21 Sep 22
Being around so many strangers ~ which is what living in a society [as opposed to a community] entails ~ is arguably unnatural and so it requires much cutural infrastructure to make it stable.
What exactly might this cultural infrastructure consist of?
Shared faith and religious belief is obviously one example. But the cohesion this may have provided is seen by many as weakening.
So, what else?
21 Sep 22
@fmf saidBy which I mean it is more "natural", perhaps, to be in a more familiar interpersonal habitat, i.e. to be around family, friends, colleagues and others who have some degree of personal knowledge about you, just as you have personal knowledge about them.
Being around so many strangers is arguably unnatural
21 Sep 22
@FMF
Typically a shared language, though there are exceptions (such as Switzerland, which has four recognized national languages).
Shared access to the levers of power.
Shared access to the fruits of prosperity.
Where an elite restricts people from speaking a language of their choosing, restricts access to the levers of power and the fruits of prosperity, no doubt in the name of preserving something dear, the ‘culture’ ostensibly to be protected thereby has made of itself a tarnished idol.
21 Sep 22
1 edit
@fmf saidShared values are undoubtedly important to social cohesion. But a too rigid adherence to them, and a refusal to accept alternatives, ultimately leads to stagnation and inability to respond to change, both from within the social structure itself and from outside pressures. Shared values have traditionally been expressed in religious terms, but need not be; they could also be secular.
@moonbus
Regardless of your own beliefs, do you perceive this as a problem...
Shared faith and religious belief is obviously one example. But the cohesion this may have provided is seen by many as weakening.
21 Sep 22
2 edits
@fmf saidBeing around so many strangers ~ which is what living in a society [as opposed to a community] entails ~ is arguably unnatural and so it requires much cutural infrastructure to make it stable.
Being around so many strangers ~ which is what living in a society [as opposed to a community] entails ~ is arguably unnatural and so it requires much cutural infrastructure to make it stable.
What exactly might this cultural infrastructure consist of?
Shared faith and religious belief is obviously one example. But the cohesion this may have provided is seen by many as weakening.
So, what else?
I think one can create their own cultural infrastructure simply by participating with smaller groups of people who have common interests. i.e. The local chess club, one's business network, a group of runners, etc. as time passes and these relationships endure ones cultural infrastructure will strengthen. It all starts with getting (and staying) involved.
23 Sep 22
@mchill saidI can't disagree with what you say here. However, it is explicitly NOT what this OP is asking about. "The local chess club, one's business network, a group of runners etc." are, by their very nature, NOT examples of the "strangers" mentioned in the OP. The OP question is talking about adhesion/cohesion on a greater scale... like whole-society, whole-nation, or whole-culture scale ~ and NOT our personal coping strategies or ways to turn strangers into non-strangers,
I think one can create their own cultural infrastructure simply by participating with smaller groups of people who have common interests. i.e. The local chess club, one's business network, a group of runners, etc. as time passes and these relationships endure ones cultural infrastructure will strengthen. It all starts with getting (and staying) involved.
@fmf saidThe OP question is talking about adhesion/cohesion on a greater scale... like whole-society, whole-nation, or whole-culture scale.
I can't disagree with what you say here. However, it is explicitly NOT what this OP is asking about. "The local chess club, one's business network, a group of runners etc." are, by their very nature, NOT examples of the "strangers" mentioned in the OP. The OP question is talking about adhesion/cohesion on a greater scale... like whole-society, whole-nation, or whole-culture scale ~ and NOT our personal coping strategies or ways to turn strangers into non-strangers,
JMHO - Creating cultural infrastructure on such a large scale would be very difficult, it generally requires personal interactions. Unless we create some kind of universal mental collective, such as the Borg on Star Trek, I just don't see this happening.
Though I wouldn't mind some "adhesion/cohesion" with 7 of 9! 😍
24 Sep 22
@mchill saidSomething like state religion? Theocracy with strict enforcement? Islam, Christianity or Hinduism, for example. Devout religious observance and faith-based laws and punishments = to create benchmark-based values to create a kind of "universal mental collective"? I see there are elected officials in the U.S. who are openly discussing this now.
Unless we create some kind of universal mental collective, such as the Borg on Star Trek, I just don't see this happening.
24 Sep 22
@fmf saidI see there are elected officials in the U.S. who are openly discussing this now.
Something like state religion? Theocracy with strict enforcement? Islam, Christianity or Hinduism, for example. Devout religious observance and faith-based laws and punishments = to create benchmark-based values to create a kind of "universal mental collective"? I see there are elected officials in the U.S. who are openly discussing this now.
They can discuss this all they want, but it's not going to work. Dictators have been trying (and failing) to force people what to think for centuries. Progress in the areas of healthcare, mathematics, science, business, and many other fields have only been possible when free thinkers are allowed to pursue their dreams - no matter how silly they seem at the time.