In recent months, have enjoyed several interesting posts offered on the Academy of Ideas YouTube channel. Whomever is writing this series on philosophy appears genuinely intent on producing quality lectures, being reasonably well researched, balanced and objective, at least so far as any one thinker can possibly be.
The concern of this particular video is with our educational and media institutions, which simply are not to be trusted. Over the years, history has recorded numerous attempts by institutions to intentionally dumb down the public, in a covert effort to facilitate an increasingly docile and normalized workforce. We thus assume certain institutions, long known for their predispositions toward suppressing individuality, would much prefer imposing their own arbitrarily brand of “newspeak” collectivist thinking upon human society.
Overall, living institutions really only strive to perpetuate themselves for their own sake, zealously defending their paradoxically assumed existence. Many institutions to a certain degree have achieved a peculiar kind of immortality, sustained across the centuries by countless generations of true believers. Still, the rejuvenation and transformation of any institution can only happen if the society in which they are immersed really starts to demand more from them. Otherwise, when society abandons an institution, they eventually atrophy, withering away on their own, as would any stagnant or rigid system.
We also know those institutional overseers don’t take kindly to anyone who would question their authority. Yet if experience teaches us anything, it’s that for institutions to remain vital and continue evolving, by necessity, their authority must be regularly and vigorously challenged. Doubts aside, credit is due to the established institutions for developing the underlying foundation essential to our now common mental frame of reference. Without the shared conceptual structure provided by these long accepted and orthodox institutions, civilization would likely disintegrate into utter and complete chaos rather quickly.
Honestly, I can’t think of any major ‘~ism’ or ‘~ology’ which isn’t also desperately in need of a thorough house cleaning, to be swept free of recently uncovered falsehoods, or just plain, worn out ideas. This would include methods of social indoctrination commonly used in public schools, as well as cultural conditioning transmitted around the globe by transnational multimedia conglomerates. While such easily identifiable imperfections in our venerable institutions makes for good sport, they should be recognized as being reflections of shadowy issues still lurking deep within individual psyches, projected outwardly upon society, to ultimately shape our cultural zeitgeist as a whole.
Now of course, I’d really like to change the way in which institutions are currently structured, intended as they are for the benefit of a select few, largely at the expense of an ignorant many. Understand revolution begins at home, so start by examining any preconceived ideas that might obstruct clear perception. Question all things which are blindly accepted as true, and work diligently at ferreting out inconsistencies and contradictions buried within one’s own personal beliefs. With luck, you’ll soon be far better equipped to chip away more thoughtfully at the stubborn ramparts of our encrusted institutional limitations.
Essentially, I’m all in favor of this fine notion of questioning authority, even with questioning the existing social paradigm, but I would suggest we begin by questioning ourselves first!
