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Third Saturday Seminar 2013-2014
Return of the Elders, Unleash your Wisdom
Session 02

“Age of Enlightenment 2.0” – Session 2

Then and Now

Curt Gibby

Saturday, 18 October 2013
9:30AM til 12:00 noon

Room B-102, (the usual place), Lone Star College – Montgomery
3200 College Park Drive – Conroe, TX – 77384 – 936.273.7000

Or theme is: “Then and Now.”

We will take a look at conditions; environmental and social, during and following the original enlightenment and then at what’s happened since then.

This year we will attempt develop an appreciation of the progress of Western Civilization before and after the first “Enlightenment.”  We will try to understand why, when so much of the world has embraced the principles of the enlightenment, an equally large part of the world has not.  What about this “Pursuit of happiness” thing.  Are we really free to pursue our happiness, whatever that might be?  Or, are there conscious or unconscious forces at work that down deep inside sincerely feel they can and should be keeping or society and economy on the right track?   When a society is put under continued real or perceived stress it begins to feel insecure (Crisis!) and that can make it uncritically receptive to ideas that are not necessarily helpful to bringing about a free and peaceful world.

May, I suggest that you spend some time with the material linked in items 6 and 7 of the “Reference/Reading Materials” that follow the syllabus below.  They refer to the original Enlightenment  and  “Revolutions and Rebellions.”  Note how since 2300 BC til the present, there has been,  “never a dull moment.”  Does this mean, “Might makes right?”  That it is better for all concerned to be governed by the strongest?  Or,should it be the smartest?  What is the difference between the idea of Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) and John  Locke (1632-1677) and their concepts of the “social contract?”  Is there a divine right of monarchs or even elected officials? (Ask former President of  Egypt, Morsi)

Then apply what you know of information and communication technology and its progress  from the 17^th century to now and the how  going from clay tablets to movable type to today’s digital explosion and the effect s all this has had. 

Then, think of the concepts of power and authority as we see it exercised in our world.  Have these concepts changed significantly with technological progress.  Are today’s concepts of philosophy and religion affected by technological progress?   What about the concepts of inalienable rights and the pursuit of happiness of the individual.  How are they affected, if at all?

Here is a mental experiment: what do we mean by “DEMOCRACY” in the light of how our governing bodies have managed to gridlock.  One side says, certain things are now a “matter of law” but they neglect to acknowledge the subterfuge by which those laws came about.  In the last presidential election between two not very attractive candidates, although the winner had a more realistic strategy and won the Electoral College vote handily, close to half the popular vote went the other way.  That is not a consensus and hardly a mandate.   There was a practical reason for us to include the Bill of Rights in our Constitution, and that is to remind those in power, that just because they can play the rules to their advantage, without convincing (that is, selling) a large proportion of the loyal opposition on the benefits of the new idea but instead  just shoving the unpopular ideas down the unwilling’s throats.    

Everything changes, sometimes rapidly, as is the case when the other party gains control of the House which by law has the prerogative of initiating all spending bills (or defunding?)

The alternative to communicating new, well-thought-out ideas well is of course to identify a crisis, which has been a popular way to get the public to accept bad ideas such as wars in which we have no interest and the outcome will be at best a Pyrrhic victory, but will still cost us lives an condemn us to a future of paying for it.

Power may be attractive to those in government in some situations, but misused, it can foster a smoldering resentment and eventually a determined resistance utilizing some of the same mechanisms as were used force immature ideas on the country.   We are now hearing  James Madison being quoted to point out that the government was purposely designed with a, “balance of power”  to do exactly what is happening now and so it always been and so far has kept our democracy alive, if imperfectly.

Today’s situation with the whole world watching our houses of congress and our executive branch act like perfect childish jerks has been developing for generations.  As some Greek philosopher once predicted, a democracy will fail when it thinks it can vote itself money.  Eventually, things will come back into balance, where it’s policies become sane and not oppressive and will be within the people’s willingness and ability to pay for it, but I cannot predict how or when, or how the power distribution of the world will readjusted in the process

At moment it’s all about the gold.  It needs to become about, “The Golden Rule.”

Here is the Syllabus which we will continue to develop as we proceed (Spring Semester dates revised.  Some meetings in Spring will be on the fourth Saturday to accommodate the nexus of academic, holiday and break schedules

Reference/Reading Materials
To help you get started may I suggest reading or skimming some the following short Wikipedia Articles: (your own  sources are welcome too.)

1. Age of Enlightenment  (First page)
2. Islamic Golden Age (Again, the first page)

The following short sections of the Outline of the History of Western Civilization:

3. Renaissance and Reformation 
4. The Reformation 
5. Rise of Western Empires 
6. Dark Ages  
7. List of Revolutions
   (worth scanning to see just to see how being a revolutionary is a good business,
   also a convenient list of historic milestones in the ascent of man.)   
8. Econ 000(Work in progress, will be updated)

And as usual we will start with 45 minutes of current events:

To be candid, the Debt Limit seems to have dominated all of our media, digital, broadcast, of print.

For comparisons sake I reprint the same comments from September – What news have you heard about any of these? 

(What effect will Assad’s decision to destroy his chemical weapons have.) Things are getting serious in Syria.  Can you say, “Red Line” or “Chemical weapons”, “WMD” or “Maher Assad?”  Do you think Putin can keep his shirt on?  I am hearing numbers like 7 million Syrian Refugees, 2 million external and the rest internal.  100,000 dead from bombs and bullets.

Immigration bill went to the floor of the Senate.  Will it get any more attention or will the government shut down?

Will the term “super power” ever be applicable again?  Will a country’s strategic military assets ever be sufficient to dominate another country or regions?  Since Korea, America’s enemies have denied her victory or success.  Limited war or pseudo wars have only drained America of her resources and her lives, because we have never been able to recognize and deal the reality on the ground.  We have had neither the determination nor the resources nor sufficient faith in our own ideals to truly dominate a determined, inferior force or convince him of the advantages of emulating us.

The Arab Spring, wasn’t our idea, but we cheered them on.  None that I know of have come anywhere close to a peaceful existence and the elimination of oppression of the weak by the powerful and a peaceful life for all their citizens.  Why?

Egypt in Crisis.  Frontline  examines the rise and fall of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (53 Minutes)

Richard Haass, was interviewed recently by Diane Rehm regarding, “Foreign Policy Begins At Home: The Case For Putting America’s House In Order” (1 hr) “The president of the Council on Foreign Relations says the biggest threat to the United States comes not from abroad but from within. He says that only by getting our own house in order — fixing our crumbling infrastructure, second-class schools and outdated immigration system — will we be able to lead a world that will otherwise be overwhelmed by global challenges, regional conflicts and failed states. Diane and her guest discuss why he believes foreign policy begins at home.”

Surveillance Nation:  President Dilma of Brazil has cancelled/postponed indefinitely her state visit to Washington until the Brazilian people get satisfactory response from the Administration regarding the digital eavesdropping on the government and national oil company

Don’t forget about the Mid-Term General Election 4 November 2014, that’s in only 381 days from Saturday.

About the ALL Program

Here’s the official Course description from the Fall Catalog:

DON’T (be) PANIC(ked) (by our leaders) 

Curt Gibby
Director, Third Saturday Seminar

http://northstarinst.org/TSS/
gcgconsult (at) n-star (dot) com