Wheels-within-Wheels #1

This chapter was originally the opening chapter of "Maximum Advantage in the Age of Mediocrity." It has its strengths and flaws. It lays the groundwork for the thesis asserting the West is experiencing an Age of Mediocrity. Wheels-within-Wheels is little more academic than usual. Everything from 1996 onward follows.

Opening:

All Greatness is not Sublime,
All that is Sublime is not Truth,
All Truth is not Fact,
All Errors are not Lies.
The Whole is different than the sum of its parts.

Draft 6.0

i. Philosophy has been defined as the search for truth. Truth is the constrained subjective interpretation of reality. Therefore, philosophy may be regarded as search for subjective reality. The philosopher, excepting some great ones who could occasionally see under, attempts to project personal beliefs by rationalizations painted on the canvas of reality, which are often defined and shaped by popular prejudices or thought. Rather than say, "my judgements are my own, which nobody else is even entitled," these mediocre philosophers claim a perfect fit based on semantics and "obvious" truths which may be among the largest of errors. Whole generations have fallen prey to these sham philosophies and the awful systems spawned in their name. Philosophical points may be considered but never blindly embraced without subverting oneself. Perfect agreement is an anomaly that very rarely occurs. Language is so inadequate in conveying some concepts. Distortion is an inevitability. The underlying framework of reality will eventually require any difference come due, and demand payment in full. Truths are lies elsewhere. The most rigid schemes inhabit the world of the dead. Their views are static. The degree the living are impacted is a prime indicator of the extent the anti-natural pervades any belief system. Decadence and nihilism are common manifestations. History may sometimes appear cyclical but increasingly serves as a poor guide. The world is moving onward from previous repetitive cycles to new states. The human condition changes by moving into unknown territory. Genius and power are in part defined by those charting the first maps. The impossible becomes possible; extremes are pushed farther outward and inward; over and under. Our knowledge becomes immense, even while our understanding stagnates under a veil of contemporary superiority. The mediocre philosophers attache themselves, like bloodsucking ticks, to the back of popular sentiment and call it their own. Anything beautiful has long been dragged through the mud by opportunists and other controllers. Wars are still fought without prior codes and conduct, but for oh-so more moral rationales which just never seems to make the underlying death any different. The pressures and stakes are far higher. Unsurpassed brutality is sugarcoated within a new shiny package. In the past, killers stared their victims in the eye. The old rules do not apply. Our modern values are just more advanced (as is our weaponry). We have to lie to ourselves. Stagnation may be falsely portrayed as rapid advancement by selecting an appropriate frame of reference. A surgical strike is cleaner. In dealing with the affairs of the world, properly constrained and balanced truths must be realized for maximum advantage in all things. No other moral scheme is feasible. Proper causal and effectual relationship comprehension is beyond simple chicken and egg cliches. One must willingly stare down truth by accepting its reality before we may reject its implications. Even error must sometimes be embraced. The machine and herd are as complex and different as every individual constituent. Simplistic schemes may seem comforting but will always collapse under the groaning weight of humanity. The individual may seem weak and small, and therefore without power. Rather than squandering real resources on the unreal or anti-natural, perceived powerlessness may be negated by a simple act of will. Nothing need change other than the internal world. Most are far too weak to develop such power. Too many of this sort would spoil its beauty anyway. Our fears must be accepted and understood. Else we may be manipulated to our detriment by plausible lies. Causality and the manipulation of extremes may always be utilized for maximum advantage against learned ignorance, and the ignorant learned as well. Intellectuals make the finest sheep. For the masses, passivity has created something even lesser than actual sheep, which could be nothing else. Human potential is unknown. Humanity need not be dulled and defiled by commodification and technique.[1] The base argument can be higher than a simple choice over which lie is better, being different than the truth, and living within its sheltering confines by calling it fact.

