War on Terror

They claim to be fighting terror, but by their actions and by their language all they succeed in doing is furthering it as well as the bleak cynicism that goes with it. The language of threats is now all pervasive, from the right’s constant warnings about terror threats and security threats to the left’s constant warnings about the threat of global warming, environmental degradation and human rights abuses. From all sides in the debate we keep hearing “threats” and the result is an increasingly bitter sense of pessimism among the general public around the world – the elite consistently fails to give them something inspirational to believe in.

Religion and Free-Will

It is truly essential that individuals who choose to believe join a religion by choice upon reaching maturity when they can be counted on to make a rational decision upon such important and life-changing matters. The imposition of a religion and its beliefs upon children not old enough to make this choice and choose their spiritual path for themselves leads to a potentially very damaging process of indoctrination along sectarian lines that is to be discouraged: for it can leave a lifelong scar. Belief must stem from free-will and this is especially crucial if religious violence and sectarian strife is to be combated effectively around the world.

Threats and Fear across the Spectrum

In criticizing the British government’s fixation on Islamic terrorism, former official Richard Mottram merely downplays the terrorist threat only to highlight other threats. The rhetoric of the 21st Century politician is consistently dominated by talk of threats and the language of fear: global warming, terrorism, rogue states, flu pandemics, weapons proliferation and so on. They have raised the ability to scare the public into voting for political parties with uninspiring and unimaginative platforms and leaders to an art form and when they criticize each other it is generally because some take certain threats as being more serious than others. Fortunately, declining voter turnouts show that more and more people are not fooled by politicians whose main point of disagreement is over whether terrorism or global warming represents a greater threat to Western Civilization.

The Myth of the "Self-Made" Man

"He is a self-made man, and he worships his creator."
- attributed to John Bright, speaking of Benjamin Disraeli

Fame is the peoples’ drug of choice and there is nothing in a society where capitalism reigns supreme that attracts attention more than a story of rags to riches. Millions follow the trends set by the next media icon, the next superstar to catch market attention and public opinion before fading from view to be replaced by yet another. People adore the celebrity, seeing them as the paragon of what is attainable in society - regardless of their actions they are looked up to and everything about them is constantly discussed. The public sees supposedly ordinary men and women rise, seemingly without help, to the heights of fame, luxury and refinement.

Good and Evil

"Injustice is a kind of blasphemy. Nature designed rational beings for each other's sake: to help - not harm - one another, as they deserve. To transgress its will, then, is to blaspheme against the oldest of the gods."
- Marcus Aurelius, The Meditations, Book Nine #1

For a human being, maintaining one's dignity in the face of countless challenges without slipping into alienation is perhaps life's greatest trial. Despite being inherent, dignity can be lost and the human spirit can succumb to lingering malaise and decay. In terms of good and evil it can generally be assumed that dignity represents good and alienation evil though this is a loose definition at best. Alienation is the degradation of ones humanity and while perhaps seemingly benign at first it is the catalyst for all manner of questionable deeds. For the alienated individual is disconnected from humanity, feeling less and less affinity with their fellow human beings. They will increasingly indulge in their desires and obsessions as a means of alleviating the pain of this removal. Excess and imbalance can be considered the root of evil, and alienation the root of excess. Those who obsess over something will inevitably commit questionable and ultimately outright evil deeds that are totally against human morality, such as murder, to satisfy their desires. These can range from an overpowering love of one's country, love of profit and wealth for its own sake, a love of fame and mass adulation, an over zealous love for one's religion and all manner of other examples of obsessive excess. Those who succumb to and come to be defined by their overpowering desires as opposed to their humanity will inevitably suffer moral degradation - Sometimes to shocking degrees.

Fortress Britain: A Lesson for the World

On Wednesday, November 14 the British government unveiled what amounted to plans for a full-scale fortification of the UK. With the terrorist threat as their rationale, the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown will proceed to introduce a number of ramped up security measures based on the recommendations of their “terrorism minister” Alan West: build blast barriers at airports and train stations, strictly limit public vehicle access, isolate Islamic preachers considered to be extremist in orientation while neutralizing their message, employ Internet providers to stop the online distribution of extremist literature, ensure that extremist literature is not circulated in public libraries and on university campuses, advise thousands of movie theatres, shopping malls, hospitals and schools on how to protect against bomb attacks, introduce new baggage checks at rail terminals and airports, as well as plans for building new public buildings such as stadiums and concert arenas to reduce the impact of explosions and shrapnel. Combine this with the previously announced expansion of electronic surveillance to include cameras in police helmets and additions to the already vast network of public surveillance cameras on streets and in public buildings across the UK, Britain is certainly beginning to look like a society under siege.

