There is a thesis that goes like this: “ Reckonism implies that society must be absolutely homogeneous and share the same views on moral and legal issues. This is unrealistic, or only possible if everyone SUBMITS to a single opinion, because hiding or resisting, even passively, is IMPOSSIBLE. And this is – totalitarianism The text for translation: ».
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Frankfurt School
The idea that totalitarianism is the practice of erasing the boundary between private and public existence belongs to the so-called Frankfurt School — critical theory of modern (industrial) society. The Frankfurt School is a variant of neo-Marxism, and interestingly, the idea of reconism has its roots in the works of representatives of the Frankfurt School. It is worth noting that the economic basis on which reconism is built is completely opposed to Marx’s economic theory and adheres to the now-classic principles of supply and demand, in contrast to the ideas of surplus value, class struggle, and class consciousness.
It is precisely by analyzing the phenomenon alienation and the concept of reconceptualization is proposed as a means of completely eliminating alienation. It is precisely by analyzing the concepts public nature and the collective unconscious as sources of privacy- taboo. The thesis is put forward that society is naturally drifting towards transparency, despite its seeming unacceptability at the moment. All of this, along with alienation and the social character, are the ideological sources of the Frankfurt School.
At the same time, while considering the ideas of the Frankfurt School, one cannot overlook its thesis that the blurring of the line between the private and the public leads to totalitarianism, which deserves attention.
The Frankfurt School is a phenomenon of the mid-20th century, a time when the first bureaucratic systems flourished, using mass propaganda to shape the public and, interestingly, personal opinions of each member of society. During this period, a one-sided flow of information from the authorities to the individual was observed and considered the only possible approach. Any opposing flow of information was deliberately suppressed, repressed, and existed in conditions where any dissent was perceived, thanks to the functioning propaganda machine, almost as a form of madness.
Similar schemes for managing society were also used in the early 21st century in the countries of North Africa and the Middle East. At the same time, the informatization of society created the conditions for development. reverse information flow A bottom-up movement. A movement that simply could not be silenced by official propaganda, and in which people had more trust than in the propaganda itself. Facebook and other social networks became the catalyst for a series of velvet revolutions in the Middle East.
At the same time, social networks also blur the line between private and public. However, this blurring comes from the private side, not from those in power. This is the main difference between totalitarian propaganda and social networks. While the former serves the interests of the authorities, the latter serves the interests of the people. The blurring of the line between private and public through the wikification of mass media is fundamentally opposed to the blurring of that line through the monopolization of mass media.
The Frankfurt School saw the danger of mass zombification when the line between personal and public (interest, opinion) was blurred, while reconism sees new opportunities in the complete freedom of each individual, where the distinction between personal and public (interest, opinion) fades due to the ability of everyone to have a voice as powerful as that of any other member of society, company, or organization.
If the Frankfurt School saw the problem in the imposition of consumer society values by capital through mass advertising and propaganda, then reconism is practically the only form of existence in conditions where advertising is obliterated by the uncontrolled flow of information about consumer experiences generated by corporations.
Summary. The thesis that totalitarianism is the practice of erasing the boundary between private and public existence holds true only when there are solely descending information flows from power to the individual. However, if information flows move from the bottom up, then the thesis changes to the exact opposite.
Having clarified the understanding of totalitarianism by the Frankfurt School and made significant adjustments to this understanding that were simply unimaginable in the mid-20th century, I will now focus on several other aspects, independent of the Frankfurt School.
Totalitarianism according to Popper
Formulating concepts open and a closed society, Karl Popper He defined a closed or totalitarian society as one based on a strict hierarchy of social strata, which restricts an individual’s ability to change the stratum they belong to. In this way, Popper criticized classical… Plato’s utopia as a distinctly totalitarian idea. According to Plato (and his followers), people will be happy because they are in their designated class and fulfilling their predetermined role. It was implied that the stability of such a society is maintained through violence. This violence is organized by one of the social strata—the armed forces—which stands far above most of the other classes.