For example, the forced wage labor culture spans all but the pinnacle of the highest social strata. Even the well-paid professional classes are not immune. The intelligencia and artistic communities have developed over time into establishments as rigid as any other. Despite pretenses, creativity has been subjugated and constrained. Productivity and efficiency define our most cherished cultural twin myths of progress and freedom. The advertising industry is a prime illustration of converging establishments.[2] Often an inverse relationship is stipulated concerning supposed extremes based on basically arbitrary mass cultural standards. Many radical definitions are often long past their prime. Rather than stated absolutes, most assessments are merely a matter of degree. An analogy might be best made by a comparison and contrast of the two economic superpowers, namely the United States and Japan. Historically, their supposed general emphasis could be regarded at opposite ends of a creativity v. efficiency spectrum. Japan is a small homogeneous nation, lacking any frontiers for many centuries. Hence, the culture has become introverted and internalized. Values have been concerned with improvement. Once physical expansion halts, stagnation and the resultant decadence may only be mitigated by bettering the existing order. Outside ideas may sometimes require their wholehearted adoption. The successful embrace of the policies formulated by the noted U.S. economist Arthur Deming during Japan's post-war development is an instance in point. In the present era, Japanese business interests will often profitably adapt foreign ideas, hitherto existing only theoretically, for highly practical applications. Realizing military expenditures would be less beneficial than civilian industry, Japan, militaristic for most of its history, has even accepted benign military occupation. Consumer products will actually be used. Japanese business conglomerates, impossible under anti-trust laws in the U.S., are structured and designed to streamline material and parts costs under a single umbrella. U.S. companies must accept and submit bids. The supplier must make a profit. Open frontiers may produce unbridled creativity; bridled frontiers will stifle creativity through direction. Closure inhibits the creative drive. Opportunities exist everywhere. Decadence stifles. The world is perceived physically smaller than previous centuries. Has it shrunk? The necessities driving competitive atmospheres increase the need for efficiency. Creativity is bridled. Frontiers are ignored in favor of efficient improvement. Provided less healthy elements do not intervene in the mix, the end result may even be beneficial. Inertia exists in any social system. Drag attributable to anti-natural instincts will increase the natural resistance for change. Real advancement may even be retarded in favor of the illusory and mythical. The Japanese have accepted their position. The island nation realizes its potentials and limits by learning from the devastation of World War II. By contrast, the United States was secure after its victory, but soon found itself faced with a changing world. Some societal elements could cope less than adequately. An isolationist giant was thrust into the permanent spotlight. Even enemies owed a debt. Hence, stability was threatened by external and internal influences, because the herd mentality saw threats were none need existed, like communism and peace movements, while ignoring others, like the arms race. The situation was exploited for maximum advantage by opportunists of all stripes. The constant frontier enjoyed by the United States throughout its history was reaching its climax with the first space launches, but its mass psychology had not grasped the implications. Even while enjoying uncontested military advantage by the 1990s, the result was internal decay. Economic prosperity and propaganda obscures the rubble, but down surges find large segments adrift. Idle minds start to question. Luckily, any teetering has so far been rectified, but a severe economic depression could tip the balance hopelessly over the brink. An unstable world economy makes this possibility inevitable. Loyalty has been supplanted by money. The cold war supplied a main drive toward national unity, but those days are past. Fifty years on a war footing[3] certainly influenced and solidified mentalities concerning expectations in the world. Possibilities are turbulently draining away for certain segments of the population. Rural and urban poor are in abundance. Sometimes mass resentment explodes. The 1992 Los Angeles uprising spread nationally. Crumbs are a matter of comparison. The future has been compromised by fear of the unknown. The physical frontier is dead. The universal demand for tangibles has rendered any mental frontiers largely unrecognized, unimportant or impotent to influence events. The intellectual community world-wide produces irrelevant rubbish. Academic requirements promote quantity over quality material.[4] The university is no longer a ground of independent thought. Nuclear annihilation is still a very real threat. The chemical and biological sciences represent danger through terrorism and warfare. The destructive application of science will never end. The culture produced is based on insecurity and fear. Opportunists will always exploits anxiety for maximum advantage. The cycle feeds upon itself like a serpent eating its own tail. The mind becomes dull. Efficiency has been forced. Creative drives are damped. The known is more economically secure. During the perceived good times, possible threats seem more remote. Materialism masks underlying decay. The Japanese save their money. In the United States we would rather borrow high interest non-secured loans. A 100 year mortgage is non-existent. Who believes in the future? Mental discipline has no other purpose. Depending upon outlook, vitality may appear decadent. Forced emulations are anti-natural and crushing. The Japanese failed at imperialism, yet have bought much which could not be conquered. On the other hand, the United States has conquered that which it could not buy, which is considerable in itself. The United States is discovering resistance. Certain blocks wish to remain outside its sphere, notably the Muslim World, China and also Russia.[5] Corporate globalism wears down resistance. The Japanese adapted. The United States spreads a superficial similarity across the globe, which is no truth for anyone. The United States may find itself obsolete. Those attempting the impression of their value system on others have all ultimately failed. However, an exact comparison is impossible and a truly creative solution could mitigate the consequences. At least, future cultures will learn from the experience. Ultimately, human beings require a balance. The all-inclusive is akin to suicide. The dead do not move in any reality.

Optimal efficiency is the benchmark for mediocrity in American culture. Decline may be remedied by moving into new, uncharted and less empirically objective realms. By allowing expansion beyond the economic sphere, decadent instincts may be diminished. A strong healthy drive will often nullify the tendency to turn inward toward nothingness. Lacking goals, we can easily find ourselves on the path of decadence to nihilism. Lest it explode in any direction, internal energy needs and demands an outlet. The human animal must move onward. The only pinnacle is the grave. Comfort and security is little better. A well-treated serf is still a slave. Struggle and stagnation may truly represent opposite ends of a spectrum. The center is an appropriate balance not easy defined. Yet many shepard's crooks will try.

Some spectra curve. In the case regarding creativity v. efficiency, failure to cope with the ramifications can lead to decadence and decay. Any concrete removal from reality contains consequences. Paint splotches are called progress. On the other hand, struggle v. stagnation are true extremes. Yet both kill. Although struggle might end in failure, at least the attempt supports life. Stagnation is just death prolonged. Of course, the stagnant should not be confused with the choice or need to rest. The sleeper may dream, and awake refreshed. Constant struggle will eventually end in pre-mature death. An occasional respite is necessary. Balance is required. Sometimes a little regression or atavism is needed, but its continual appearance is unhealthy. The world may always be perceived in terms of wheels-within-wheels. Fine lines exist between truth and lies. Failure may become amplified when projected toward the masses. Any journey begins with a single step. Nothing dictates the direction. We create our own destinies. Only the strongest dare believe otherwise by embracing the greatest of all errors: Free Will.

[1] Technique will always be defined as per the works of Jacques Ellul listed in the bibliography.

[2] See Frank, 1997.

[3] Strangely, very little mention has ever been made concerning the effects of the Cold War mentality on the psychology of the population. Waiting for future historians, the consequences may not be appreciable...

[4] See Sokal & Bricmont, 1998.

[5] As opposed to the Soviet Union which was a competitor.