Democratic Despotism: The Extremes of Parliamentary Democracy

“There’s no question that the prime minister has all the power he could possibly want.”
- Donald Savoie on Stephen Harper

There are very few aspects of the American political system that I agree with, let alone would advocate in the place of Canadian political institutions, but nevertheless recent events in Canadian politics have led me to support one such American institution: the clear separation of powers.

All political systems have their problems. For all the talk of checks and balances in liberal-democracy, the division of powers within many liberal-democratic states has the tendency to produce absurd and woefully unbalanced situations where the executive and legislature belong to opposing political factions (as is what commonly happens in the United States where a Republican president may face a Congress dominated by Democrats or vice versa). Equally imbalanced is the situation in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other parliamentary systems where the executive and the legislature are effectively one and the same – with one political party dominating the entire government by holding the majority position in Parliament and by holding the Prime Minister’s office (especially where it has the power to appoint Supreme Court Justices). While the American political system has a tendency to be so factionalized that it ends up being unworkable, the Canadian political system (despite the minority governments of recent years) has generally suffered from the opposite problem: too much power being concentrated in the office of the Prime Minister, and this is the subject of this article.

Direct Democracy: Not a Utopian Fantasy but an Inevitable Necessity

“The English think they are free. They are free only during the election of members of parliament.”
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The 18th century French philosopher, Jean Jacques Rousseau once remarked that Englishmen (whose parliamentary political system we have adopted) were only free once every several years when they voted while remaining servants and slaves the rest of the time. Given the troubling situation currently facing democracy in Ontario, Canada and around the world, these words from over two hundred years ago gain a new and frightening relevance.

Standing in line waiting to vote last Wednesday in the provincial elections, I couldn’t help being conscious of the uninspired blandness of it all. There was no emotion, no enthusiasm, and, really, not too much life for that matter. People simply filed in, went through the registration procedure, marked down the “X” on the ballot, put it in the box and left. Despite the continual fanfare of pro-democracy pundits the world over that such a simple act is an act of heroism, I certainly was not detecting any of that “heroism” in the room that night. In fact, with regard to all the noise about “raising your voice” and “not letting others speak for you” in pre-election advertising encouraging people to go out and vote – that night no one said a word and the X’s on the ballots were as silent as a grave.

Civic Duty and Its Importance Revisited: The World City

The problems facing the world as a whole demand a new ethic of service from human beings everywhere – men and women alike. Civic duty is more important today than it ever was in the past.
The strength of a society can be measured in its cohesion and unity. Naturally a strong society will be one where the citizens feel intimately connected to and work to further the goals of society with passion and dedication. This communal spirit is essential to the wellbeing of any civilization. In a society where the individual and the community are constantly in conflict and where the interests of the individual and society constantly collide, there will be serious problems.

The concept of trust is what ultimately makes or breaks a society. As a citizen you have to feel confident that your neighbour will not steal from you or injure you. There has to be a certain level of solidarity where the individual can feel that he or she is part of something greater, that they are not alone and that their fellow citizens care about them. If someone is constantly looking over their shoulder and feels they need to be on guard against everyone around them then they simply cannot play a constructive role in society. They are too busy trying to protect themselves against real or imagined threats to themselves or to their families. This prevents a strong civic identity and creates a situation where every individual, every family, every ethnic group, religious group, or whatever views itself as against all other individuals, groups, and society as a whole. Such an environment serves the interest of no one except those who wish to impose tyranny over those weaker than themselves. It is not an acceptable condition and yet it has arisen in many areas of the world and threatens to arise in many others.

The Human Commonwealth versus the Nation State: Immigration in the 21st Century

We all know about illegal immigration and the often heavy-handed measures increasingly taken by authorities to stamp out this phenomenon which simply refuses to die. We all know about globalization and how increasingly open economies and porous borders allow for incredible flows of money and people to move across the world at a speed and magnitude unheard of at any other time in history. Humanity, it seems, is on the move and it is changing the dynamics of the world at an incredible rate and the resulting tensions are becoming more and more evident on a global scale.