A closed society is a society characterized by breeding a structure whose relationships are regulated by a system taboo. The taboo system is described as a set of laws that resemble the laws of nature — their absolute applicability and the impossibility of violating them. In such a society, the individual always knows what is right and what is wrong, and they have no difficulties in choosing the correct behavior. Closed societies are characterized by a strict division into classes and castes. This division is justified by the members of the closed society as its “naturalness.”
In contrast to a closed society, Popper formulates the concept of an open society. This is a society in which individuals decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong. In such a society, there are open paths for personal development (hence it is called open). The society itself implies the potential for anyone to occupy any position within it. An open society is also free from taboos.
The ideas of reconism are primarily criticized. existing until now Regarding taboos as regulators of social relations. Additionally, the recognition is based on the idea that with the development of IT, as a part of scientific and technological progress, the role of the state as a creator and distributor of public goods will either disappear or significantly diminish, leading to qualitatively different forms. Reckonism sees. The world, as a community of people who come together, using the principles of a wiki, creates and administers both public and private goods (products and services). In the idea of reconism, there is no place for any hierarchy, and a person’s position in society is determined by their reputation, rather than by lineage, class, nationality, wealth, or any other subjective characteristic.
From Popper’s perspective, reconism is the embodiment of the evolution of an open society, or what he calls an abstract society. A large social network, in modern terms, deprives people of the necessity of personal acquaintance with one another, which is essential for understanding their viewpoints and finding consensus. It connects people into a single, more rational organism than we have now, while respecting and prioritizing the interests of each individual.
A like-minded person will be found.
Of course, conformity is inherent in society. In a general sense, conformity is a guarantee of social stability. Expressing or even suggesting an opinion or viewpoint that differs from that of the overwhelming majority of society is akin to an act of bravery. In a society that is completely… mutual openness It might seem that everyone would be afraid of being seen as a dissenter. However, the flattening of the world and the development of information networks allow each person to find like-minded individuals, often more than one. Moreover, the “wikification” of information means that like-minded people, no matter how outlandish their ideas may be, can easily form interest groups. This is evidenced by the existing online communities that discuss ideas that seem absurd to the majority, ranging from “socialism 2.0” to various forms of reconceptualization. Thus, a transparent society is likely to be not homogeneous, but rather tolerant of diverse thoughts and ideas. Members of such a society will feel much freer to express their opinions without the fear of ostracism, as they will be able to find at least ten like-minded individuals.
Who benefits?
When examining the phenomenon of totalitarianism, one cannot overlook the fact that totalitarianism, by definition, is a system characterized by strict centralization of power and imposition on society. ideologies , according to which a person must sacrifice personal interests for the sake of the public good. Practically, totalitarianism ensured the enthusiasm of society’s members in realizing the interests of the corrupt bureaucratic elite. The construction of ideology and mass propaganda served the interests of a specific ruling class that exploited the asymmetry in the distribution of information between itself and the rest of society.
The ruling elite of totalitarian states exploited the natural tendencies of society for their own purposes. mechanisms of self-preservation society: the institution of social contracts, public nature, self-rationalization the members of society, the utility of their sacrifice for themselves, conformity, and herd mentality.
At the same time, reconism does not see the need for power institutions in an information-rich society. The added value created by the bureaucratic apparatus can easily be realized through the mass cooperation of society’s members, thus rendering the unnecessary bureaucratic superstructure devoid of all levers of control, from propaganda and media to the distribution (in its favor) of tax revenues. In other words, both the possibility for power to promote an ideology and the power itself, as the beneficiary of that propaganda, disappear. This is no longer totalitarianism, as there is neither totalitarian power nor a common ideology for all, nor propaganda of that ideology.
