this world was perfect, but through sin and error, man fell from grace. BUT ... a way for atonement was possible according to this CoO. This was through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and attaining pardon from God through humility.
According to the Christian CoO, life on Earth was but a means to the desired goal of heaven. The material world was sinful. The body was sinful. Life was supposed to be a period of probation where Christians could prove their worth. There was also a Devil who was trying to corrupt men even further. In time, this CoO maintained, the material world would come to an end; the sinful would go to hell and the faithful would go to heaven with God.
This was pretty much the dominant CoO of the WEST up until modern times. In the 18th Century, there came a challenge to this CoO. It was called The Enlightenment. Some historians have called this the most profound revolution in human history. The Enlightenment CoO can be summed up in four basic tenets: 1) Man is not intrinsically depraved, evil, or sinful; 2) Man is capable of perfecting the good life here on Earth through the guidance of the light of reason and worldly experience; 3) Men's minds must be freed from ignorance and superstition (read religion), and men's bodies must be freed from tyranny; and 4) The Purpose of Life is...........
*drumroll please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
LIFE ITSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's about the good life here on Earth instead of a supposed afterlife.
We had a taste of this earlier in the Renaissance when the idea that the body WASN'T sinful, and that life should be enjoyed was brought up by thinkers of the day. This was the time when humanism arose. The idea that we should be concerned about the WORLDLY condition of humanity and seek to improve it is what humanism is about.
Now, I should point out that neither of these two Climates of Opinion are officially ours anymore. We've moved beyond that. However, I'm sure all of you on this board will recognize most of what I said above. That's because they're still around battling each other and other Climates of Opinion for dominance.
Christianity, and religion in general in modern industrialized countries, has taken a hit largely thanks to science. It's pretty much dead in Europe. It's still strong here in the United States, but it cannot claim to be the premier CoO. The fact that it is fighting for its life against the onslaught of science and secular humanism is proof of that.
Also, the Enlightenment idea of human progress also took a hit during World War I and World War II. After that, it was difficult to believe that humans could get better.
Still, I said that both were still around. We see evangelical Christians "reviving" the religion and its people. We also see liberals, people who believe that the human condition can be reformed. In other words, they believe in progress.
So, what are our official Climates of Opinion? I'll tell you, at least the ones here in America.
The first one is Love, Relationships, and the Home. What do the vast majority of our pop songs talk about? Love! D'uh! Ever listen to Elvis or Bing Crosby croon about that special someone? Or that feeling you get when you meet "the right person?" Or what about those Britney Spears songs? Yeah, they're generic, mass-produced ballads about love and relationships. This CoO tells us that people are supposed to fall in love with the right person and get married.
Ever wondered why most Americans seem so provincial? Why they seem to know hardly anything about the world beyond their own lives? It's because that world is a scary place where people hear the marching footsteps of an invading army, or where people die of starvation! We can't control all of that. It is the home where we can take refuge from that cold and nasty world. We can control what goes on in our homes. At least we'd like to think so. In that home, you have a husband, a wife, and 2.3 kids. Maybe even dogs and cats. The husband's duty is to go out to that scary, mean world and earn money - NOT for himself, but to bring home to support his family. The wife's duty is to be caretaker of the home and loving supporter of her husband. The children are that couple's legacy. Those children are not there for the financial benefit of the parents. Remember, children were usually seen as extra hands around the farm or craftshop up until the 20th Century. No, the purpose of having children is fulfillment. You have children not simply for procreation, but to complete yourself as a person and to ensure that what you've learned in your lifetime can be passed on. It's worldly immortality.
That's the first of our CoO. The second is hyper-individuality. This one says that whatever feels good, you do it. Life is short, play hard. Tired of working at a crummy office? Quit and travel Europe! Earn money by doing temporary jobs. Be a waiter at a restaurant along the Champs-Elysee for a month! When you get tired of that, quit then apprentice with a great painter! Wanna jump out of a plane and parachute down? Do it! Wanna dress up like a Goth and be angst-ridden? Do it! Express Yourself!!!!
Now, not being a hyper-individualist, I really can't be that accurate about what it says. Still, i'm sure you recognize some parts of it. I'm sure all of you are VERY well acquainted with the Love, Relationships, and Home CoO. These two are our official Climates of Opinion. Ironically, there are areas where the two contradict each other. LRH CoO demands sacrifice and compromise. The second considers that to be evil. Go figure.
Anyway, that's all I can think of for now. I hope this rather long post has helped to put our times in some context.
