POST-TRUTH ERA—WHY WEST, NOT EAST?
Q: How is it that America finds itself ripped apart by postmodernism (i.e. subjectivism / post-truth era), yet East Asia remains sanely grounded in reality?
Cc: @SRCHicks @ConceptualJames @jordanbpeterson @BryanVanNorden @StatesWarring
Q: How is it that America finds itself ripped apart by postmodernism (i.e. subjectivism / post-truth era), yet East Asia remains sanely grounded in reality?
Cc: @SRCHicks @ConceptualJames @jordanbpeterson @BryanVanNorden @StatesWarring
Background: public intellectuals in the West have been addressing postmodernism (Stephen Hicks, Jordan Peterson, James Lindsay, etc), yet they find themselves going over the same tired old philosophic ground and not really getting to root cause. /2
Apparently it hasn’t yet occurred to them that Western thinking might not be able to solve this Western problem, if it was that thinking itself which created the problem. 💡/3
What I’ve again and again suggested, to deaf ears, is to look outside their Anglosphere bubble (look at exactly what they have, since Kant’s racist remark that only white people can do philosophy, rejected)... /4
A: Look at Laozi’s book which first establishes that reality is real; nature exists and we are products of it. Then came the Confucian rectification of names; words should reflect actualities (reality/nature). Read Analects; respectful rituals, shame is a virtue. /5
Look at the five relations (a culture to strengthen the primate natural order that binds us). Look at the Great Learning for the order of events (from family unit order, comes society/govt order).
On and on it goes with advices for establishing and keeping order; long life. /6
On and on it goes with advices for establishing and keeping order; long life. /6
How could chaos ever take hold—subjectivists, is/ought stupidity, word nonsense, shameless liars, selfish individuals destroying society—so long as these hold?
Thus Chinese philosophy guards East Asia against the road to madness—liberalism, neoliberalism, then postmodernism. /7
Thus Chinese philosophy guards East Asia against the road to madness—liberalism, neoliberalism, then postmodernism. /7
What’s so impressive, and useful, about Chinese philosophy is “this tends to lead to that.” Fundamental principles, probabilities, that drive time series events.
This aids our decision making—if we don’t want “that” N-years later, don’t do “this” now. 💡 /8
This aids our decision making—if we don’t want “that” N-years later, don’t do “this” now. 💡 /8
And correct theories have predictive power...
The ancients theorized that if a society were ever so foolish as to do these things they cautioned against, that it would end up exactly where America is today.
Now, their theories validated!! 👍 /9
The ancients theorized that if a society were ever so foolish as to do these things they cautioned against, that it would end up exactly where America is today.
Now, their theories validated!! 👍 /9
The task the West faces this century is a messy philosophical revolution—this last 300 years of exclusionary Anglosphere authored/curated truth has now been tried and reached the predicted end. /10
Many ideas are outright false (“universal values”), dangerously short-sighted (neoliberalism/corporatism), or just plain weird (is/ought).
Retrace steps, find errors. /11
Retrace steps, find errors. /11
In this difficult task, there’s really no better reference than ancient Chinese philosophy.
Just as China had to look into Western philosophy last century to see what it missed, the West will have to look into Eastern.
But for now—denial, bigotry, and obstinance continue. 12/12
Just as China had to look into Western philosophy last century to see what it missed, the West will have to look into Eastern.
But for now—denial, bigotry, and obstinance continue. 12/12
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