From: jimruttshow8596
Societies have the capacity to consciously alter their own fundamental structures. It is possible to change the societal barriers and social psychological landscapes of everyday life [02:57:00], [03:00:00]. For example, monetary systems are not immutable laws but rather a series of “frozen accidents and conscious design decisions” that can be changed [03:15:00], [03:34:00].
Historically, modern society achieved the ability to understand and change nature according to its “cultural code” [03:16:00], leading to the creation of advanced technologies like cars and flying machines that were unimaginable in earlier times [03:26:00]. The next evolutionary step for society is to make its own underlying principles visible and amenable to change [03:45:00], [03:47:00]. This means a meta-modern society should go beyond and look through modern society, analyzing its constituent elements, norms, and how individuals develop their sense of self [03:52:00], [03:58:00].
Society as a Strange Loop
This process involves changing the “code” that modifies human existence, which, in turn, is used to modify the code itself [03:38:00]. In this sense, society must become a “strange loop,” capable of perceiving and operating on its own underlying principles [03:51:00], [03:55:00], [03:58:00], [04:00:00]. Grasping and restructuring this deep environment is a “humongous task” [03:30:00].
This effort is particularly critical in the current historical period, as humanity is gaining the ability to design intelligent computers (AI) and redesign biological life itself [03:04:00], [03:07:00], [03:11:00], [03:14:00]. Without a self-aware and constantly improving cultural code, the potential for creating immense suffering is unprecedented [03:24:00], [03:27:00], [03:30:00], [03:32:00], [03:52:00]. This marks a potential shift into a “post-human history” that may not be continuous with past human development [04:04:00], [04:06:00].
Addressing the “Social Engineering” Concern
The idea of consciously engineering society often raises concerns about “social engineering” and its potential for hubris, leading to “nightmares like Nazism and Marxist-Leninism” [03:51:00], [03:53:00], [03:56:00], [04:07:00], [04:11:00]. While social engineering is indeed dangerous, its danger signifies its power, meaning it must be done correctly [03:20:00], [03:22:00], [03:25:00].
Benefits of Conscious Social Design
Social engineering has also led to positive developments like the US Constitution, democracy, and the tripartite division of powers, which were conscious designs by individuals like Montesquieu [03:31:00], [03:33:00], [03:35:00], [03:37:00], [03:39:00], [03:42:00], [03:45:00], [03:48:00]. An interplay between chance and control has always existed in society [03:52:00], [03:56:00], [03:58:00].
The argument against any form of social engineering is illogical; it would imply an inability to even organize one’s own kitchen or get out of bed [03:34:00], [03:41:00], [03:45:00], [03:48:00], [03:50:00], [03:52:00], [03:57:00]. Natural desires for “power as creativity” and “freedom” extend beyond individual boundaries, as individuals become more free when supported by others [04:02:00], [04:05:00], [04:08:00], [04:10:00], [04:12:00], [04:14:00], [04:16:00], [04:19:00], [04:22:00].
The core concern about social engineering is the imposition of an elite’s opinion through state violence [04:38:00], [04:42:00], [04:44:00], [04:46:00]. While this should generally be avoided, extreme cases like criminality warrant it [04:50:00], [04:52:00], [04:55:00], [04:56:00], [04:59:00]. Refusing to discuss social engineering also means closing down democratic conversations about crucial societal influences, such as schooling, which effectively brainwashes people into specific languages and worldviews for years [04:33:00], [04:41:00], [04:45:00], [04:47:00], [04:51:00], [04:53:00]. The goal should be to make these processes democratically owned, self-organizing, and conscious, rather than being steered by unconscious forces and power dynamics [04:05:00], [04:07:00], [04:09:00], [04:12:00], [04:14:00], [04:17:00], [04:19:00].
