Author Archives: nsuveges

Utopian societies and symbolic immortality

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The Worm at the Core discusses symbolic immortality as an aspect of terror management. When confronted with the knowledge that they will one day dies, one of the methods individuals use to mitigate the resultant terror is to attempt to either construct something they consider part of their identity which will outlive them or integrate themselves into a larger system and to integrate this system into their identity.

If one were to examine the actions of Otto von Bismarck, his actions in pursuit of establishing a unified German nation could be viewed as a form of symbolic immortality pursued resultant of his interpretation of Russia as an existential threat to the German states, and thereby part of his identity. In this sense, Bismarck wanted Germany, as a nation and a culture, to outlive him.

With this understanding of symbolic immortality, it is easy to interpret the Utopian Futures project as strongly related to symbolic immortality. Within the construction of a society unhindered by economic, moral, strategic, and military issues/interests, the components of that society emphasized withing the group are likely the aspects of society we would seek to utilize as a symbolic immortality project. Whether by establishing a more efficient and efficacious method of enforcing social norms or establishing equitable access to resources, these are aspects of society which, though they may not be considered possible to implement, are aspects of our individual utopianism we would see outlive us.

Given the limited time available for the action project presentations, it was not feasible to include more than a handful of the elements we consider essential to a utopia. Whether selected because we viewed them as the most important, whether personally or to our imagined society, or the most feasible, re-examination of our choices is doubtless to lead to introspective analysis of what we consider important and how we determine this worth. What, for instance, does it reveal about us if we choose to present a normative shift away from the use of relative gains as a metric of benefit instead of addressing a source of inequality such as the protectionism within trade, which, unaddressed, may continue to affect our imagined society?

Otto von Bismarck-Schönhausen after his resignation in 1890

Sapience and contemplation

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The contemplative practices are reflective of the general themes of the class. Whereas the class is interdisciplinary, the contemplative practices integrate meditation, introspection, literary analysis, and group discussion. This introspective behavior is uniquely human, allowing us to disconnect ourselves from the moment and consider any number of possibilities. As discussed in the book The Worm at the Core, human evolution has led to two particular relevant capacities, a high degree of self-awareness and the ability to think in terms of the past, present, and future. The result of such is to integrate both the past and potential futures into our perspective while making decisions and analyzing ourselves and the world around us.

Even when the direction and focus of contemplative practice itself is fairly irrelevant, certain aspects are highly relevant to the overarching themes of the class. As was further discussed in The Worm at the Core, it is the aforementioned capacity to think about in term of the past, present, and future is what leads to the understanding that we will inevitably die. This awareness is uniquely human is the sense that it is present even in the absence of an immediate threat and has a pervasive influence on our attitudes and behavior. The introspective element which enables such is present in the contemplative practices and allows us an opportunity to examine how death influences our own perspectives and behavior.

It has been stated that some others are reaping some benefit from the contemplative practices, but in my experience they have contributed less than nothing, actively devaluing my time spent in a class I paid to attend. This is congruent with my previous experiences with meditation, but contrary to my experiences with introspection. Whereas the latter allows me to form a better understanding of my own perspectives and how my cognition may be being influenced, the former has always struck me as an egregious waste of time without the potential for any sort of benefit to be derived from its practice. The introspection within the contemplative practices tends towards such without tangible benefit, benefiting me neither within or without the class. Were the sessions to be more focused on furthering our understanding of the class topics, I would be relatively contented. As a result of the aforementioned issues, combined with how limited my time has been this quarter, I am left with naught but frustration following the contemplative practices.

References:
Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. A. (2015). The worm at the core: On the role of death in life.

Saint Jerome Writing by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

Fear, existentialism, and our impact on the world.

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A constant theme throughout human existence is that of death. As yet we have no technology which can truly prevent death, we can do naught but stave off this inevitable end. While fearing or considering this inevitability may avail us little, many spend much of their lives wondering what will remain of them when they die. For many individuals, the awareness of the inevitability of their death guides their actions throughout their lives.

As discussed in The Worm at the Core, humans are rather unique in their self-awareness and ability to consider temporally disconnected events. While there are many truly wonderful outcomes to these abilities, they have also inspired terror and superstition in many. If one disconnects from their current position and considers larger periods of time, a certain theme becomes evident. They are almost certain to die within the equivalent of a blink of an eye, in only a few billion years a supernova will occur in our local star system and consume the Earth, eventually followed by the universe eventually achieving a state of thermodynamic equilibrium, rendering life as we know it all but impossible. As such, death may seem omnipresent, the only surety in our lives.

This awareness of death is identified in The Worm at the Core as the downside of human intelligent, for the natural response to an imminent or perceived death is that of terror. It is hardly a surprise then, that some among us find themselves consumed by terror in the face of such omnipresent death, and as such seek a means to escape this terror. For some, this is found in superstition postulating continued existence after death, for others it is found in a more symbolic immortality through contribution to a society or culture we believe will substantially outlive us. While we as individuals typically have a limited ability to influence history, we can still contribute to a culture or society, and while we may not be remembered, the work we contributed may survive.

This pursuit of symbolic immortality as a means to leave something of ourselves in the world after we die has proven an intriguing idea which I have linked to many fascinating occurrences in history. Such an awareness has helped me to understand occurrences throughout history, from Bismarck’s devotion to the creation of a unified Germany in the face of an existential cultural threat to the same acting as the cause of the Peloponnesian War.

References:
Solomon, S., Greenberg, J., & Pyszczynski, T. A. (2015). The worm at the core: On the role of death in life.

The The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel the Elder