False Dignity

There is an obvious reason why human rights struggles across the world are increasingly seen as life and death struggles – because people increasingly see rights as being the substance of life. Modern man now largely believes that there is nothing in him or inherently good about him and so he stakes his very existence on guarantees by the state with regard to his personal freedoms. If any of these freedoms or entitlements is placed in jeopardy modern man literally will feel like he is on the verge of death because he has been taught that without such rights he has nothing to justify his existence. This is why they so fanatically protest and fight – for they have staked their lives upon scraps of paper and the promises of NGOs. This is not dignity, nor is it any way to live, and if true dignity – the dignity inherent within us all – is not realized than nothing can serve as a substitute. In order for the wellbeing of humankind to be upheld than dignity must be understood and upheld.

The Message of Universalism

It must be our message to every human being through our education system and indeed, through all communicative channels and institutions: Apply your talents, and thereby realize your purpose; work toward and achieve your potential in light of your purpose and you will make a positive impact in society and in this world. Learned skills and acquired knowledge ultimately serve as confirmation of the potential within you as a human being; never neglect to find meaning in that fact and never fail to draw upon the power within you in cooperation with others of your kind. You are human and never cease to be proud of your natural essence as a purposeful being on this planet. Within us all the human spirit burns bright; accept and uphold what you are and advance toward your destiny, for we are all together and the human form is universal in its unity and diversity. When we combine our strengths we are unstoppable. In the spirit of solidarity and fulfillment take your place amongst us in human society with undying dignity.

A Rite of Passage into Adulthood and Citizenship

We enter this world possessing only the raw humanity we are born with, with no idea as to our potential or the dignity within us. Nature provides a strong backbone to the human character, both individual and collective, but it cannot alone lead us to fulfillment. In a sense we are born with our spirits in a state of slumber and it is only through realization and fulfillment that we can fully awaken our inner strength. Thus, children and adults who have not realized their purpose are all too vulnerable to the corruption that alienation represents. Without the training required to allow for the refined expression and the dignified perfection of our human abilities we cannot develop our potential and stand at the mercy of degradation and alienation.

Dignified Economic Development

Does economic development entail alienation? The Industrial Revolution displaced countless millions of people from the countryside and the communal life of the village, driving them into the dark anonymity of the factory or the mine. The tightly knit village community was replaced by the anonymous environment of the vast industrial city: where loneliness often was the status quo. Development, as it occurred then, and continues to occur to this day in the developing world, tears human beings apart and breeds alienation to an incredible degree in human affairs.
Craftsmen who took pride in their work simply could not compete with the legions of uncaring workers doing piece work on a vast scale in the factories. Pride and fulfillment replaced with alienation.
In order to build a society of solidarity, and an economy of dignity, we must build strong ties and relationships between human beings. A strong sense of togetherness is crucial for an effective society. Human beings are social beings and we must be together, work together, and support one another if we are to achieve our true potential as individuals, as a society, and as a species.
All must find fulfillment in the role that they play in society, and thus strive for perfection in their role; aware of its importance, not only to themselves, but to society, and to humanity as a whole. That is the source of real economic development and it can only come from the development of human potential. Human beings must understand that our individual purposes interlock to form one great human purpose that embraces our entire species. We must stand together against the scourge of alienation. United we win, and when humanity stands unified dignity shall prevail in this world.

The Need for Strength

I have experienced it time and time again. The feeling of powerlessness and weakness in the face of the pressures that are heaped upon me from so many people, places, and things is like a vice that closes in on you. That alienating feeling is the source of nightmares and something that we all seek to avoid at all costs. We need to feel that we have control over our lives and destinies. The feeling of strength and security is something that we all desire and in many ways cannot live without. It is impossible to draw fulfillment out of life without a sense of strength drawn from a clear purpose and importance. However, in our desperation for this reassuring feeling we all too often end up preying on others of our own kind.

Virtue over Rights

From a rational point of view, human rights and liberal morality that they derive themselves from can only be considered hypocritical and wrong; tools of the powerful that are utilized to mislead the masses.
No form of political morality can be considered valid unless it allows for the effective governance and leadership of the political community and facilitates human wellbeing on a societal scale. If it fails to do this it invites hypocrisy; for you cannot run a political community based on guaranteed individual rights, ethnic self-determination, state neutrality, and similar liberal values, for the state would fragment as a result. Thus the politician is obliged to profess his support for prevailing liberal attitudes while attempting to express real leadership out of the public eye through decisive and effective actions in order to preserve the power and unity of the political community. Liberalism thus forces hypocrisy upon the political elite, and many a hollow election promise was born of this unworkable situation.

