Tim:

Interesting question!  Humans have *both* a body (i.e. matter) and a  
soul (i.e. form) -- according to Aristotle &al, as understood for  
around 2000 years in the West.  500 and 1000 years ago this was widely  
understood.

That ended, however, when the Printing Press ushered in a *new*  
paradigm that enhanced the body, while impoverishing the soul.  This  
has led to *both* greater physical comforts and greater "spiritual"  
disorder.  We both live longer, eat better and have invented multiple  
ways to eliminate ourselves.

Perhaps most importantly, we have "weaponized" psychology and, as a  
result, produced a population that is, generally speaking, "crazy."   
As a result, my guess is that, historically speaking, we have more  
people who are being "tortured" today than ever before.  Whatever you  
might think about the Spanish Inquisition, it can't compare to living  
many places on earth today -- like the Southside of Chicago.

Choosing between "better" and "worse" is, therefore, made very  
difficult.  I would prefer to do something else.  I would suggest that  
*understanding* the world in which live today and the causes that are  
forming a new world is our most pressing responsibility.

In order to do that, we need to understand our "form" as humans; which  
is to say we need to understand the human soul.  Aristotle is the best  
place to start doing that, so we just taught a 12-class course on his  
"On the Soul" (c. 350BC) at my Center. I don't know any other way to  
do it.

"Psychology" is supposed to be the study of the "soul" (or "psyche" in  
Greek.)  However, with the *elimination* of that concern (completed  
under ELECTRIC conditions), something which we now call psychology --  
minus the soul/psyche -- developed in the late-19th century,  
coinciding with Max Weber's "disenchantment of the world."  Overall,  
as Gregg's efforts underscore, this has been a disaster.

My answer to your question is that we will be "better off" when our  
souls are being properly nourished, along with our bodies.  My guess  
is that DIGITAL has a shot at accomplishing that goal -- however, to  
do that means "everything must go" . . . !!

Mark

Quoting Tim Henriques <[log in to unmask]>:

> Hi Mark – you have shared a lot of interesting information recently  
> which has been fun to ponder. I am curious as to your opinion, do  
> you feel that humans are better off now than they were say 500 or  
> 1000 years ago? You can interpret that word “better off” anyway you  
> wish. Or, if you feel like there was a period in our history we were  
> “best off”, what period was that? Thanks for sharing.
>
> Tim
>
> Tim HenriquesDirector, NPTI  
> VA/MD/DCwww.nptivirginia.eduwww.allaboutpowerlifting.com
>
> On Tuesday, September 4, 2018, Mark Stahlman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Gregg:
>
> Excellent! So how does the ToK/Garden model help us to deal with a
> world in which most people do *not* have jobs (i.e. robots "take over"
> work) and *nothing* can be "forgotten" (i.e. that's what computers do,
> remember everything) -- which is to say, a world utterly unlike the
> one in which we now live . . . ??
>
> Mark
>
> Quoting "Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx" <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>> Thanks for sharing this, Mark.
>>
>> I think he makes a lot of good points.
>>
>> I agree that we need a new approach to education, knowledge and
>> fostering psychological health.
>>
>> The whole point of the ToK/Garden model is how to cultivate
>> ourselves for the future that we are facing.
>>
>> Best,
>> Gregg
>>
>> From: tree of knowledge system discussion
>> <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Mark Stahlman
>> Sent: Monday, September 3, 2018 9:45 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Yuval Harari: It's All Going to Be Psychological!! (via CBS News)
>>
>>
>> DLers:
>>
>> This AM, Yuval Harari appeared on CBS News, continuing his book-tour
>> for "21 Lessons for the 21st Century."
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.amazon.com_Lessons-2D21st-2DCentury-2DYuval-2DHarari-2Debook_dp_B079WM7KLS&d=DwIBaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=OzXoql1ojOeeyovieW2WdZiuJ56hH8vmRcI3_W_0d84&s=J5TnwwCsApph78P5G3qV1CTGnE2SrM5Si-Gx6sj4tJ0&e=
>>
>> The clip is well worth reviewing --
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.msn.com_en-2Die_news_video_why-2Dthe-2Drise-2Dof-2Dai-2Dmakes-2Dmental-2Dresilience-2Dso-2Dimportant_vp-2DBBMOGlE&d=DwIBaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=OzXoql1ojOeeyovieW2WdZiuJ56hH8vmRcI3_W_0d84&s=morwTIeHuR_dKrCbJH2tRgURHkjq9y1VCNFE30B2WqE&e=
>>
>> His comments are what has now become standard-fare. Not surprising,
>> since he's a "historian" and not a "futurist," he mistakenly said,
>> "No one knows the future." That, is, of course a silly thing to
>> say. "Knowing" isn't the point. Anticipating, however, is the
>> point and, as it turns out, some people are pretty good at doing
>> that. He's apparently not one of them.
>>
>> He compounds his errors by, once again repeating what others are
>> saying, "Technology isn't deterministic . . . Radio created both
>> Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia . . . it's all a matter of what we do
>> with the technology." This also silly. "Determinism" refers to
>> *efficient* (or what we'd rather call *kinetic* cause) and it has
>> nothing to do with the action of technology on society. And, of
>> course, Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia were, in structural terms,
>> actually quite alike.
>>
>> In this, Harari is repeating what his audience wants to hear: It's
>> all a matter of choice. No, not really. Technology, as McLuhan
>> told us in 1964, "shapes our behaviors and attitudes." That is
>> because "behaviors and attitudes" are *forms* which come about as a
>> result of Culture -- which, in turn, is "structured" by the
>> technologies it uses. Harari has committed the typical mistake of
>> "social constructionists," who mistakenly think that Culture can be
>> whatever we want it to be. That has never been the case. We, at
>> the Center, on the other hand, are "technological constructivists."
>>
>> He is, however, clear that what we are facing is a massive
>> psychological problem. He is also correct that today's schools
>> aren't doing anything to address this. He is, however, wrong that
>> the answer is "resilience" and had to admit that he must meditate 2
>> hour every day to keep his own balance. That approach, like much of
>> what he says, is just the same-old TELEVISION answer -- or, what
>> McLuhan called the "Inner Trip" into which TV "flips" (as described
>> in the 1988 "Laws of Media.")
>>
>> There is no hint in what I've read by Harari that he understands any
>> of this. The shift from TELEVISION Fantasy to DIGITAL Memory
>> doesn't seem to have occured to him. Perhaps someone will help him
>> with a clue along the way . . . <g>
>>
>> Mark
>>
>>
>>
>>
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