Epistemological Modesty and Seduction, Not Compulsion
Those engaged in social engineering must understand the epistemological limits of complex systems [04:30:00], [04:33:00]. While aiming to cultivate better “emergences” in society, it’s crucial to acknowledge that emergent properties are essentially unpredictable [04:35:00], [04:36:00], [04:39:00], [04:42:00]. Interventions should be approached as “probes and tests” with an experimental mindset, empirically verified [04:15:00], [04:17:00], [04:19:00].
Furthermore, instead of compelling people to adopt new systems, the aim should be to “seduce” them [04:26:00], [04:29:00], [04:30:00]. This is exemplified by the collapse of Marxist-Leninism in Eastern Europe, where people were seduced by the perceived advantages of Western liberal democracies [04:34:00], [04:37:00], [04:40:00], [04:41:00], [04:44:00], [04:46:00], [04:48:00], [04:50:00]. If a new system has to rely on force, it likely works against the natural “attractor points” of society [04:24:00], [04:28:00], [04:30:00], [04:33:00], [04:34:00], [04:37:00], [04:38:00], [04:40:00], [04:43:00], [04:45:00], [04:46:00]. Therefore, any future post-capitalist system must out-compete capitalism on its own terms [04:19:00], [04:21:00].
Six Forms of Politics
For conscious social engineering to succeed, it requires a “master pattern” of six interconnected forms of politics:
- Existential Politics: Focuses on the inner dimensions of human experience, such as meaning, purpose, freedom, and emotional well-being [04:52:00], [04:55:00], [04:58:00], [05:01:00], [05:04:00], [05:08:00]. This means making subjective states like happiness, depression, and alienation into political issues, alongside economic concerns [04:40:00], [04:41:00], [04:43:00], [04:47:00], [04:49:00].
- Gemeinschaft Politics: Addresses the quality of human relationships, including ethnic, familial, community, and gender relations [05:14:00], [05:16:00], [05:21:00], [05:23:00], [05:27:00], [05:29:00], [05:32:00]. This includes developing social skills, perspective-taking, tolerance, and empathy [05:39:00], [05:41:00], [05:44:00], [05:46:00]. The goal is to create “generative conditions” for relationships to flourish, rather than merely offering welfare [05:20:00], [05:22:00], [05:24:00], [05:25:00], [05:27:00], [05:28:00].
- Emancipation Politics: Acts as a counterbalance to the previous two, protecting individual freedom and rights against subtle forms of transgression and potential “meddling with people’s lives” [05:40:00], [05:44:00], [05:46:00], [05:48:00], [05:51:00].
- Empirical Politics: Ensures that policies are formulated based on scientific understanding and lead to intended effects [05:54:00], [05:56:00], [05:59:00], [06:00:00]. Society needs to become far more scientific in its decision-making, moving beyond loosely science-based policies [06:03:00], [06:05:00], [06:07:00]. This dimension provides an objective pushback against purely subjective approaches [06:09:00], [06:12:00].
- Democracy Politics: Requires a deepening of democratic legitimacy and participation to engage with the more intimate realms of human development [06:24:00], [06:28:00], [06:31:00]. This involves making governance more transparent, participatory, and responsive to citizens, potentially through continuous investment in improving democratic systems [06:34:00], [06:36:00], [06:42:00].
- Politics of Theory: Focuses on how society describes reality and how it “brainwashes” itself [06:50:00], [06:52:00], [06:56:00]. It’s about consciously seeing and changing the cultural code and the interpretations that affect everyday life [06:02:00], [06:05:00], [06:07:00], [06:11:00]. This meta-awareness of the shared understanding of reality becomes a crucial political issue, essential for human survival [06:15:00], [06:17:00], [06:20:00], [06:24:00], [06:26:00], [06:28:00].
These six forms of politics are interdependent; attempting one in isolation is ineffective, but working on all six in concert creates a synergistic “master pattern” that can guide society towards a relative utopia [06:21:00], [06:24:00], [06:26:00], [06:28:00], [06:30:00], [06:31:00].