Up until "modern" times, the predominant CoO of the West can be termed "Christianity." This is what that CoO said. That the existence of God was an unquestioned FACT. That the world was created for an ultimate, but to humans, unknowable purpose. This CoO also maintained that this world was perfect, but through sin and error, man fell from grace. BUT ... a way for atonement was possible according to this CoO. This was through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and attaining pardon from God through humility.
According to the Christian CoO, life on Earth was but a means to the desired goal of heaven. The material world was sinful. The body was sinful. Life was supposed to be a period of probation where Christians could prove their worth. There was also a Devil who was trying to corrupt men even further. In time, this CoO maintained, the material world would come to an end; the sinful would go to hell and the faithful would go to heaven with God.
This was pretty much the dominant CoO of the WEST up until modern times. In the 18th Century, there came a challenge to this CoO. It was called The Enlightenment. Some historians have called this the most profound revolution in human history. The Enlightenment CoO can be summed up in four basic tenets: 1) Man is not intrinsically depraved, evil, or sinful; 2) Man is capable of perfecting the good life here on Earth through the guidance of the light of reason and worldly experience; 3) Men's minds must be freed from ignorance and superstition (read religion), and men's bodies must be freed from tyranny; and 4) The Purpose of Life is...........
*drumroll please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
LIFE ITSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's about the good life here on Earth instead of a supposed afterlife.
We had a taste of this earlier in the Renaissance when the idea that the body WASN'T sinful, and that life should be enjoyed was brought up by thinkers of the day. This was the time when humanism arose. The idea that we should be concerned about the WORLDLY condition of humanity and seek to improve it is what humanism is about.
Now, I should point out that neither of these two Climates of Opinion are officially ours anymore. We've moved beyond that. However, I'm sure all of you on this board will recognize most of what I said above. That's because they're still around battling each other and other Climates of Opinion for dominance.
Christianity, and religion in general in modern industrialized countries, has taken a hit largely thanks to science. It's pretty much dead in Europe. It's still strong here in the United States, but it cannot claim to be the premier CoO. The fact that it is fighting for its life against the onslaught of science and secular humanism is proof of that.
Also, the Enlightenment idea of human progress also took a hit during World War I and World War II. After that, it was difficult to believe that humans could get better.
Still, I said that both were still around. We see evangelical Christians "reviving" the religion and its people. We also see liberals, people who believe that the human condition can be reformed. In other words, they believe in progress.
So, what are our official Climates of Opinion? I'll tell you, at least the ones here in America.
The first one is Love, Relationships, and the Home. What do the vast majority of our pop songs talk about? Love! D'uh! Ever listen to Elvis or Bing Crosby croon about that special someone? Or that feeling you get when you meet "the right person?" Or what about those Britney Spears songs? Yeah, they're generic, mass-produced ballads about love and relationships. This CoO tells us that people are supposed to fall in love with the right person and get married.
Ever wondered why most Americans seem so provincial? Why they seem to know hardly anything about the world beyond their own lives? It's because that world is a scary place where people hear the marching footsteps of an invading army, or where people die of starvation! We can't control all of that. It is the home where we can take refuge from that cold and nasty world. We can control what goes on in our homes. At least we'd like to think so. In that home, you have a husband, a wife, and 2.3 kids. Maybe even dogs and cats. The husband's duty is to go out to that scary, mean world and earn money - NOT for himself, but to bring home to support his family. The wife's duty is to be caretaker of the home and loving supporter of her husband. The children are that couple's legacy. Those children are not there for the financial benefit of the parents. Remember, children were usually seen as extra hands around the farm or craftshop up until the 20th Century. No, the purpose of having children is fulfillment. You have children not simply for procreation, but to complete yourself as a person and to ensure that what you've learned in your lifetime can be passed on. It's worldly immortality.
That's the first of our CoO. The second is hyper-individuality. This one says that whatever feels good, you do it. Life is short, play hard. Tired of working at a crummy office? Quit and travel Europe! Earn money by doing temporary jobs. Be a waiter at a restaurant along the Champs-Elysee for a month! When you get tired of that, quit then apprentice with a great painter! Wanna jump out of a plane and parachute down? Do it! Wanna dress up like a Goth and be angst-ridden? Do it! Express Yourself!!!!
Now, not being a hyper-individualist, I really can't be that accurate about what it says. Still, i'm sure you recognize some parts of it. I'm sure all of you are VERY well acquainted with the Love, Relationships, and Home CoO. These two are our official Climates of Opinion. Ironically, there are areas where the two contradict each other. LRH CoO demands sacrifice and compromise. The second considers that to be evil. Go figure.
Anyway, that's all I can think of for now. I hope this rather long post has helped to put our times in some context.