The Demand for Austerity in the Twenty-First Century

The overindulgence of luxury goods and the amount of useless excess that is consumed in the West is deplorable in itself, but it can only be seen as utterly parasitical given the fact that the money spent so carelessly on luxuries could not only save lives but practically eliminate global poverty and needless deaths due to preventable disease. This situation indicates and utterly irresponsible society and it is clear that measures of austerity must be adopted if dignity is to prevail in this world.

Human Dignity and the Need for a Humanist Revival

In the world today, we witness a disturbing trend. Human beings by all indications increasingly view their own human nature as a weakness, a failure, not something to be proud of at all. It has been a trend throughout history for human beings to hide their own humanity behind as many facades as they can, as many "alternate identities" as they can; always trying to play down the fact that they are simply human beings by emphasizing nationality, religion, culture, language etc. as if it made them something more than human. Upholding the values promoted by such sources over and above their own sense of humanity. It is as though human beings are afraid of the human condition itself and are in a constant state of denial and self-deception. Is it any wonder therefore that human beings constantly abuse themselves and others while turning to ever more extreme creeds and practices in order to give meaning to their lives? If these people have no faith in their dignity as human beings, are such consequences not to be expected?

The Postmodern Fallacy

The principles of “self-creation” now beloved of so many postmodernists, presuppose that no meaning exists in the world beyond what we as individuals create for ourselves. This conception of reality has grown in popularity among the rebellious minds of the twentieth century, minds eager to deny all higher forms of authority that might constrain them. If everything is relative to individual interpretation, there is no legitimate authority.

Ultimately self-creation is a principle that makes little sense; if someone finds meaning only in themselves and what they make of the world, by logical extension they cannot derive meaning from the world itself (because theories of self-creation describe the world as having no meaning beyond what we ourselves put into it).
If this is the case, numerous things become impossible. Community becomes impossible because if everyone creates meaning for themselves there can be none of the shared sense of meaning that forms the basis of the communal spirit. Indeed, shared expressions of any kind become untenable. Relationships become meaningless as people only take meaning from their own self and not from interaction with others, who would presumably have their own highly individualistic sense of meaning that would be incompatible anyway.

Self-Assurance and the Need for Balance in the Face of Extremism

Given the ideological character of the fundamentalism and terrorism (as well as the often useless reactionary responses to them) that plagues us at this time it is absolutely clear that in order to combat it we must adopt mental and spiritual, as well as physical defenses – and there is no defense so effective as embracing the true spirit of humanity and thus rejecting the hatred preached by sectarians of all kinds. The psychological aim of realizing one’s purpose and fulfilling one’s potential as a human being is a strong sense of self-assurance and self-actualization via the perfection and utilization of one’s capabilities. This process builds a sense of conviction with regard to one’s role in the world and boosts individual confidence and willpower to a great and laudable extent.

However, we must differentiate this form of self-assurance that arises from self-fulfillment with the fanaticism that emerges out of total devotion to a cause. Fanaticism does breed a sense of complete self-assurance, indeed, a self-assurance so complete that they come to live by the maxim of the ends justifies the means; all forms of barbarity and perversity are thus cast in a golden light as being what is necessary for the realization of a greater and all-consuming cause. This is alienation of the worst kind and its effects have lead to full-scale human slaughter on numerous occasions throughout history.

The Guardian Species

Even if a single element within the natural framework is destroyed, its effects will be felt by the entirety. Unless we as human beings realize that with great power comes with great responsibility we will drive ourselves to our own destruction through the destruction and that which we were meant to protect. Ecology is clear: the most powerful species of a food web acts as its guardian and steward; ensuring that everything remains in its natural place and in its natural order – it is a role that all guardian species human beings embrace instinctually without question. Because we are capable of rational choice, we are conscious of our own power and while a shark or lion would never abuse its natural authority, we can and overwhelmingly do. We have become so enchanted by our power, its potential, and especially the technological marvels that it generates that we have almost forgotten the natural role that everyone in the ancient world accepted as a fundamental part of life as a human. Now the world is viewed as an object to shape in our own image as opposed to a living organism that we are a natural part of with our own role to play and our own intrinsic responsibilities as beings in nature.

Humanity Awake! Your Species Needs You!