Moreover, the natural mechanisms of self-preservation in society operate under reconism as described above. That is, they allow people to more easily find like-minded individuals and identify themselves as members of the society, even if it’s virtual, that resonates most with them.
Genetics
How does the mechanism of natural selection work? Sooner or later, an individual of a certain species will develop a mutation that does not hinder its ability to survive and reproduce, allowing it to pass on the new trait to its offspring. The descendants of this individual will mate with non-mutant individuals and “infect” their offspring with the new gene. This process will continue until the new trait spreads throughout the entire population. populations Текст для перевода: ..
If a population is separated by some barrier (ocean, mountains), the mutations that accumulate on either side of the mountains will be different and sooner or later will lead to individuals from different habitats being unable to interbreed. This is how a new species is formed. A new species can also arise when the entire population undergoes some massive catastrophic event: disease, heat, cold, and when those individuals survive who carry a previously harmless but now very beneficial new gene.
If we are conducting artificial selection, we simply eliminate or sterilize individuals that do not possess the desirable traits for selection. Artificial selection produces species that cannot survive without human intervention, but which are more efficient from an economic standpoint. In contrast, natural selection provides a greater chance of survival for species that have a whole array of new genes in their arsenal.
Totalitarianism is the selection of ideas. It’s artificial selection. It cultivates a society that is completely unstable to external catastrophic impacts. The history of any totalitarian state that has faced devastation after totalitarianism serves as proof of this. Reconism is wild nature. It is reconism that allows new ideas to emerge and drift from one bearer to another. Just as the very idea of reconism is currently drifting, reaching a couple of hundred new minds each day. Therefore, a transparent society should not be viewed as homogeneous simply because everyone shares or pretends to share the same views, but rather as homogeneous because it guarantees the freest drift of ideas.
Openness of information – a common opinion.
At the same time, recognition provides the groundwork for unifying people’s opinions. The source of differing opinions has always been and continues to be the varying levels of awareness individuals have about a particular issue or the different personal experiences of each person—this specific asymmetry of information is captured in the saying: “Of the two disputants, one is a fool and the other is a scoundrel.” In a context of complete and unconditional access to information, everyone will be able to obtain the same information as their neighbor. Each person will be able to assertively evaluate others’ experiences and arrive at the same conclusions as their neighbor. Everyone can acquire the same knowledge, and if they don’t, they can find the opinion of a clear authority in a given field of knowledge.
Thus, reconism remarkably combines the free drift of ideas, pluralism of opinions, and unification of views, but a unification that is not forced, rather natural and open. Of course, a new genius with a new theory will always emerge, and there will always be both supporters and opponents of that theory. However, under reconism, the new genius will find it easier to gain support. In reconism, the new genius will not be crushed by the resistance of an authoritative, rigid elite. In reconism, the new genius will have more opportunities to prove their point to a larger audience, allowing the drift of their ideas to continue until they encompass society as a whole.
The same applies to questions of morality and law. The openness of discussion, the constant support from like-minded individuals who appear instantly, and the complete accessibility of historical precedents provide a foundation for people to express their opinions freely on any issue.
Strikethrough.
Interestingly, from the outside, the behavior of a member of a totalitarian society who sacrifices personal interests for ideological ones will resemble that of a member of a reconciling society, who will also rationally sacrifice personal interests for the sake of the community. The only difference is that a member of a reconciling society will clearly see, in concrete terms, the benefits that their actions bring to them personally—such as not throwing candy wrappers on the road—as well as being aware of how their actions affect the judgment that society has of them.
Comparing totalitarianism and reconism is like comparing communism and a supermarket with payment terminals. On the surface, they both look the same. People take goods from the store and leave without paying. The only difference is that in a fantastical version of communism, there is no money at all, and for some reason, people are extremely conscientious and not greedy, while in… informism (Well, that is, right now) there is a powerful credit and financial system in place that ensures mutual settlements and a complete accounting of the labor results (or other means of acquiring goods) of each individual.