Demoralization Thesis

A summary of:
Lynch, G. (2007). New Spirituality: An Introduction to Belief Beyond Religion. I.B.Tauris: London.
Chapter five – The Collapse of Civilization? Progressive Spirituality too the Demoralization Debate (130)
& Chapter vi – The Future Prospects for Progressive Spirituality too the Progressive Milieu (162)

The residual of the mass is actually concerned amongst morality; emphasizing the link betwixt spirituality too morality, which I volition receive got to explain inward my dissertation. The interrogation inward modern gild – or perchance the fright – is that without religion, where volition nosotros teach our morality. I basically turn down this every bit a reasonable interrogation on basic evolutionary too historical grounds. We tin run into show of morality inward animals, who don’t receive got organized religious belief (so far every bit nosotros would know it), because it is useful for survival. Dawkins argues that altruism is advantageous – I scratch your back, instantly maybe you’ll scratch mine – too hence that personality trait, that basic morality, survives to the side past times side generation. And I discovery it difficult to believe that earlier religions became established, nosotros were completely without a sense of correct too wrong. Of course, Durkheim argued that totemism, the earliest aeroplane of religion, concretized sacred too taboo, making it clear to gild what was correct too what was wrong. I recollect inward this sense, you lot may live able to state that organized religious belief is useful for clear delineation of morality, thereby removing the withdraw for subjective introspection. How facile to betoken to a passage inward the Bible every bit your moral compass, rather than seeking that wisdom within! As they say, ‘Morality is doing what is correct regardless of what you lot are told. Religion is doing what you lot are told regardless of what is right.’

Now, given that disclaimer, I practise recollect that our conviction inward our morality may live beingness eroded past times technology, exactly because a new, to a greater extent than aggressive morality, namely the values of technology, are coming to dominate our worldview. And in that location is evolutionary sense inward this! In a the world where applied scientific discipline is then important, those who adopt its values are to a greater extent than probable to succeed, to thrive. Those who purchase into the technological worldview, check best inward this society. The to a greater extent than nosotros engage amongst technology, the to a greater extent than familiar nosotros popular off amongst technological values, too hence the to a greater extent than comfortable nosotros are amongst them, the to a greater extent than they ‘feel right’ to us, purely past times repetition. Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi inward Britain, says, “Now nosotros conduct because nosotros choose. Because it is what nosotros want; or it plant for us; or it feels correct to me. Once nosotros receive got dismantled a the world inward which larger values held sway, what stay are success too self-expression, the cardinal values of an individualistic culture” (142).

And I’ve been concerned amongst this termination for several years, focusing every bit an undergraduate on the values of consumerism (not at all unlike from applied scientific discipline – inward fact, a segment of the technological paradigm; e.g. George Ritzer’s McDonaldization thesis, “in which he argues that increasingly large sections of gild are modeled on the rationalized principles of the fast-food restaurant: efficiency, measurability, predictability too command through non-human technology” (150)) that may receive got begun to upset our well-being, making us to a greater extent than susceptible to anxiety too depression. And I discovery myself having gone full-circle amongst this quote: “‘Demoralization’, every bit used past times writers such every bit Gertrude Himmelfarb too Ralph Fevre, points to an of import association betwixt morality too well-being. Essentially the term ‘demoralization’ suggests that a crisis develops when people lack an adequate moral framework for living their lives, too that the lack of such a framework is non exclusively a root of unethical behaviour, but too personal anxiety too unhappiness” (134).


I estimate this agency that I believe in that location is only about truth to the latter 2 demoralization theses presented inward the book, that demoralization of gild is caused by:

1. “the liberal, ‘expressive’ revolution of the 1960s…”
2. “increasing secularization of western society…leaves people devoid of adequate moral too religious frameworks for their lives”
3. “the ideologies too lifestyles of contemporary capitalism which distort people’s views of what is of import inward life, render them amongst illusory forms of happiness too trap them inward an exploitative too dehumanizing spider web of social too economical relationships”
4. “the growing influence of rationality inward modern societies which weakens our mightiness to recollect virtually our lives inward morally adequate ways, traps us inward inhumane too (ironically) irrational social systems, too separates us from a proper human relationship amongst out emotional lives” (135).

I found Clifford Geertz’s categorization of ‘mythos’ too ‘ethos’ useful for this discussion, too in all likelihood helpful for my dissertation. Lynch writes (apologies for the large chunk pasted below):

“‘Mythos’ is the even out inside which the members of a civilization locate themselves – a even out fountain upwards amongst detail cultural symbols too rituals. ‘Ethos’ is the moral sensibility – the values, sentiments too motivations – that are generated through immersion inward that mythos. Progressive spirituality offers a detail mythos through its plough to the even out of the unfolding universe every bit the grounding narrative inside which human existence makes sense. Unlike a secularist the world watch that depicts human life every bit devoid of important too value other than that created past times humans themselves, the universe even out places humanity every bit 1 modest chemical factor inward a greater narrative of cosmic unfolding. Within this story, human consciousness is seen non every bit a site for nihilism or existential despair, but every bit a symptom of the universe becoming witting of itself. Human consciousness finds its important every bit it is used to deepen awareness of the cosmos of which (159) nosotros are part. It finds its moral significance when it is used to reverberate on how humans tin human activity constructively inside the cosmic drama into which they receive got been invited to receive got part. Far from beingness atomized, isolated individuals caught inward a meaningless universe, nosotros discovery ourselves born into a even out that gives us both pleasures too obligations. As Thomas Berry puts it, ‘we are… thrown into existence amongst a challenge too a purpose that is beyond whatever personal choice. The nobility of our lives, however, depends on the mode inward which nosotros come upwards to sympathise too fulfill our assigned role’” (160).

Lynch reiterates his thesis of the development of a progressive spirituality amongst this smaller paragraph:

“This mythos of the universe even out has the potential to give rising to a detail ethos. The moral sensibility celebrated past times progressive spirituality is 1 of a deeply felt participation inward the unity too interdependence of the whole of existence. According to Carol Christ, ‘the root of morality is the deep feeling of connectedness to all people too to all beings inward the spider web of life’” (160).

If this sense of connectedness is the pump of this novel spirituality, this seems to justify my focus on the Internet. Thus far, nosotros receive got sought to realize this connectedness past times technological means, i.e. the Internet; but the interrogation nosotros receive got to inquire is whether the Internet has been designed inward such a way every bit to allow meaningful connections to form. It is a question, again, of depth vs. breadth; of many weak ties vs. fewer strong ties. And perchance nosotros withdraw both. Weak ties are useful. But on the whole are nosotros to a greater extent than able to aeroplane strong ties through the Internet? And a follow upwards to this would live to inquire whether weak ties are plenty to create a morality centered on our boyfriend human beings. Do nosotros inward fact withdraw strong ties (in add-on to weak) to assist us realize a ‘deeply felt participation inward the unity too interdependence of the whole of existence’?