I address all human beings everywhere and I call each and every one of you to action. It is plain to see that this world is rife with injustice, incompetence, alienation, ignorance and cruelty. You have seen them between and inside various individuals, in our communities, the provinces, the nation, the world. The problems that we face are global and they are intensifying. The entire world is affected and there has never been a time in history when humanity and the earth itself have cried out for defence to the extent that they do now. Our plight can no longer be ignored. We must take responsibility and do what must be done, what is demanded of us.
The time has come to form an organization for the defence of humanity. An order of men and women who, in the spirit of Plato's Guardians, in the spirit of the chivalrous knight, will stand and proudly see to the defence, leadership and overall survival of the human species and ultimately of the earth itself. In such a way we will reaffirm the bonds that bond human society and the human race together in harmony in all our unity, in all our diversity, and forge a dignified future for us all.
Everyone committed to the cause of dignity and justice and who respects the human species, join this struggle without hesitation. For it is only by standing together that humanity will emerge victorious.
The time has come for a new order to begin.

Human Patriotism

The nucleus of a world state that is capable of safeguarding all of humanity from harm, while bringing order to the present chaos of a globalized world, can only be found in the idea of pan-human “nationalism” – a sense of universal shared solidarity centered on a common sense of humanity and a realization that we are all members of the human race and thus have a stake in its defense. Thus we all possess a stake in the common future of our species and the planet that sustains us.
This human patriotism will be a difficult concept for many people who cannot mentally move beyond the frontiers that they were born within and thus know not how to see humanity as the organic whole that it is on a universal scale.
However, I am now utterly convinced that freedoms and rights will not save us from ruin; only solidarity and community under the one banner of humanity. The threats we now face and universal and demand a universal solidarity that the present worldview cannot give us. We must unite and identify ourselves with what we are fundamentally and that is human.

Universalism

Universalism is a system for human society that emphasizes the principles of dignity and solidarity and that, through balancing individual and collective needs, is free from the monstrous abuses of tyranny and from the childish pettiness of liberal-democracy. Universalism does not seek a utopia but a unified humanity, and a unified world under just and universal governance.

Scientific Premises

This philosophical journey must necessarily start at the beginning, for every philosophy must possess a strong foundation. While I am no scientist, in the present day in age a general knowledge of science is essential when seeking to explain the workings of the world and this holds true for political philosophy as well.
It is worth noting that this is certainly not the first time that political theorists have attempted to base their theories in science. The early liberal thinkers attempted to base their ideas on Galileo’s and Isaac Newton’s conceptions of physics, describing human beings fundamentally as “matter in motion.” Karl Marx attempted to create a “scientific” theory of history, just as Darwin had presented a biological theory of evolution. However, none of these theorists have been able to root their theories and philosophies in the flesh and blood of human beings – as is essential if we are to make effective prescriptions for human political organization as well as ethics and morals. Thus, I have attempted to base my theories in human biology in order to get as close as I am able to the fundamental building blocks of life.
There are two scientific premises for Universalism; premises that current political theories lack.

The Purpose of This Blog

Ever since the collapse of Communism, consumer capitalism has had the run of the house so to speak and as a result we live in a world where markets reign supreme and are considered the beginning and end-point of all human aspirations and dreams. It is now accepted largely without question that free-markets are king, that they cannot be contained, they cannot be controlled, and that they are the only way to a better world for the impoverished. I have heard virtually no one, even the harshest critics of modern society, deny these basic assumptions and those who do deny them have continually proven themselves unable to come up with a viable alternative and thus they criticize and criticize while offering only a bare minimum of constructive new ideas.
It seems that increasingly we watch the bad news coming in from across the globe and at home but see no way out. We are trapped in an environment where everything is relative, where there is no higher meaning, and where few aspirations beyond becoming rich and famous exist. I believe we all want something more, but we do not know where to even begin looking and thus run around in circles chasing fads and gimmicks.
Jeremy Rifkin, an economist I have considerable respect for, once described culture as a “story” and said that if we ever were going to transcend the present situation, where economics have virtually taken over all aspects of life, than we need one extremely critical thing: “a better story.” Effectively we need a new ideology, a new way of looking at the world, and we need it now. The purpose of this blog is to present and to develop such an ideology.
In a world overrun by economic discourse it is clear that we must focus on something that is much more fundamental to human existence and happiness: the human essence and spirit itself – that which makes us who we are. Ultimately we must embrace the one thing that is universal besides economics: humanity itself. Only then can we live a life of dignity and feel true liberty that can only come through the actualization of the individual and the empowerment of the community. This is the essence of Universalism.